Windsor butcher explains halal meat after restaurant receives scathing reviews

A Windsor butcher wants people to know that halal meat has no connection to ISIS.

Sami Kleit, who runs the Windsor-based Kings Meat Market selling hand-slaughtered halal meat, made that comment after a Mediterranean restaurant received a review from a customer who says he "will not support ISIS."

"You can't involve [ISIS] in this issue," he said.

Tabouli by Eddy's in Tecumseh has been open for a few months. On Tuesday, the owner posted some negative reviews he has received from customers, all condemning the restaurant for only serving halal meat.

The same customer, Tim Williams, who emailed the restaurant saying he 'won't support ISIS,' said he will not "consume food that has been blessed to a false god and supports brutal slaughter practices."

Kleit said animals are slit at the throat for halal meat and are then drained.

"This is the right way in our religion," he said. "You have to cut the throat, you have to let the blood drain all the way, because supposed to be no blood in it."

Williams told CBC News he thinks that method of slaughter is "barbaric."

"I don't care what they tell me. There's no way that anyone will ever convince me that halal is a humane way to slaughter an animal," he said.

Another review from a user called "F4Phanthom" posted on TripAdvisor, saying "many Canadians" won't eat halal and the restaurant won't be getting the person's business until halal meat is removed from the menu.

"Apparently the owner thinks that every Canadian accepts and wants halal food," the user wrote.

While that person isn't happy with the meat, there are non-Muslims who will visit Kings Meat Market, according to Kleit.

"I have Canadian customers, they come in here, they like halal meat because they can tell the difference between halal and not halal."

The owner of the restaurant, Eddy Hammoud, has been receiving a lot of support on social media after the initial report of the negative reviews.

He reminds people that halal food is not new to Canada.

"If this is something Canada was against, then it would have been stopped."