Acording to wikipedia, halal is an Arabic term meaning permissible. It also states that in the English language, it most 
frequently refers to food that is permissible according to Islamic law. Halal thus refers to anything that is permissible under Islam (or Shariah compliant).
Many of you will be parents and thus possibly concerned about issues to do with childcare, including everything from government subsidies, staffing ratios, to whether your child is getting a nutritious meal. All of these are valid concerns.
frequently refers to food that is permissible according to Islamic law. Halal thus refers to anything that is permissible under Islam (or Shariah compliant).Many of you will be parents and thus possibly concerned about issues to do with childcare, including everything from government subsidies, staffing ratios, to whether your child is getting a nutritious meal. All of these are valid concerns.
Many children have dietary requirements, some based on allergies, others based on religious or traditional beliefs; eg. if a family is vegetarian, they might not want the child eating sausages. The childcare centre would therefore be duty bound to provide a meal for the child which is vegetarian, just as Muslim and Jewish parents often request that their child not be given pork products. I am all for respecting parents’ choice in regards to what they want to feed their children, as long as they do not force it on others outside their family arena.
On the other hand, many childcare centres are failing in this option by insisting that all foods be halal or that all non-vegetarian meals conform to Islamic dietary standards. If a childcare centre that was attached to a mosque or islamic school provided only halal food, that would be fair enough. But to force halal produce on unwitting children, many of whom are not of the Islamic faith, is both wrong and immoral. (reference)
Is this the future upbringing our children? In Muslim countries children not only eat halal but also help to prepare halal food.
The Canberra Avenue Childcare Centre in Dandenong, Melbourne, is just one of many childcare centres throughout Australia that do not give the parents the option of whether their child has Halal food or not. The City of Yarra and the City of Hume don’t provide this option either in many of their long day care centres. If you access a childcare centre, you should be given a choice of what your child should or should not be eating. If your child is allergic to peanut butter, you wouldn’t give them peanut butter sandwiches or satay chicken so why should non-Muslim children have to eat sharia compliant food in both state and privately run government funded childcare centres?
Australians celebrate and revere Anzac Day on April 25th each year in remembrance of our brave soldiers who fought in two great world wars to secure our freedom. Every Australian identifies with the slogan “lest we forget” and in services held around the country people reflect on the battles and men who died to secure our freedom. Yet across the world in France, there is one remarkable battle which helped form the Europe we know today and allowed the development of civilization based on Judeo Christian principles. This one famous battle has become known as the battle of Tours and effectively stopped the Muslim advance into Europe. After the death of Mohammed in 632AD, Muslim armies exploded out of the Arabian peninsula to conquer much of the Middle East, expanding across north Africa. From there they crossed into Spain in 711AD and eventually controlled much of al-Andalus by 715AD. It was the victory at Tours by Charles Martel that stemmed the tide and eventually the Muslim marauders were expelled from Spain in 1492 when the last outpost at Granada fell to King Ferdinand of Spain. 
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born, lived, fought and won battles against religious and social oppression in the 17th century Bharat or India. He was a shining star in the Indian firmament and is renowned as a champion of the downtrodden and depressed masses. He was and continues to be an icon for the classes and masses alike and is seen as a rallying point for peasants oppressed by foreign rulers, Pathans and Moghuls alike. Sexually exploited women found in Shivaji Raje a protector, a benefactor and flocked to his Hindavi Swaraj to find solace and feel liberated under his saffron flag. 
Perhaps some readers might be interested to know that January 28 is considered a feast day among Catholics – actually 2 feast days are celebrated on the same day – one is of ST Thomas Aquinas, the great medieval theologian and philosopher who adapted Aristotle to the western Judeo-Christian worldview. . It is also the feast day of a lesser known person – St Peter Nolasco, the great ransomer of captives from the Muslims.
How often in conversation with a Muslim, do they quote Spain as the crowning achievement of Islam, where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived in harmony for about 800 years?
Why do Muslims insist that Jerusalem is their Holy City?
There is a very strongly entrenched view among majority of Westerners today that the three main monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam share one common God and therefore despite the obvious differences, the core foundation of these three religions is the same. 
