After learning how animals are slaughtered in order for them to be halal, I now make a conscious effort not to eat halal food. To the point that I refused to eat in the UQ Refectory and I no longer eat kebabs (as they are almost all halal meat). I will say up front, pale as I am, I am not a vegetarian. I love my meat, I just don't want to eat an animal that has been treated in a cruel manner. For this reason I also only eat free-range chicken and eggs. And I'm not just on the band wagon because of the incidents we've had over live exports in recent years as that became an issue after I was at UQ!
I've included a reference from a Muslim source on how animals are killed in Halal butchery. The reason I have done this is because if it was from some one who objected to the practice, it could be accused of bias. Not that this source is unbiased. The description is about a third of the way down the page. But basically live animals have their throats slit and are allowed to bleed to death. The spinal colum can not be cut and the animal can not be rendered unconscious. As animals don't die immediately, this means that they are conscious until they are dead. The site also says that the name of Allah must be invoked and when this is done and as he ordains this method of slaughter it must be right. Obviously this sort of arguement is completely unacceptable to any one outside their faith.
http://www.azhar.jp/info/halal-eng/halal5.html
As far as I am concerned, it is not humane to kill or at least knock out an animal before it is bleed. Which is the usual method of slaughter practiced in developed countries (assuming Wikipedia is correct).
I've added two more articles from the UK. The first one is from a vegetarian organisation, so there would be some bias, giving anecdota evidence from people who work in abbatiores that these methods are not humane, quick or compassionate. Again note that there is some bias. The second article is raising the issue in the paper in the context that it may be banned in the UK.
http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/ritual_slaughter/goingforthekill2.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,956385,00.html
This is an issue for me as I live quite close to a large mosque on the Southside of Brisbane and there are many butchers in my area that have halal practices. I investigated this years ago, because as a Christian I am permitted to "eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience," however I was curious as to just what made meat halal - was it just that it was slaughtered in the name in Allah, or was there something more? It is something more and it is a practice that I completely disagree with. | 
• 13/1/2007 - to right
Quite frankly I am disappointed (but not surprised) that Animal Rights groups are not directing most of their protests against the entire Muslim community that practices halal butchering.
On that matter, I am disappointed (but again not surprised) that Women's Rights groups don't seem to be vocal about the inherent attacks on basic women's rights in the Muslim faith and the way that it is practiced.
Why is it that so many groups are happy to protest against perceived issues in our western society but when it comes to grave infractions of common decency as commonly practiced in the Muslim community, these same groups are as quiet as can be. Is it possible to draw a potentially long bow and say that they didn't care about the so-called underlying cause but more the fact that they were being anti-establishment? ....and hence when it comes to their cause being in conflict with something as anti-establishment as Islam, they just can't help themselves but to drop their principles forthwith and rush outside to join the mob of other misfits?