Ashley Fruno of ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) speaks to Green Prophet about the difficulties of promoting animal rights in the Middle East

When Ashley Fruno was seven she found a vein in her chicken nugget whilst eating at McDonald’s. Up until that point, she had no idea that the food on her plate was in any way related to the animals raised in her neighbour’s farm which had fascinated her so much. She began to cut out meat from her diet and became a vegetarian by the age of 13, later on when she learnt more about the diary and egg industries she became a vegan. “It was an easy choice for me to get involved with PETA,” Fruno tells me, “I knew from an early age that animal rights would be a big part of my life.”

Since then, Fruno has worked to promote PETA in the Middle East and was even arrested in Jordan for organizing a ‘lettuce lady’ protest. “We were there to promote vegetarianism, not hurt anyone or break the law but they made us feel like criminals,” she says. Although PETA doesn’t have a Middle East affiliate they work with local groups in the region and have held protests and demonstrations in the region- most recently in Cairo, Dubai, Beirut, Damascus, and Amman. In the following Q&A, I quized Fruno on everything from the role religion plays in their campaigns in the Middle East, how the internet is changing people’s attitudes to why PETA activists were attacked by a mob of KFC workers in Cairo.

What are the biggest issues you face in the Middle East?

I guess first and foremost, there is a language barrier in the region. People don’t know who we are or what we’re promoting, which is why we’re so fortunate to have the help of wonderful activists throughout the region who assist with our campaigns and public education events. We work and co-operate with many animal rights groups in the region, ranging from animal shelters to vegetarian groups. Basically, anyone who shares our message of global compassion and better treatment for animals is alright with us.

Another problem we face is cultural. The vast majority of us were raised to think that eating meat and drinking milk was healthy, when nothing could be further from the truth. Meat and livestock industries have billions of dollars to come up with slick advertisements with a celebrity spokesperson that either glosses over important details or lies blatantly. They don’t care about our health, only their profit margins.

Have religious traditions posed any barriers to PETA’s campaigns?

Funnily enough, religion is usually on our side, particularly in regard to Christianity and Islam. For instance, the beautiful religion of Islam has always viewed animals as a special part of God’s creation. The Qur’an, the Hadith, and the history of Islamic civilization offer many examples of kindness, mercy, and compassion for animals.

The same can be said for Christianity, for example, the Bible relates that God gave humanity “dominion” over creation (Genesis 1:26), and we see this as a sacred responsibility, not a license to ruin the environment and torment God’s creatures. Indeed, many of the world’s problems are due to human heartlessness and self-indulgence. Moving toward a plant-based diet is a responsible, effective, and faithful way to serve God and to protect God’s Creation.

Do you have a sense that there changing attitudes to animal rights and veganism?

Due to the internet, most people have access to an abundance of information, something that just wasn’t possible twenty years ago. In this day and age, people can look up the nutritional value of a t-bone steak, rather than have a meat industry spokesperson spill his/her propaganda. Cosmetic chains are halting animal tests, fast-food chains are offering vegetarian options, and designers are dropping fur and exotic skins from their lines. Change is happening, and it’s change for the better!

Could you tell us about some of the campaigns that you have worked on in the Middle East over the last couple of years?

Last year we had a pro-vegetarian lettuce lady demonstration in Jordan, before police broke up our peaceful protest and carted us to jail. The intent of our peaceful protest was simply to raise awareness that going vegetarian is the best thing you can do for your health, the environment, and the animals. We also had a KFC protest in downtown Cairo to urge the fast food chain to implement minimal animal welfare standards, where our PETA Asia director Jason Baker was attacked by a mob of KFC staff members and was arrested. We also protested Dubai Zoo for the abhorrent conditions in which their animals are kept – the police closed us down early too.

Are there any exciting plans for PETA campaigns currently in the pipeline?

We’ve always got exciting plans in the pipeline! Over the years we’ve draped ourselves in lettuce gowns to encourage vegetarianism, dressed up as babies (complete with a diaper) to protest animal testing or dawned prison suits and monkey masks to speak out for animals in zoos! We’ve always got something exciting cooking up, you’ll just have to wait and see what it is.

For more on animal rights issues in the Middle East see:
Vegetarianism hits the streets of Jordan Wearing Lettuce
This Is What A Muslim Vegetarian Looks Like
Book Review: Animals In Islam and Muslim Culture
How Vegetarians Can Solve The Middle East Water Crisis

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PETA, the animal rights organisation, has offered to make a donation to the world’s first green synagogue which is currently under financial strain but on one condition…

The ground-breaking green synagogue in California that has been appealing for financial support to help keep it open has had a surprising- if unexpected- offer from PETA. The campaigning animals rights organisation known for its media-savvy and sometimes outright bizarre tactics has offered to make a donation to the synagogue on the condition that they agree to display PETA’s ‘Meat’s Not Green’ poster advocating a vegan diet in its synagogue.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) argue that whilst the Beth David synagogue is green, raising animals for food is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution as well consuming large amounts of energy. As such, they state that one of the best ways to go green would be to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet.

The animal rights organisation has also raised concerns about the daily abuse of animals in kosher slaughterhouses, which they state is “an egregious violation of Jewish principles.” PETA have previously urged Orthodox Jews to give up the fur hats, or shtreimels, that are typically worn by Hassidic men

I got in touch with Kristin Richards of PETA to find out if they’d had any response from the Beth David congregation but, as of 27 April 2011, their offer had not been accepted.

Kristin said, “Unfortunately, we haven’t received a response yet, but we continue to follow up with the synagogue as we look forward to speaking with Rabbi Corngold about this exciting opportunity.

“We hope to get our ad up at the synagogue as soon as possible to let congregation members know that the best way to go green, improve their own health, and help animals is to adopt a vegan diet.”

For more on green congregations see:

Help Save The World’s First Green Synagogue

Mosque in Turkey Goes Solar

Project to Reduce Water and Electricity Consumption in 300 Mosques in Dubai

Man Builds Colossal Cathedral with Junk and Faith

The post PETA Offers To Support Green Synagogue- But Only If They Promote Going Vegan! appeared first on Green Prophet.

Israel took a historic step last year to ban the import and marketing of animal fur, except for Streimels used by Ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Pamela Andersen, honorary ambassador of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), lauded the bill and encouraged Ultra-Orthodox to consider alternatives.

Even so, following pressure from pro-fur groups, the bill was put on hold, much to the disgust of the Anti-Fur Coalition. With help from the Draftfcb+ Shimoni Finkelstein Barki ad agency, the group launched the “There’s no beauty in cruelty” campaign.

It seems that the lobbying power of both the Canadian and Danish embassies is more powerful than the former Baywatch star.

The bill was put on hold after both of those countries’ ambassadors petitioned Israel’s Minister of Environmental Protection and recent Golden Globe winner Gilad Erdan to reconsider.

According to  infurmation, 50 million animals are killed each year for the fashion industry. The print campaign, which is designed to draw attention to the cruelty associated with fur clothing, depicts dolls wearing fur and animal parts strewn in the background. Although it does not evoke a visceral objection to the practice, it is nonetheless an interesting approach.

Number of animals required to make a fur coat:

• 12-15 lynx
  

• 10-15 wolves or coyotes

• 15-20 foxes

• 60-80 minks

• 27-30 racoons

• 10-12 beavers

• 60-100 squirrels

Israel’s minister Gilad Erdan said animals should only be killed for food or subsistence, and not to make a pretty coat.

:: Osocio

More on Fur in Israel:

Israel Creates Anti-Fur Import and Trade Bill, Streimels Excluded

Pamela Andersen Urges Ultra Orthodox To Give Up Fur

The post Anti-Fur Coalition Launches “There’s No Beauty In Cruelty” appeared first on Green Prophet.

Good news! Going vegetarian won’t leave you with a protein deficiency or put you at risk for developing gout. We’re going to put those rumors to rest so that you can stop wondering and worrying and get started down the road to better health.

Myth 1: Vegetarians have trouble getting enough protein.

Nearly every food that we consume contains some protein. Healthy vegetarian sources of protein include eish balady (Egyptian local bread), oatmeal, falafel, tofu, mock meats, lentils, nuts, soya milk, leafy green vegetables and beans (eg, black beans, garbanzo beans and kidney beans).

Eating too much protein – especially animal protein – can put a strain on your kidneys and lead to kidney disease. A diet high in protein can also rob your body of calcium and increase your risk of developing osteoporosis.

Many people incorrectly believe that vegetarians have to combine certain foods at each meal in order to form “complete proteins”. But if you consume a balanced diet and eat a variety of grains, beans, vegetables, nuts and seeds, you’ll have no trouble getting all the protein your body needs.

Myth 2: Eating fish and other sea animals is good for you.

If you wouldn’t drink seawater, you shouldn’t eat sea animals. The flesh of some sea animals, such as crabs, calamari, tilapia and shrimp, has been found to be 9 million times more toxic than the water they live in.

The flesh of many sea animals is laden with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and dioxin. Sea animals also ingest sewage, which contains dangerous bacteria such as E. coli. Serious and even fatal cases of food poisoning have resulted from E. coli contamination. Dangerous amounts of heavy metals and minerals – including cadmium, mercury, lead and chromium – have been found in the flesh of sea animals. The flesh of some sea animals even contains arsenic! Consuming these toxins can cause birth defects, various types of cancer and damage to the liver, kidneys and nervous system.

Although fish flesh does contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids, it’s much safer to obtain omega-3s from plant sources, such as walnuts, broccoli, cabbage, kale, soya milk, tofu, flaxseeds and flax oil.

Myth 3: Dairy products are a good source of calcium and are essential for bone health.

As healthy sources of calcium, dairy products can’t compare to tofu, beans, almonds, tahini, soya milk, seaweed, beans and grains. The calcium-absorption rate of milk is approximately 32 percent. Broccoli and other leafy green vegetables have calcium-absorption rates between 40 and 61 percent. When it comes to calcium, absorption is key!

A 12-year study of nearly 78,000 women found no evidence to support the claim that milk builds stronger bones. However, studies do show that the animal protein in dairy products actually increases the risk of developing osteoporosis!

Why does cow’s milk, which is supposed to be good for us, put so much stress on our bodies? Because it’s designed for baby cows! Humans are the only animals who consume milk from other species; no other species consumes any kind of milk past infancy. Dairy products are laden with cholesterol, saturated fat and an ever-increasing variety of pesticides and antibiotics. The consumption of dairy products has even been linked to heart disease, intestinal problems, obesity, diabetes and various types of cancer. It turns out that milk isn’t so good for us after all!

Myth 4: A vegetarian diet increases the risk of kidney stones and gout.

Gout, or metabolic arthritis, is the result of crystallized uric acid deposits in the joints and cartilage. The symptoms of gout include joint pain and stiffness. Scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany have found that eating a vegetarian diet can actually reduce the risk of gout. The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, compared the risk of uric acid crystallization for three different diets: a typical Western diet (ie, one containing excessive animal protein), a healthier omnivorous diet and a vegetarian diet. Study participants who consumed a vegetarian diet showed the lowest risk of uric acid crystallization – 93 per cent lower than the participants who consumed a typical Western diet.

A study conducted by scientists at the Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research in the US has proved that the rumor that a vegetarian diet causes kidney stones is also untrue. The study found that people who consumed a diet based on animal protein actually have a higher risk of developing certain types of kidney stones than those who consumed a diet based on vegetable protein – even when both groups consumed the same amount of protein. The scientists also noted that participants who consumed diets based on animal protein were at higher risk of developing osteoporosis.

Myth 5: Eating meat is the best way to get iron.

Nonsense! Iron is available in all kinds of foods – from beans to whole-wheat bread – and is particularly plentiful in breakfast cereals, oatmeal, nuts, peanut butter, seeds, molasses, mock meats, tofu and leafy green vegetables (such as spinach).

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no significant difference between the anemia (ie, iron deficiency) rates of meat-eaters and vegetarians. A study conducted at Harvard University found that consuming the type of iron found in meat, eggs and dairy products can actually increase the risk of developing diabetes.

If you’re already a vegetarian, these myth-busting responses are great to keep in hand for the next time your die-hard meat-eater colleague is grilling you. If you haven’t gone vegetarian yet, quit making excuses – take a proactive step for your health and for animals by ditching meat and other animal-derived products! With so many options available these days, it’s easier than ever to switch to a vegetarian diet!

More Food and Health news:

Bee Stings Are Sweet in Israel: An Interview with a Beekeeper

RECIPE: Compote, A Cool Healthy Dessert For Summer

Complications of Coffee – A Habit Worth Kicking

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