Certainly, the Reading Borough Council had to take into account the fact that between 50 and 80 percent of the students enrolled in its state schools. However, it would have been advisable for the Council to have publicly declared that the cafeteria food was not halal, and then initiated public dialogue as to whether halal menu items should be incorporated into the existing menu. Other commentators make good points that making the menu halal without public consultation or knowledge impinges on everyone else, including Sikhs, those concerned with animal rights, and any taxpaying citizen who was not given the opportunity to consent to or reject the changes.

Interestingly enough this is another example of the multiculturalist and political correctionist bloc pre-empting ethno-cultural tensions by impinging on the rights of the majority and of minorities who are not so prolific activists as Muslims.

A response to certain of your commentators. 1) Kosher and halal are not the same. 2) Why do British state schools (apparently) provide meals? I thought they were in the business of education. In Australia, most children would bring food from home or have the choice of attendng a take-away canteen which serves 'generic' food so everyone is happy.

ephraim of oz

As far as I know Halal and Kosher meat are the same.  Just pretend its kosher.

Who says the authorities wouldn't mind other than Muslim sensitivities:

'A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council said: ”The decision was
taken several years ago. Schools thought it was the appropriate choice
for their multi-cultural community. We are increasing options at the
four schools by offering fish each day."'

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=23706_One-Way_Multicultura...

Why fish and not simply non-halal meat - (and - yes, pork!) ? Maybe because most fish isn't anathesized before being killed either - which comes close to the halal idea.
 

"Schools thought it was the appropriate choice for their multi-cultural
community." Do they say multi-cultural when they mean Muslim? So
multicultural values, ditto Muslim values aren't even to be questioned
by indigenuous, Christian or humanitarian values? Welcome to the
supremacy of islam.. Questionning other parents about halal food might have been regarded as an insult to some Muslims, right? And questioning whatever Muslims require to cater to their religious sensititivities seems to be  the only taboo which Western authorities respect.

Don't mind slicing the throat of an animal and make it suffer.
And don't mind if any nonmuslim minds. I always thought that animal rights (like anasthesia before butchering) was considered a great achievement by the West. But
obviously it seems to be just a hindrance to the ideal
multiculture. Maybe like gay and women's rights? Don't seem to fit
neither into the multi (= muslim?) culture.

What about Hindu sensitivities by the way? To a lot of them cows are holy, so I
suppose beef is also banned from schools' dinners? But probably it
isn't.. Maybe because Hindus  lack the track record of "peaceful" protests with which adepts of the religion of peace continue to make us feel ever more pleased of  them living among us?

Fear and Political Correctness are putting Europe on the fast lane to submission to a medieval cult. It is amazing to see how easily this continent (otherwise proud of its intellectual superiority) caves in to barbary.
How funny : Today, a brilliant civilization, and the day after, the playfield of a desert-tribe medieval religion...

Schools thought it was the appropriate choice... Of course, schools do not think. The decision was made by certain executives in the schools, whose names will probably not be revealed, now that there has been an outcry. Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan.