Hubby and the Free Range Egg Debate

Asalamalaikum :D

Once we enter into the fold of Islam, we enter into the fold of mercy. Mercy for mankind and animal kind. I had always felt it was unfortunate that in many places outside Australia, animal rights were given very little attention. Although lobbies and awareness groups do exist, I felt that the West overwhelmingly superceded other countries in this mission. 

Image Source: www.guardian.org.uk

Hubby and I were newly married when this discussion first cropped up between us. We were standing in a line at the local supermarket and I was glad to see a new line of Free Range Eggs. Excited I wanted to buy them instead of the cage eggs. I shared my stance on the West's champion animal right's movement and he scoffed. 

Deeply upset, I asked him why so. "The west is great at highlighting animal rights issues because it cares nothing about human rights issues", he said, "they have a lot of spare time on their hands to worry about animals". As I tried to defend my homeland, images of murders and abductions of Aboriginals flooded to my mind. The undeniable countless massacres in the name of colonialism kept me silent as did the tortures and dis-figuration in the name of science. More recent images played too of millions more deaths in the name of nothingness leading to the ethnic cleansing and torture of Muslims all around the world All perpetrated by the West both actively and passively didn't help my case . The efforts for saving chickens when weighed against the efforts of causing bloodshed seemed suddenly of little significance.

So I stayed quiet. We moved on to the end of the line, scanned our items and went home. I was still very sad about buying cage eggs. It didn't quite make sense to me that I should neglect animals rights just because the same people who heralded these rights were champions in violations of human rights. 

Years passed and we continued to buy cage eggs. Every time I bought them I felt guilt as I imagined all those poor chickens, row on top of row, locked in little cages with sad glassy eyes, wire cutting into their necks. The same guilt I feel when I buy milk, imagining row after row of miserable cows hooked up to machines that sucked the milk of unnaturally drugged cows. Who knows how many other animals are being abused for the sake of the brutal materialistic and capitalistic business men.

Image Source: www.aspca.org

One day, three kids later we found ourselves in a shopping centre again. Hubby went to buy the eggs. He came back smiling as if he was holding something in his hands that was worth the whole world. I was smiling just the same. He had walked right past the cage egg section and had picked up the free range eggs. He locked his smiling eyes with mine for a second before saying "just for you". I felt so much love for him in that moment and he could feel it. 

Why the change? Hubby had finally integrated as an Australian. He had accepted the country as his own and realised that rather go against the ills of society we can fix them from the inside.But to do this we have to accept this country as our own. It may start with chicken eggs but inshallah doors will open to discuss the issues of human rights.

I told him that Allah would reward him immensely for the goodness that he just performed. He didn't seem to understand. I told him about the cages and the wires and the sad bleak eyes. He was shocked. I didn't realise he didn't know. He asked me why I never told him about the horrible situation these chickens were in - these chickens were just like the Muslims. The chicken s were given empathy and understanding from that point on and their grief became our grief. Victims of capitalism we both were.

Lessons learnt for our relationship:

Following that point I realised that I had assumed he knew what went on in chicken cages. We had never actually sat down to discuss the topic. I realised the importance then of talking to your spouse clearly and completely. 

Alhamdulilah it's all over now and grocery shopping doesn't have that tinge of sadness and guilt - except for when we buy milk.

Image Source: http://www.ecofilms.com.au

Umm Musk :)