Halal News

Pakistan will host an International Conference on Halal Industry

2011-12-29T20:51:00.000-08:00

Constituents from 14 countries are participating in this conference whereas Chief Minister – Govt. of Punjab, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the conference

29-12-2011

(Lahore) An international conference for the promotion of Halal Industry is going to be held on 16 – 17 January, 2012 in Pearl Continent Hotel, Lahore in which constituents from 14 countries like Malaysia, China, America, Russia, South Africa, Mauritius, UK, and UAE etc. shall participate. The conference would be inaugurated by Chief Minister –Govt. of Punjab, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The conference is jointly organized by Halal Research Council and Agriculture & Meat Company (PAMCO), Govt. of Punjab. The purpose behind arranging this conference is to take international Halal Industry in confidence for the sake of promoting Pakistan’s Halal Market, which costs USD 3 trillion. Pakistan is an agricultural country and due to its excellent Livestock and 100% Halal Products, it has an opportunity to be introduced as a Halal Products leader, through which Foreign Exchange can be increased by minimizing the trade deficit of Pakistan, which is the basic need right now.

While throwing light upon this conference, Mr. Zubair Mughal, Chief Executive Officer, Halal Research Council said that Pakistan is the only country in which 100% Halal products and Meat is available, due to which Pakistan has a unique position in Halal Industry. By taking advantage of this, we can market our products in International market which values USD 3 trillion. He further added that in this conference, many topics like the importance of Halal Market, Halal Banking and Finance, Halal Industrial Estate, opportunities of International Investment in Pakistan, Halal Certification etc. would be discussed. The conference is being supported by 11 Halal bodies of Pakistan, Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, Trade associations and agricultural universities.

In this conference, His Eminence, Dr. Mustufa Ceric, The Grand Mufti, Bosnia, Kavilash Chawla, Managing Director, Nur Global Strategies, Chicago, U.S.A, Riad Parvez Hullemuth, Chief Executive Officer, Nile Plus, Mauritius, Dr. Haja sittie shayma zenaida p. Hadji raof laidan, Regional Director, Department/ Ministry of Science and Technology- XII, PHILIPPINES, Dr. Muhammed Munir Chaudry, Chief Executive Officer, IFANCA, USA, Dr. Rana Muhammad Ayyub, PhD. Scholar (Halal food Marketing), University of Hull, UK, Alaa Kamal, Regional Representative– Middle East, Islamic Services of America (I.S.A.), Dubai, Prof. Dr. Javaid A Awan, Country Director Pakistan, Islamic Food & Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), USA, Dr. Winai Dahlan, Founder/Director, Halal Science Center, Thailand, Sarfraz Mohammad, Auditor, Halal Monitoring Committee, United Kingdom, Dr Kakha Nadiradze, President, Association for Farmers Rights Defense, AFRD, Georgia, Justice (R) Khalil ur Rehman, Shariah Advisor, AlBaraka Bank Pakistan Ltd. And Dr Hamid Jalil, Chief Executive Officer, Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company (PAMCO) Lahore – Pakistan would contribute their knowledge.

For further details: http://www.halalrc.org/halalconferece2012/

WHAT IS HALAL LOGISTICS?

2011-11-29T01:30:00.000-08:00

Halal logistics is the process of managing the material flow and information flow throughout the supply chain in accordance to a halal standard. The material flow covers the transport, storage and terminal operations. The information flow covers the management of the data in the supply chain, such as product information, demand data, and halal logistics label and code. Halal logistics is a system based on segregation instead of detection.

Halal products are segregated from non-halal products to:

1. Avoid (cross) contamination

2. Avoid making mistakes

3. Ensure consistency with expectations of the Muslim consumer

LBB International, a multinational logistics advisory, research and supply chain management firm with offices in The Hague, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok, has developed expertise in the area of halal logistics and assisted governments and multinationals in developing halal-compliant supply chains.

The company holds the Secretariat of the International Halal Logistics Standard (IHI AS 01) under the International Halal Integrity Alliance (an OIC organization). In Malaysia, LBB has launched the internet portal halalStorage.com, an online marketplace for the demand and supply in halal storage. This portal facilitates in the search process for halal storage worldwide.

Halal industry should work with Islamic finance

2011-11-21T01:29:00.000-08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Despite the halal industry’s rapid growth, it is missing out on opportunities to tap into Islamic finance, panel members said.
“There is a disconnect between the halal industry and Islamic financing, which is ironic since we’re working within the same religion, but are not talking to each other,” said Thomson Reuters head of Islamic finance (Asia) Rafiza Ghazali at a discussion on “Halal Economy” during the Islamic Financial Intelligence Summit.
She said in a study conducted by Reuters on 250 companies involved in halal production and with a combined market capitalisation of US$132bil, it found that only 50% of them passed the Aofi test, which meant that they are not syariah-complaint.
The Aofi test was a screening criteria used by Reuters to determine the syariah compliancy of stocks, she said.
“Why is it that they (companies in halal production) make sure their products can be consumed by Muslims, yet Muslims cannot invest in them?” Rafiza asked.
Fellow panelist, AmIslamic Funds Management Malaysia director Datin Maznah Mahbob, said: “There are so many opportunities for those companies to issue sukuk, short-term papers, and longer-term Islamic debt instruments of various tenures for fund managers to invest in.
“As a fund management firm, we invest in both sukuk and equities. If they structure their funding requirements in a syariah-compliant way, we can invest in them as they will be in my syariah-complaint universe.”
In a separate panel discussing the potential of Islamic funds, Aberdeen Islamic Asset Management CEO Abdul Jalil Rasheed cautioned against the popular belief that Islamic funds can outperform conventional funds at every turn.
“We don’t go out there saying it will outperform. I’ll be honest, we will guarantee a period of underperformance; that’s just how the market is. If you are outperforming consistently, you’re lying. Something’s wrong,” he said.
“No Islamic fund can claim they have a five to ten year track record. It will take some time to build critical mass and before we can tell clients that this fund can stand on its own merit against conventional funds.”
source : the star online

‘Pakistan can tap global Halal food market’

2011-11-16T01:27:00.000-08:00

FAISALABAD: Pakistan can become a leading Halal food market and tap two billion consumers worldwide if it meets international standards.

This was the key remark made by the speakers on the second day of an international conference titled “Emerging Issues in Food Safety” at University of Agriculture, Faisalabad on Tuesday.
Dr Nadeem Riaz, Research Scientist & Director of the A&M University, Texas called for standardisation of hazard analysis and critical control points in the country to make food purely Halal.
Hazard analysis and critical control points is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that addresses physical, chemical and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection.
He also shed light on other factors including poor sanitation situation and use of washing soaps which contain non-Halal contents.
He said a transparent system of Halal auditing, not just mere inspection, is a welcome approach to remove any suspicion about a manufactured product.
Former justice Khalilur Rehman, who was the chief guest, stressed the need for developing a comprehensive mechanism to remove contamination in Halal goods.
He pinned hope on the Punjab Agriculture Meat Company, established by the provincial government, for addressing the issue of adulteration in Halal food.
Dr Tipayanate Ariyaptipan of Halal Science Centre, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok briefed about the combined laboratory techniques for screening adulterated food products available in the Thai Muslim market.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2011.

INDONESIA: MUI wary amid barrage of Chinese Halal food exports

2011-11-15T03:31:00.000-08:00

By The Halal Journal Newsdesk (Source: The Jakarta Post) published 9 hours ago

Original Article Source: The Jakarta Post

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) confirms a sharp rise in Halal food products coming from China, but it remains sceptical over China’s Halal industry, which is presumed to still be in its developmental stages.

“The number of Halal products from China has increased by 50 to 100 percent since last year,” MUI Food and Drug Analysis Agency (LPPOM) chief Lukmanul Hakim told The Jakarta Post. He said that some of China’s Halal food exports — which far exceeded those from Europe and the US — came from Ningxia, a province known for its Muslim Hui ethnicity. Muslims in Ningxia account for around 38 percent of the province’s 6.3 million residents. The province recently announced it had developed a Halal industry to accommodate not just the needs of Chinese Muslims but also Muslims in other countries.

Ningxia’s Halal food commission said that the province had more than 10,000 factories and restaurants that were certified Halal. The region’s Halal industry, which is supported by a high tech laboratory, 15 experts and 300 staffers, was currently worth up to 50 million RMB (US$7.9 million). The commission added that the industry had been working with foreign counterparts since 2008, cooperating on a reciprocal basis with Halal institutions in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Malaysia, with Indonesia soon to join the mix.

Lukmanul acknowledged the booming development of China’s Halal industry, but said that the

LPPOM, acting as Indonesia’s Halal certification authority, did not see itself engaging in any Chinese cooperation in the near future. “They can cooperate with Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, but here we pay great attention to standards and human resource competency. It is not just a matter of issuing a certificate.”

According to Lukmanul, establishing cooperation with foreign Halal institutions meant agreeing to the validity of their certification systems and trusting their assessments of products to be exported to Indonesia.

The LPPOM has so far approved the Halal certification of 46 overseas institutions from 22 countries including the US, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and the Netherlands. For all its Halal exports to Indonesia, China did not make the list.

“We are not yet able to approve their Halal certification, partly because of their political situation,” Lukmanul said.

He explained that the MUI had to consider China’s trade policy. He said that given the country’s dominance and pragmatic approach in the politics of trade, China could be inclined to sacrifice Halal aspects in favour of economic efficiency.

“China knows that the [Halal] market is here. They are willing to follow any foreign standards as long as they succeed in getting into the country. The MUI has to decide what is best, and, for the moment, our hearts are telling us no,” he said.

Lukmanul believed that China’s surge in Halal product exports — including those to Indonesia — was more of a reflection of its economic sensibilities than its Muslim growth.

Therefore, the MUI decided that it was best to take on the responsibility of assessing Chinese Halal products independently rather than leaving it up to a local institution.

“We have to make sure that they are really Halal,” he said.

As of the first eight months of this year, Indonesia’s non-oil and gas imports from China reached $16.4 billion, up by 27 percent compared to last year, making a total trade deficit of $3.55 billion.

PAKISTAN: Int’l moot on promotion of Halal meat

2011-11-15T03:30:00.000-08:00

By The Halal Journal Newsdesk (Source: The Jakarta Post) published 9 hours ago

Original Article Source: The Jakarta Post

http://www.halalrc.org/ An international conference on promotion of “Halal Meat” will be held on December 14-15 in the city. Delegates from 16 countries will participate in the conference aimed at introducing Pakistani Halal products all over the world. Pakistan Agriculture and Meat Company (PAMCO) Chief Executive Officer Dr Hamid Jalil explaining the objectives of the conference, told newsmen that it would be a unique moot which included practical aspects of learning. He said it had been divided into two segments, on first day, the researchers would present their papers while the second day allocated for field visits. These visits include a State of the Art facility set-up by PAMCO costing $300 million with the cooperation of Iran, M-3 Halal Industrial Park at Faisalabad, National Institute of Food and Technology (NIFT), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and a Halal Laboratory set-up at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore so that the delegation from different countries may see the actual research work.

Dr Hamid said that the objective of PAMCO was to promote Halal Industry through developing Agriculture and Livestock sectors. He further informed that Pakistani products were respected all over the world for being Halal, on which their demand was increasing day by day. Keeping this in view, PAMCO is strengthening contact with many international institutions, and two further contracts were expected to be signed at the conference. Mr Zubair Mughal, the CEO- Halal Research Council, added that the conference would provide a great opportunity for Pakistani FMCG sector to get them recognized in the int’l market, which would help to boost the exports from Pak and enabling the reduction of budget deficit of Pak.

UNITED KINGDOM: Pure Halal Beauty

2011-11-15T03:07:00.000-08:00

With all the talk of cuts and recession it’s good to hear that the pioneering spirit is still with us. Not letting the current economic climate get in the way of a good idea, 20 year old Rose Brown set up a rather unique business venture and opened the first store of its kind in the UK.
Pure Halal Beauty, a store dedicated solely to Halal Certified and Vegan Registered beauty products, opened its doors last Christmas in Birmingham’s Pavilions Shopping Centre. Now less than a year after opening the business is booming. Rose’s dedication to providing the best Halal Certified beauty products has led her to create her own range “The PHB Collection.” Her collection has nearly 80 unique cosmetic and skincare products and is hand-made in the UK using the finest, all natural ingredients and eco-friendly packaging. Rose says the response to her new range has been overwhelming, “People have been really positive. I have had support and encouragement from around the country (through our website) from people who are so happy to have found us. Muslims, vegans and vegetarians love our products because they don’t conflict with their personal and religious beliefs. Our products also appeal to the conscious consumer who's looking for chemical-free beauty products. People who want to use natural, ethical and beneficial beauty products are always so pleased with our phenomenal range as well as our extremely affordable prices!”

As well as launching her PHB Collection, Rose has teamed up with City College Birmingham to offer apprenticeships to young students. “This time last year I was a student myself so I understand how difficult it is for young people trying to find work. I’m really pleased to be able to offer students the opportunity to gain vital work experience with Pure Halal Beauty.” While many people would baulk at the idea of setting up a business in the current climate Rose welcomes the challenge, “Some people think I’m crazy(!) but I have great belief in the products I’m selling and the prospects for expansion are looking very promising.”

"Pure Halal Beauty - Where Beauty and Belief Co-exist" .The new PHB ranges are available to customers worldwide at http://www.purehalalbeauty.com/ and in-store at Level 2, The Pavilions Shopping Centre, Birmingham, UK.

PRESS RELEASE ENDS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For further info or interviews, or for images of our product ranges and CEO Rose Brown please email Sally Gibbins at:
media@purehalalbeauty.co.uk
or call 07510 663 695
If you are interested in reviewing our products, or running a competition offering a PHB discount/prizes to your audience please contact us, we will be happy to collaborate. Rose Brown is the daughter of award winning songwriter/drummer Jimmy Brown of Internationally acclaimed reggae/pop group UB40.

Ref: http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=68254

Allow More Bodies To Undertake Halal Certification, Says SMI Association

2011-11-15T02:59:00.000-08:00

(14 Nov 2011) The appointment of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) as the sole halal certification body from Jan 1, 2012 will affect the food and manufacturing industry, says SMI Association of Malaysia.
Its national deputy president, Teh Kee Sin, said the government needed to look into the possibility of allowing more bodies to undertake the certification job.
"Currently, Malaysia has seven international halal certification bodies (including JAKIM). Next year, there would be only one and we are worried about this monopoly.
"At present, JAKIM already faced problems regarding the application and renewal of the licences. I guess this may even take a longer time (to solve)," he told a media briefing here today.
They hoped that the government would delay allowing JAKIM to take over the job on Jan 1 to sort out the problem via calling for more dialogues with the industry.
Also present were president of Malaysian Bakery, Biscuit, Confectionery and Mee Merchants' Association, Kent Lim and president of Malaysian Seafood Industries Association, Lee Teck Wee.
Meanwhile, president of Malaysian Foodstuffs and Toys Merchant's Association, David Yeow Kock Tiong, said JAKIM must standardise the issuance of the halal certificates in the states.
He said JAKIM's guidelines must be business-friendly and transparent.
"Halal industry is very important to the economy and the government should be more pro-business," he said.
Source: BERNAMA
Ref: http://www.daganghalal.com/HalalNews/HalalNewsDtl.aspx?id=1914

2011-11-15T00:32:00.000-08:00

Canada: Coffee is the newest battleground for fast food giants
Filed in Branding & Marketing, Canada, Restaurants, The Americas on 12/11/2011 with no comments
By Steve Mertl

There’s some irony in news that McDonald’s and Tim Hortons are jumping into the high-end coffee business.

Starbucks, the omni-present purveyor of lattes and espressos was probably most responsible for raising the bar on what constitutes good coffee. But with a Starbucks practically on every corner, it’s become the McDonald’s of coffee in some people’s minds, a mega corporation whose core product is getting mediocre reviews.

But what a lot of us aren’t prepared to admit is the Seattle-based company changed the way we view our daily jolt. The evidence is in the fact two of Canada’s biggest fast-food chains are moving into what the Toronto Star notes is a a $1-billion annual market.

Tim Hortons, home of the double-double, has announced it will install espresso machines in a thousand of its locations this month.

McDonald’s which had already upgraded its brewed coffee and bolstered it with free promotions, launched a national media campaign for its McCafe espresso brand.

“This is no longer fast food. ” McDonald’s Canada president John Betts told the Star this week. “This is great food served fast.”

Tim’s, the country’s biggest fast-food chain, expects to have espresso machines in 2,500 of its 3,000 locations by mid-December. McDonalds is installing the McCafe setup in its 1,400 Canadian locations as part of a billion-dollar makeover.

Both plan to undercut Starbucks, with Tim’s offering 10-ounce espresso-based drinks starting at $2, while McDonald’s will charge $2.29, compared with $3.52 at Starbucks.

McDonald’s is backing its effort with a major ad campaign that includes coupons for a free espresso mailed to almost every Canadian home.

The key to the expansion of espresso drinks has been the evolution in the way they’re made. Espresso was once limited to exotic little coffee bars and Italian restaurants, prepared with big, shiny machines that hissed steam.

Starbucks popularized espresso drinks and their baristas manually made lattes and cappuccinos to order, even if the espresso itself was no longer hand-pressed. But new espresso machines are largely automated in preparing all drinks, making them viable for fast food restaurants.

The brewed-coffee landscape is also changing. Wendy’s is introducing a new custom-roast, freshly ground brew at about 100 Canadian locations, the Globe and Mail reports.

In fact, a Globe blind taste test by a panel of coffee experts ranked Wendy’s Redhead Roasters Coffee ahead of McDonald’s, Tim Hortons and Starbucks. The endorsement of Wendy’s coffee was half-hearted but Starbucks’ brew got roasted, so to speak, with terms such as bitter, burnt toast and charred.

Pakistan: International Halal Conference & Expo

2011-11-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

Nov 11, 2011 – For the promotion of Halal Industry all over the world an International Conference is being organized on 14- 15 December, 2011 in Lahore. The delegated from 16 countries are participating in the conference with the object to introduce Pakistani halal products to the rest of the world, thereby boosting the exports of Pakistan.
Pakistan happens to be such a country, as top in the world where only Halal products can be produces the entire meat, dairy products and other industries in Food manufacturing are all dependent upon halal ingredients, which enable Pakistan an easy access to the 3trillian dollars halal global market.

Dr. Hamid Jalil the Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Agriculture and Meat Company (PAMCO) under the Government of Punjab, while explaining the objectives of the conference informed that it will be one of the unique type of Conference which will includes the practical aspects of the learning, for which it has been divided into two segments. On the first day the researchers will present their papers based on the research while the second day has been allocated to field visits and on site demonstrations. These visits include a State of the Art facility set-up by PAMCO costing $300 million with the co-operation from Iran, M-3 Halal Industrial Park at Faisalabad, National Institute of Food and Technology (NIFT), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and a Halal Laboratory set-up at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore so that that the delegated fro different countries may see the actual research work through these visits.

Dr Hamid said that the objective of PAMCO is to promote Halal Industry through developing Agriculture and Livestock sectors. He further informed that Pakistani products are respected all over the world for being halal the demand for which is increasing day by day. Keeping this in view, PAMCO is strengthening contact with many international institutions, and two further contracts are expected to be signed at the conference.

Mr Zubair Mughal, the Chief Executive Officer – Halal Research Council, added that the conference will provide a great opportunity for Pakistani FMCG sector to get them recognized in the international market, which will help boost the exports from Pakistan and enabling the reduction of budget deficit of Pakistan.

USA: AMCC Spotlights Growing Muslim Market

2011-11-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

Savvy marketers are constantly working to stay leading edge — keeping a pulse on consumer trends such as shifting demographics, evolving purchase behaviors and assessing lifestyles and life stages to best identify how their brands can fit into a variety of consumers’ lives. One consumer group that is gaining more attention among multicultural marketing experts is American Muslim consumers.

This group, numbering between six and eight million in the U.S., represents billions in disposable spending power – yet is perhaps the most underserved market in America. The third annual American Muslim Consumer Conference (AMCC), which took place on Oct. 29 in New Brunswick, N.J., addressed the opportunity for companies to reach out to this growing group of consumers.

When marketed to effectively, Muslim consumers remarkably champion brands and provide consistent and continued results, as evidenced by several of the success stories shared during the conference about companies such as Saffron Road Foods and Whole Foods Market. Muslims want brands and retailers to engage with them and say they are willing to open their wallets to those who do.

Consistent with last year’s conference, the AMCC drew both mainstream and Muslim-owned companies and organizations from Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Thomson Reuters to IFANCA, Noor Pharmaceuticals and Modern Eid. This year’s theme, “Multiculturalism & the American Muslim Consumer Market,” addressed the diversity within the Muslim market as it includes a variety of ethnic backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles.

As highlighted in the new book, Marketing to the New Majority, published by leading international research firm Millward Brown, American demographics are changing significantly, and if companies want to survive, they will need to think differently about how they reach various communities, such as Muslims, within our multicultural society.

Many Muslim market experts agree that missing the Muslim market today would be like missing the Hispanic market in the ’90s. For companies in the U.S. that are interested in tapping into the lucrative and loyal Muslim consumer market, the AMCC is a must-attend event. Millions of consumers are waiting for companies to acknowledge and engage with them. As companies are currently planning for the upcoming new fiscal year, how will your brand’s multicultural marketing efforts reach Muslim consumers in 2012?

Australia: Jordanian princess pushes for live export restrictions

2011-11-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

A member of Jordan’s royal family is urging the Australian Government to demand higher standards of its live export customers in the Middle East.

Princess Alia Al Hussein says Australia should refuse to export sheep and cattle to any market where stunning is not used before slaughter.

With financial support from the Australian Government and advice from animal advocacy charity Animals Australia, the Princess Alia Foundation has introduced stunning for more than 80 per cent of all livestock slaughtered in Jordan.

The foundation’s goal is a 100 per cent take-up of the Australian standard where animals are stunned with an electric charge or percussive blow to make them unconscious before their throats are cut.

Princess Alia says an Islamic fatwa supporting this method was issued in the 1960s and she believes the practice should be mandatory across the Middle East, where Australia will export 2.6 million sheep and about 200,000 cattle this year.

“I think you do have a right to demand that the creatures you have raised are treated in the right way and especially when it is possible, it is feasible and it’s not that hard to do,” Princess Alia said.

She says Australian chilled and frozen meat is widely imported across the region and is accepted by religious authorities as halal or compliant with Islamic sharia law.

“In Islam halal it’s also about how you treat the animal. You are supposed to lead it to death in a kind way, in a beautiful way,” Princess Alia said.

“So it may sound like an oxymoron but you’re actually supposed to treat it in a good way the whole way along the process, so it’s not just about killing it quickly it’s about not beating it, not stressing it.”

After Animals Australia and ABC TV’s Four Corners program exposed cruel practices in Indonesian abattoirs this year, the Australian Government announced new guidelines last month for the billion-dollar-a-year live export industry.

The blueprint demands compliance in all destination markets with standards set by the OIE, the World Organisation for Animal Health.

It will also require markets to ensure supply chain traceability to approved slaughtering facilities by the end of next year, but falls short of requiring stunning, which is not necessary under the OIE guidelines.

Meat and Livestock Australia’s livestock services manager for the Middle East Peter Dundon says Australian importers will instead try to encourage stunning in the region.

“Stunning is a matter for the importing country government, religious authorities and the importer,” says Mr Dundon.

The chairman of the Bahrain Livestock Company, Ebrahim Zainl, says Australia’s more diplomatic approach has a greater chance of success.

“Stunning is something new to this part of the world and unless it is made as gradual steps [it] could have some sort of negative reaction from the public,” he said.

“And it would not be to the interest of the Australian trade as a whole because people could consider that this is enforcing something which is not acceptable to the public.”

But Animals Australia advocate Lyn White says it is a missed opportunity by Australia to use its commercial leverage to enforce the more humane standard.

“We’ve seen in Indonesia in the past six months that we’ve gone from two to five facilities starting (stunning) to now 70 facilities by the end of the year,” she said.

“That’s because they were concerned at losing their supply of Australian animals, so there is real commercial leverage there and certainly the opportunity was there, and we’re disappointed that it hasn’t been taken.”

Ms White is hopeful that a bill expected to be introduced to Federal Parliament this month by Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie may still achieve a more humane outcome.

If passed, the law would require mandatory stunning in all Australian live export markets.

“We believe there’s considerable support amongst the Coalition and the ALP for stunning in importing markets,” says Ms White.

“You know there is considerable concern about live animal export and the community is not going to accept animals being sent to countries where they are not stunned before slaughter.”

2011-10-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

Press Release

Kazakhstan is the central hub of Islamic finance for CIS countries: Zubair Mughal
International Islamic financial Institutions are ready for doing investment in Kazakhstan

(Lahore/Kazakhstan, 24th September, 11) They are many chances of investment in Kazakhstan regarding International Islamic Banking and financial institutions are in looking on different options for investments in Kazakhstan because the world sees the Kazakhstan a central hub for Islamic banking and finance for CIS countries. These are the views of Muhammad Zubair Mughal the Chief executive officer of Al-HUDA centre of Islamic banking and economics, which he expressed in his speech in the International finance forum that is held in the Astana the capital of Kazakhstan in this week. In which the Finance minister Mr. Zhamishev Bolat of republic of Kazakhstan, the vice member of the chancellor of Prime Minister Mr. Tolevkhanov Dauren, the member of the area of department of strategic progress and research of President Administration Mr. Sadvawasov Darmen, the senator of the Kazakhstan Parliament Mr. Yensegenov Sarsenbag, the chairman of the committee of national bank of republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Nurpeissov Darkhan, the executive director of Zakat fund Mr. Alpysbay Edige and include International experts. The theme of the conference was to make fruitful plan and procedures for the development and expansion of Islamic finance in Kazakhstan.
By addressing to the forum, Mr. Muhammad Zubair Mughal presented the origin and starting of Islamic banking and finance in Pakistan in the form of case study that how Pakistan make fast success in Islamic banking in a short period of time. They said that Kazakhstan while doing Islamic banking and Sukuk should also utilize and use the Takaful, Islamic fund, Islamic microfinance and Islamic Reits side by side and for the development of infrastructure the government and Kazakhstan should issue Sukuk in International market so that the Kazakhstan is recognized as the Islamic Financial state in the international market.
He said Kazakhstan is one of the ninth biggest countries of world which holds the 70% population of Muslims from the 16.5 million populations, that is the sign of huge market of Islamic banking and finance. Due to which by making the Kazakhstan the model of Islamic Finance for the rest of CIS countries so that the implementation of Islamic banks and finance their can easily be done. Especially in Central Asian countries because there the population of Muslims is very much huge like Kazakhstan 70%, Uzbekistan 97%, Azerbaijan 99%, Turkmenistan 94%, Kyrgyzstan 86%, Tajikistan 84% is Muslim population. That is the clear sign of the progress and demand of Islamic banking there.

An Agreement for a Halal Industrial Park between Halal Research Council and FIEDMS Formal Annoucement to Establish the M3 Halal Industrial Park in Pakistan for the Development of Halal Industry.

2011-08-20T03:38:00.001-07:00

August 17, 2011: (Lahore)

An MOU ceremony between Halal Reserch Concil (HRC) and Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development (FIEDMC) was held at the Head office of FIEDMC, Faislaabd. The MOU was signed by Mr. Muhammad Zubair Mughal Chief Executive Office of Halal Research Counicl and Khawaja Asim Khursheed, Chairman FIEDMC. Additionally, Mr. Hamid Sheikh Seceretry Livestock and Dairy Development Govt. of Punjab, Naseeb Saifi chairman Halal Meat Export Committee, Brigadier Ahmad Raza Siddique COO, FIEDMC Amir Saleemi Head of Marketing and Sales, Syed Zubair Qutab Manager Strategic Planning Halal Research Council and the Board Members of FIEDMC and a number of industrialists attended the ceremony. Under the MOU, Halal Research Counicl will provide guidance regarding technical, halal certification, training and international communication to the M3 Halal Industrial Estate in Faisalabad.
While addressing, Khawaja Asim Khurheed Chairman FIEDMC declared the MOU as an important breakthrough for the Halal Industrial Park. He officially annouced the M3 Halal Industrial Park in Pakistan situated at M3 motorway. This developed Industrial Estate has facilities of modern roads, Power stations, modern Sewearge system, Fire brigade, Run way, Helipad, Labour colony etc. Furthermore, he stated that Halal Industrial Park will help Pakistan’s Food, Livestock and Meat market to flourish and will also provide with good export market.
Mr. Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh (Secretry Livestock and Dairy Development) said that Halal Park has given a value addiation to the Pakistan’s Halal Meat. He further added that Govt. of Punjab is continously working for the developemnt of Halal Industry and in this regard a brief action plan is in process.
While adressing at the occassion, Muhammad Zubair Mughal Chief Executive Officer Halal Research Council stated that Halal edible products are gaining popularity rapidly. The market for Halal food is not only limited to 1.9 Billion Muslims but it is also liked by the Non-Muslims who believed Halal Food as hygenic, pure and a best food product. He enlightened the importance of Pakistan’s First Halal Park by giving the brief analysis of Halal Parks of Malaysis, Yamin, Middle-East, U.K. and Russia. He argued that geographically it is located at key strategic location and from here we can easliy export Halal Products to Middle East, Africa, Far East and Europe. This will help to flourish the Industrail sector of Pakistan and thereby decresing the Trade defict of country.

Bangladesh gets go-ahead to export halal food

2011-07-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

(Reuters) – Bangladesh will soon start exporting halal food after Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development approved the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh (IFB) as a halal certification body, a business leader said on Saturday.

“It is good news for us as we have been pursuing for such an approval authority in Bangladesh,” said Syed Moazzam Hossain, president of Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He told Reuters that Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development had also included it in the list of halal certification bodies worldwide, meaning Bangladesh could take a slice of the $661 billion global market for halal food, which is prepared following Islamic dietary laws and regulations.

World Halal Forum data shows the halal food market has grown fast over the past decade and is now worth an estimated $661.6 billion a year, representing almost 17 percent of the global food industry.

Jalal Ahmed, vice chairman of the state-run Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau , said Bangladesh could earn a huge amount of foreign currency from halal food exports.

The largest contributors to the halal food market in Asia are Indonesia, China, India, Malaysia, and the Gulf Cooperation Council members including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait.

Jalal said that five Bangladeshi companies who had already received orders from abroad to supply halal food so far had not been able to export due to the lack of certification.

Moazzam said some companies had already signed contracts with Malaysian importers to supply halal food. (Reporting by Serajul Islam Quadir)

Ref: http://halalfocus.net/2011/07/09/bangladesh-gets-go-ahead-to-export-halal-food/

UK: New Halal meat group formed

2011-06-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

Mohammed Akram Gill (Director of Pak Mecca Meats Birmingham) and the chairman of Association of Non-Stun Abattoirs Ltd, said “This was long overdue the non-stun halal industry was without a voice.

“The lack of industry leadership and cooperation, especially given the state of the current economy the association aims to create and raise awareness of the halal industry according to the teaching of the Quran and the prophetic tradition.

Speaking at the Paragon Hotel Birmingham Ghulam Mustaffa (Premier Halal Meat), said “This is good news for Muslim consumers especially Muslim House wife’s. The ANSA logo will give them assurance that the meat they will be consuming is truly halal and is ritually halal slaughtered according to Islamic principles”.

Ejaz Najib (Director M. Najab and sons) Vice Chair said ”The halal word is most misused word in the UK for labeling of meat and poultry, ANSA will be able to offer cleans and wholesome product that the Muslims community wants”.

The non political and not for profit organization aims to act as a voice for the Non-Stun Halal Abattoirs and to create a better understanding of halal meat industry throughout the supply chain right down to the consumers.

The Association aims to build confidence amongst the UK Muslim population on English Halal meat industry by doing this it will open up the halal trade for export further improving the British economy.

The association welcomes the new legislation where all non stun meat will have to display a three-step label describing the animal’s country of birth, upbringing, and slaughter.

Ref: http://halalfocus.net/2011/06/16/uk-new-halal-meat-group-formed/

Bengal Meat basks in halal boom

2011-06-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Bengal Meat Processing Industries, an internationally certified meat producer and exporter, expects to ring up Tk 400 million in overseas sales this year by doubling its halal meat export.

The company was recently awarded halal certification by the Department of Islamic Development, Malaysia (JAKIM), which allows it to export processed meat to any halal market around the world.

"We now export 1000 tonnes meat a year and our target is to make 5000 tonnes by 2012," Mazharul Islam, managing director of Bengal Meat, told the FE in an interview.

He said they exported processed meat worth Tk 200 million last year.

The export market is confined to a few Middle Eastern countries like Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia for the last seven years, mainly targetting expatriate Bangladeshis and other ethnic Muslims in those countries, only adding Malaysia to the list this year.

Dato Tan Lian Hoe, deputy minister for trade of Malaysia, welcomed the Bangladeshi meat processing company, which has achieved the certification of her country during the opening ceremony of a three-day Malaysian trade fair in the city.

She also visited the Bengal Meat factory at Pabna further facilitating the entry of Bangladeshi halal processed meat to the Malaysian market.

Mr Islam said that his factory, the only ISO certified meat processing company, can be compared with any international standard factory but stressed the government's effort to ensure certain issues for the development of meat processing industry in Bangladesh.

"The process of entering the Malaysian market began almost two and half years ago. We as a factory had no problem to be approved by any country but the government must ensure animal health management, disease control and disease free zone to promote Bangladesh as a meat exporting country," he said.

Although Bangladesh has the 7th largest cattle population in the world, it has one of the lowest per capita meat consumption.

"Generally, a person should intake 100 to 110 gm of protein. In Bangladesh, the per capita meat consumption is 12 gm," Mr. Islam added.

He said about 10,000 cows are producing about 1000 tonnes of meat and 40,000 goats producing about 300 tonnes are slaughtered everyday in the country.

He added the per capita meat consumption is bound to increase as the per capita income increases.

Bangladesh has to ensure the importing countries that the meat exported does not contain any hazardous elements and germs, said Mr Islam, adding "it requires an international testing lab."

The government earlier had a plan to form a high-profile committee to recommend ways to establish a board for certification for halal foods after repeated appeals from processed food exporters and setting up of a testing lab which is yet to see light.

Mr Islam said the most important thing for the growth of this sector is backward linkage and ensuring quality cattle raising to be an internationally approved meat exporting country.

He said developed countries like Australia and New Zealand have turned around their economy by harvesting the huge potential of their dairy farm sector, which also can be a prospective industry for Bangladesh too by having the right attitude towards the sector.

"The economy of Bangladesh is based on agriculture and cattle raising. People now just to learn the process of raising quality cattle and policy to make the sector commercially viable," he added.

Ref: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=139410&date=2011-06-16

Italy: First ‘Halal’ firm to supply restaurants and canteens

2011-05-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

Italy’s first-ever ‘halal’ supplier has opened for business in Italy’s northern city of Bologna, selling meals prepared according to Islamic principles to restaurants and canteens in Italy and abroad.

“Integration is also being able to eat as one should and to be at peace with God,” Hamza Piccardo, told Adnkronos International (AKI).

Piccardo, an Italian convert to Islam, is the director of the ‘Tre Alfieri Halal’, which is based in Bologna, a renowned gastronomic centre. “Our new company wants to be a triumph of integration: to combine Italy’s great cuisine and Islam’s rules without losing the flavours of the former and the spiritual rigour of the latter,” he said.

Piccardo believes the company’s ‘halal’ meals, which already include a range of pasta dishes and risottos, will appeal to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Besides restaurants and canteens ‘Tre Alfieri Halal’ will also supply caterers .

“This is a genuine alternative to fast food, which compromises quality and flavour, and to elitist and costly ’slow food’, which is hard to reconcile with the pace of modern living,” Piccardo said.

Ref: http://halalfocus.net/2011/05/21/italy-first-halal-firm-to-supply-restaurants-and-canteens/

Pakistan: MoU signed with Malaysia for meat exports

2011-05-16T22:32:00.000-07:00

Lahore - A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Punjab government and Peneng State Government Malaysia regarding cooperation in halal industry at Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Saturday.
Chief Executive Officer Lahore Meat Company Dr Hamid Jalil on behalf of Punjab government and Minister for Religious Affairs and Chairman Halal Industry Development Peneng State Government, Haji Abdul Maalik Qaseem on behalf of Malaysian government signed the MoU. Punj

ab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Minister Agriculture Ahmad Ali Aulakh, Members Provincial Assembly, Chairman Planning & Development, Commissioner Lahore, Chairman Special Initiatives, Vice Chairman Punjab Investment Board and officers concerned were present on the occasion. According to the agreement, Peneng State Government Malaysia will work jointly with Punjab Meat Company for setting up of Halal Industrial park in Punjab, training programme, international certification and export of halal products from Pakistan.
Speaking on this occasion, the CM said Malaysia was a brotherly Islamic country and the agreement between Peneng State Government Malaysia and Punjab government with regard to promotion of halal industry was a good omen. He said there was a big scope of exporting halal meat from Punjab to international market and Punjab government was taking solid steps in that regard. He said a state-of-the-art slaughter house was also being established in Lahore with the cooperation of Iran whereas for the first time in the history of the country, halal meat had been exported to Malaysia. “The Punjab government is also working on the project of certification of halal meat so that it could be exported to Middle East, Malaysia and other countries from Punjab as per international standard,” he said, adding that the government would work for the uplift of halal meat industry with the cooperation of Peneng State Government, Malaysia, and directed Dr. Hamid Jalil to take further steps in that regard.
Ref: http://halalfocus.net/2011/05/15/pakistan-mou-signed-with-malaysia-for-meat-exports/

Pakistan can help China tap over a trillion dollar Halal Food Market

2011-05-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

Islamabad: A top official has said that China is developing one of the biggest economic zones in the world which will also benefit Pakistan’s economy.

Deputy DG of Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Muhametmin Yashen (Muhammad Amin Yasin) said this while speaking to business community at the residence of Raza Khan, Chairman Coordination FPCCI.

Yashen said that in west we have economic powerhouse like Shenzhen and in east we have Kashi (Kashgar) Special Economic Zone in just few hundred kilometres from Pakistan’s border.

Flanked with Deputy Chief of Mission, Chinese Embassy Huang Xilian and other officials, he said that they are organising first ever China Asia-Europe Expo in Urumqi scheduled Sept 1-5. He called upon business community to participate in the fair.

Yashen, who is leading a 50-member delegation, said that Kashi economic zone will bring prosperity to the whole region while expo will provide an interaction opportunity.

At the occasion Raza Khan said Chinese investors should explore opportunities in sectors like finance, banking, power, alternative energy, IT, engineering goods, textile machinery, agriculture, agro-based industry, food, fruit processing, packaging, livestock, dairy farming and real estate sectors. He said that Pakistan can help China in its plans to tap the vast potential of export market of Islamic countries.

Raza Khan demanded special packages and incentives for Pakistani business community in the Kashi Special Economic Zone.

Ref: http://halalfocus.net/2011/05/13/pakistan-can-help-china-tap-over-a-trillion-dollar-halal-food-market/

MoU Signing Between Halal Research Council Pakistan and Halal Council of Mauritius

2011-04-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

The MoU is signed between Halal Research Council and Halal Council, Jummah Mosque of Mauritius for the promotion of Halal industry, research and education and for the export of Halal goods to Mauritius. The momentous signing ceremony was held in Quartre Borne Mauritius and Mr. Zubair Mughal Chief Executive Officer, Halal Research Council and Nisar Ahmed Ramtoola President, Jummah Mosque, Mauritius signed the MoU. Major General (Retd.) Muhammad Siddique, High Commissioner for Pakistan, Cassam Uteem Ex-President, Mauritius, Muhammad Shakeel, Minister of Labor and Industrial Relations Mauritius, Iqbal Belath Governor, Bank of Mauritius, Sunil Benimadhu, Chief Executive, Stock Exchange of Mauritius, Raffick Nabee Mohammad, AlBarakah, MPCS and well known personalities and many others participated in this ceremony.

Major General (Retd.) Muhammad Saiddique- Commissioner for Pakistan while addressing the audience said that there is enough room available for the Halal market promotion between Pakistan and Mauritius and Pakistan can play a vital role in the development of this Halal industry. He added that the volume of Halal market is 2.3 Trillion Dollars at this moment which includes Halal food, Halal banking and finance, Halal tourism, Halal cosmetics and Halal logistics etc. He said that there are deep friendly relations found between both countries and Pakistan is providing resources in the fields of education, banking etc to Mauritius.

Muh. Zubair Mughal, Chief executive Officer, Halal Research Council, Pakistan said that it will provide excess to Pakistan Halal goods in Mauritius markets which include Halal meat, grains, Halal spices juices and many other goods. He further said that there are ample opportunities available for Halal tourism in Mauritius. Nissar Ahmed Ramtoola President, Jummah Mosque, Mauritius appreciated this MoU and both countries will utilize the opportunities of the development of Halal industry.

It is to be noted that Jummah Mosque, Mauritius is a historical mosque of the country that was built in 1850 and 125 mosques of Mauritius are directly affiliated with it that is working for the promotion of Islam in the country.

Plan to label ritually slaughtered meat angers religious groups

2011-04-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

Consumers could be told whether the meat they buy comes from animals that have not been stunned before slaughter, following a move in the European parliament.

MEPs on the food safety committee voted on Tuesday to back amendments to a food labelling bill that would see the mandatory inclusion of labels stating “meat from slaughter without stunning” on relevant food products.

The proposals, which go before the European parliament in July, target meat slaughtered using ritual techniques like those employed by Jewish shechita and Muslim halal butchers.

Animals killed by the shechita technique are not stunned before having their throats cut and blood drained out. Halal meat is slaughtered using a similar technique, although research by the British Veterinary Association suggests 80% of halal meat is stunned before slaughter.

Religious groups have expressed anger at the proposals. A Jewish campaign group, Shechita UK, controversially claimed the measure was the “21st-century equivalent of the yellow star, but on our food”. “This amendment does nothing to improve animal welfare, fails to fully inform consumers and is clearly discriminatory by design,” said Henry Grunwald, spokesman for the group.

His comments were attacked by the British Humanist Association. “To compare the proper labelling of meat from religious slaughter methods with the Nazi requirement for all Jews to wear yellow Stars of David is grotesque and false,” said Naomi Phillips, its head of public affairs. “Giving consumers the information to make ethical choices about the meat they buy through labelling does not prevent Jews who wish to from buying kosher meat.”

Scottish Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson, who introduced the amendments to the bill, had originally suggested the labels should record whether meat was halal or shechita. But he opted for the “non-stunned” label after representations from religious groups.

Stevenson insisted his proposals were born from “animal welfare concerns, not by anything to do with religion“. Stevenson said: “A very significant quantity of meat finding its way onto our shelves and tables has been slaughtered by this method and we’re not aware of it. The public have a right to know.”

The UK government has signalled it opposes the proposals, which, to become law, also need to be endorsed by the council of ministers, the body comprised of representatives of governments drawn from each of the EU’s 27 member states.
Reference: http://halalfocus.net/2011/04/24/plan-to-label-ritually-slaughtered-meat-angers-religious-groups/

Halal brands has potential to make Pakistan proud, prosperous, says minister

2011-03-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD: Enormity of Halal business cannot be denied whereas importance and significance of value added exports in any economy could not be over emphasized, said Minister for Science and Technology Mir Changez Khan Jamali. He said contrary to the common understanding, Halal business was not limited to Muslim communities and countries rather because of its high hygienic values the Halal products are attracting non-Muslims as well. He was chairing the first meeting of National Steering Committee for promotion and development of Halal products, on Friday. The minister said Halal market and Halal branding was today a global phenomenon and it had the potential to make Pakistan proud and prosperous. The minister said without research and development no industry could go far in that competitive world so S&T organisations had to make sure that private industry was fully supported by applied Research & Development work. Jamali said there were only four Islamic Republics in the World including Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Mauritius, and Pakistan was the only country with such a potential for production and export in Halal market. The participants included Federal Secretary Irfan Nadeem representatives from Ministry of Religious affairs, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Live Stock and Dairy Development, Ministry of Industries and production, Ministry of Commerce, and Ministry of Law, Board of Investment representative of each province, Lahore and Karachi Chamber of Commerce etc. staff report

Courtesy By: Daily Times

Information | Establish good dietary lifestyle early

2011-03-18T04:47:00.000-07:00

This past week, I had the pleasure of going into my daughter's kindergarten class to discuss healthy eating with her classmates.

There was plenty of energy and excitement around the room and I felt like a rock star when I left.

But then, smoothies and fruit with dip are always a hit with the under-six crowd.

Helping children understand why their little bodies need healthy food can be challenging and I am very careful to not demonize less than healthy foods lest I trigger some food issue later in life. Developing healthy eating habits early will lead our children to a healthier adulthood and all the grown-ups around them have to join in the effort.

Schools around the world are wrestling with food policies that will enable them to deliver healthy food to children while still being fiscally responsible. I have the honour of working with the Calgary Board of Education on healthy eating policies and initiatives and it is a daunting task.

What, after all, is healthy food when there are so many definitions and interpretations? Add in religious, health and economic issues and it gets even more complicated.

For example, when I go out to talk to a school group, I have to consider food allergies, intolerances and dietary restrictions if I'm bringing a treat.

So, Jell-O fingers may sound like a good idea, but as gelatin is derived from animals, I might need to find a halal or even vegetarian option so that all the children can enjoy the treat and not feel left out. I also have to ensure that ingredients for the take-home recipes are accessible to all students regardless of geography and economic means. If they can't recreate it when they get home, then the learning is lost.

What amazes me most is how open-minded young people are; they do want to talk and learn about food. While a five-year-old may not care abut a food's glycemic index or how an animal was dispatched, she knows that food is important for survival and may also have a sense that what we eat is part of who we are.

My daughter does not really understand why her friend next door doesn't eat pork or regular marshmallows, but she does know that we need to have halal snacks on hand if her friend is to enjoy afternoon tea at our house.

Healthy eating doesn't have to be difficult and, as an example, I have included our recipe for Apricot and Banana Squares. They are a great snack for a quick pick-me-up and they freeze well.

There is oat bran, which is a good source of fibre and other essential nutrients, in this recipe. The apricots and bananas let us check off another selection from Canada's Food Guide, and the macadamia nuts make a nice change from the ubiquitous walnut-banana pairing in so many recipes.

I encourage you to have conversations with the young people in your life about healthy food choices. Canada's Food Guide (easy to find on the Internet) is a good place to start, but you have to make sure children understand what it means beyond the colour coding and pretty pictures. We can't just assume they understand why making healthy choices matters.

The more we talk about food with our kids, the more we raise smart eaters.

Courtesy By:Business Journal

For Elderly Muslims, Few Care Options Outside the Home

2011-03-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

Nazli Currim lived for 14 years at the intersection of tradition and frustration. After her father died, her mother moved into Ms. Currim’s home. She cared for her mother full time, even after a stroke six years before she died.

Ms. Currim, 69, founder of the American Muslim Women’s Association, never considered finding a nursing home for her mother. Her attitude is common among Muslims in the United States, many of whom are reluctant even to consider placing an aging family member in a facility.

Part of that decision was a personal one, but part of it was practical: It is difficult for Muslims to find nursing homes and assisted living facilities that reflect their way of life.

Cultural competence has become a buzzword as adult children seek elder care solutions that acknowledge an older person’s cultural and religious identity. But the Muslim community faces a particular challenge. The elderly segment of that population is quite small, representing “only 0.5 percent of our American Muslim population,” according to Aneesah Nadir, president of the Islamic Social Services Association U.S.A., based in Phoenix. “Most of the elders of those who have immigrated here are still overseas. We’re a youthful population.”

Older parents who do come to the United States often live an insulated existence. “They don’t speak the language, so people can’t communicate with them,” said Ms. Nadir. For them, life in a majority of residential facilities would be an alien experience.

“Many of the facilities are not equipped to provide the kind of care a Muslim elder needs — requirements for diet, for prayers, for things that would make a comfortable setting,” she said. “We can’t count on those things in most elder care facilities. They’re not used to us.”

Demand for these facilities may not yet be enormous, but that seems likely to change. The Pew Research Center reports that the Muslim population in the United States will double by 2030, which means that more adult children will need a greater range of options for their aging parents. Without expanded services at existing facilities, or a combination of Muslim-run residences and an increased willingness to use them, the coming generation will face a care crisis.

The traditional model of a full-time stay-at-home caregiver will not survive as the elderly population increases and Muslim women step into the work force. Ms. Currim knows that she was able to do it only because she had both time and a network of supportive relatives to help out.

“Many of the women in our community are stay-at-home moms, even though we’re very educated,” said Ms. Nadir. “We’ve been fortunate that way. But the next generation is not going to stay at home. My daughter’s not going to stay at home.”

As the community enters a period of transition, the need for outside help will increase.

“I envision facilities where ethnicity and religions would be taken into consideration,” said Ms. Nadir, which for her family would mean that only women would attend to female residents; that halal foods, in which animals are slaughtered according to instructions, would be available; and that the staff would be aware of the presence of alcohol or animal gelatin in any medications or preparations.

For now, she focuses her outreach work on smaller steps, interim changes that provide services short of full-time care. “First, I have to get the Muslim community to admit we have social issues, like everyone, that we have to start preparing for,” she said. “Then I have to get my Muslim colleagues to recognize that the Muslim community is going to be part of this elderly community.”

“We need more social support groups within our own community, more things we can do together so our daughters and sons won’t worry,” said Ms. Nadir. “Take lunch. I don’t like to cook alone or eat alone — so if we could go somewhere and have lunch together, even that would be a start.” Until there are residential facilities or community centers that cater to the halal dietary restrictions that many Muslims observe, her options for meeting her friends are limited.

Ms. Currim says that her mother drew comfort and peace of mind from her religious and cultural practices. “My mom passed away as serenely as she lived,” she said, “her soul pouring out as easily as water from a glass laid on its side.”

She and Ms. Nadir anticipate that providing a peaceful end of life will not be as simple for the next generation of aging Muslims.

Courtesy By: The new Hork Times

Where’s My Halal Food?

2011-03-15T04:11:00.000-07:00

The New Jersey City University cafeteria does not cater to Muslims who have a religious obligation to eat halal food. There are many cultural foods ranging from Italian to Spanish dishes that are served, but the one important choice the cafeteria does not have is for people with religious restrictions.

"NJCU is very diverse and full of multiple religions. It is not fair to serve one group of people and force all others to adjust," Rita Rosario, 19, Psychology, Hoboken.

In particular, Islam and Judaism dictate a need for food restrictions. Specifically, for Muslims Halal food is embedded into ones culture and upbringing and for Jewish individuals kosher not only pertains to food but is considered a way of life.

What is Halal food?

In Arabic the word halal means lawful or permitted. A Muslim has a set of rules or standards to live by and one of those is that they must follow certain dietary guidelines (Halal foods). All foods are considered to be halal except particular substances specified in the Qur'an. For example, Muslim believe that pork is harmful to their health because it is unsanitary.

Muslims can only eat meat from animals that were living when slaughtered to ensure that there is no blood in the meat when it is eaten. Animals must be freshly killed in a humanitarian way in order to be considered halal.

"Halal food plays a big role in or religion. Our university is bent on educating students about all individual religions, backgrounds, and culture. I do not understand why the cafeteria finds it difficult to be open towards all different eating habits and choices," Maysa Abdelrazeq, 19, Political Science of Cliffside Park.

The fact that NJCU does not serve halal food can be construed as an insult to the Muslim student body because there is a substantial number of Muslims who attend NJCU and are proud of the diversity and acceptance it offers. Leaving students without a viable option when they want a bite to eat is not acceptable.

Halal meat is more expensive than normal meat because its specifications and demand are high. The benefits of halal food are numerous health wise because it is cleaner and less likely to have risks. By adding halal foods to the cafeteria menu more Muslim students will be able to eat in the cafeteria as opposed to packing lunch or eating at home. As a whole, it gives NJCU the satisfaction of being culturally driven and show religious acceptability.

It is sad that halal food is not included in a lot of seemingly diverse cities. When a person goes to the food court at the mall they don't see a food stand advertising halal foods. Are the 1. 8 billion Muslims in America supposed to refrain from eating in every public place they attend because the food industry does not include Muslims? The American Fast food chains don't offer anything even remotely Halal on their menu. America prides itself on the different cultures, but they don't take other cultures into consideration. I guess this melting pot doesn't allow halal ingredients.

Courtesy By:The Gothic Times

Halal or Haram? A new council gives advice to Muslims in Sweden

2011-03-15T01:19:00.000-07:00

The newly-formed Swedish Fatwa Council sets out to help Muslims in Sweden seeking advice about how to live in accordance with Islam, but not everyone is convinced the group is necessary, The Local's Karen Holst discovers.

•'God's House' being built in suburban Stockholm (2 Mar 11)
•Swedish Muslim Council renews support for leader (11 Jan 11)
•Swedish fatwa council condemns bomb attack (20 Dec 10)
Is it halal or haram? Right or wrong?

For the more than 450,000 Muslim living in Sweden, or about 5 percent of the total population, it may not always be easy to understand how Islamic practices are best applied in Swedish society.

The group, known as the Swedish Fatwa Council (Svenska Fatwarådet), officially began in mid-2009 with 14 members, composed of educated imams and people with qualified experience in the field.

“The most common questions we receive are related to relationship issues, marriage and divorce, economic issues, private issues of how to live as Muslims in Sweden and arbitration of conflicts,” says Saeed Azam, chairman of the Council.

It is common practice that Muslims seek religious advice regarding how to live in the best, most constructive way where ever they are as well as how to interpret contradictory information.

The word fatwa is commonly defined as a legal pronouncement in Islam that is issued by a religious law specialist on a specific issue.

Fatwas run the spectrum from basic - which foods to eat - to the modern – which music to listen to – to the political – positions on world terrorism. They are adopted to the specific circumstances, environment and time of a certain situation, as fatwas cannot be the same all over the world, in all times due to differing elements.

The decrees also can be refuted or redefined by other Islamic scholars.

For example, in 2001, Egypt's Grand Mufti issued a fatwa stating that the popular television show “Who Will Win the Million?”, modelled after the British show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”, was un-Islamic.

The Sheikh of Cairo's Al-Azhar University later rejected the fatwa, finding that there was no objection to such shows since they spread general knowledge.

The most notable fatwa to recently hit the global audience is the 600-page Fatwa on Terrorism, an Islamic decree against terrorism and suicide bombings released last year.

This fatwa was a direct rebuttal of the ideology behind al-Qaeda and Taliban. It is one of the most extensive rulings to date, with an "absolute" condemnation of terrorism without "any excuses or pretexts" and even goes as far as to declare terrorism under Islamic law as kufr, or of a person who does not believe in Allah.

It was produced in Canada by the influential Muslim scholar Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri and launched in London last March. According to experts, this fatwa is a significant set-back to terrorist recruiting operations.

Dr. Qadri said during the launch, "Terrorism is terrorism, violence is violence and it has no place in Islamic teaching and no justification can be provided for it, or any kind of excuses or ifs or buts."

The Swedish Fatwa Council issued its first fatwa last year in response to the suicide bomb attack in Stockholm, condemning the act and describing it as not compatible with Islam.

Back in Malmö, Azam believes there is a great need in Sweden for the Muslim minority to have such a council to turn to for advice in a context that fits the environment.

“We know what it’s like to live in Sweden and the conditions that people live with here, we understand the challenges,” Azam says.

The Swedish Fatwa Council aims to have a geographical spread of qualified imams throughout the country to increase their reach.

Within the Council they plan to establish the Fatwa Committee, which will consist only of imams who have earned at least a bachelor’s degree in Sharia, or the study of a system of laws derived from the Koran and the Prophet Muhammed’s actions.

Sharia, however, can differ from country to country, and the interpretations of it can range from conservative to liberal.

“It’s been a balancing act to find the right representatives, to avoid extremes,” Azam says.

Today the Committee has nine such educated imams, who reference both the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad’s actions when answering questions about what is and what is not permissible under Sharia Law.

Since fatwas can differ depending upon the school and branch of Islam, the Committee will remain an odd number to ensure a majority vote when providing answers.

Questions are submitted to the Council by letters and e-mails through their website.

The imams plan to lean on authorities abroad when needed, rather than compete with the major fatwa centres of the Middle East and elsewhere in the world, such as the European Fatwa Council.

The Council can then reshape those fatwas in a manner that is applicable to life in Sweden.

However good the intentions though, not all are in favour of the Swedish Fatwa Council.

“They are a little group without the real qualifications to be established here in Sweden,” says a representative from the Grand Mosque in Stockholm.

“There are many other organisations that are properly established in Sweden to provide such counsel. This is not one of them.”

The Grand Mosque, which is run by the Islamic Association, fails to see the need in assigning its own representative to the group.

The Swedish Fatwa Council’s biggest challenges thus are to earn the recognition and respect of the numerous Muslim factions and organizations within Sweden, as well as find representation that matches the nation’s diverse Muslim community.

The Muslim Council of Sweden (Sverige’s Muslimska Råd - SMR) is regarded as the highest Muslim authority in the nation and serves as the influential umbrella organization to most registered Islamic groups in Sweden.

SMR president Helena Benaouda says there's not a real need for the Swedish Fatwa Council or the need to have a fatwa for every little detail of life.

She adds that while it's good for imams or groups of imams and educated individuals to think about how to best implement Islamic practices in Sweden, Benaouda warns against opinions and guidance coming from too narrow a field.

"We welcome all efforts to explain Islam in a European context but this group is still too little - they need to be much bigger and much broader," Benaouda says, adding that educated female representation also is important, which the group in Malmö currently lacks.

The diverse Muslim community in Sweden includes large numbers of believers who originate from countries outside the Middle East such as Bosnia and Somalia. As of yet these groups do not have representation in the Council either.

Despite views from those who are sceptical about the Fatwa Council and its ability to represent Sweden's diverse Muslim population, Azam is nevertheless optimistic about the Council's potential to serve as an important resource for Muslims in Sweden.

"We believe we have the specialist knowledge needed, since the imams in our Council have the proper religious education," he says.

"We want other Muslim minorities to be included in the Council in the future."

Courtesy by: The Local

Major Halal Food Producer By 2016

2011-03-14T03:20:00.000-07:00

BINTULU: Sarawak should be able to become a major producer of halal food once Tanjung Manis Halal Hub is fully operational in the next five years, said Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

And the state must adopt modern agriculture practices to achieve that.

Taib noted that the state had the ingredients to become a major halal food producer if it put greater emphasis on agriculture as one of 10 sectors to be implemented under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

The chief minister revealed that in 2009, the halal food market was worth an estimated US$600 billion and would reach US$1 trillion in the next three years.

"Through modern agriculture, Sarawak can become a major halal food producer once Tanjung Manis Halal hub is fully operational in the next five years," Taib said at the State Farmers', Breeders' and Fishermen's Day at Bintulu Old Airport here yesterday.

He revealed that some 70,000 hectares of land in Tanjung Manis had been set aside for the halal hub, where some 40,000 hectares were allocated to farmers under the first phase.

"The first phase will benefit farmers with contract farming to ensure their products have ready markets," he said.

Taib who is also Minister of Planning and Resource Management revealed that his deputy, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, who is also minister of modernisation of agriculture would be tasked to duplicate the halal hub model in other districts to increase the income of rural farmers.

"He (Jabu) is to lead the state forward to embrace modern agriculture," he said.

Taib assured non-Muslims that the government's emphasis on halal food production was not meant to Islamise them as even Nestle, a non-Muslim major global food producer based in Switzerland, has gone into halal food production.

Sarawak's livestock has been known to be free from the dreaded foot and mouth disease.

"Our farmers must expand their knowledge and adopt modern agriculture to raise their income. Modernisation of agriculture means we have to adopt biotechnology to ensure our food is safe for consumption and for export," he said.

Taib urged youths to be involved in agriculture as it is a lucrative endeavour.

The cottage industry must continue to be developed as it would be a major contributor to the economy.

"We must be willing to learn modern techniques of packaging and marketing," he added.

The chief minister announced that from next year two special prizes would be awarded for food processing and entrepreneurship.

Courtesy by: Borneo Post Online

Establishing a manufacturing plant to produce halal medicines

2011-03-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Awang Haji Idris, enquired if the joint-venture between the Ministry of Finance and the Canadian Pharmaceutical Company, VIVA, has gone into operation? Yang Berhormat welcomed efforts toward establishing a manufacturing plant to produce halal medicines, vitamins and nutritional supplement.

The Minister of Health, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan, invited the Second Minister of Finance at the Prime Minister's Office to respond to the matter.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman, said the manufacturing 'plant' sector to produce medicines is an area identified as having potential to be developed and it is hoped it would further enhance the government's revenue especially in the non-oil and gas sector. Yang Berhormat said the establishment of VIVA Pharmacy Sendirian Berhad or Viva Brunei, constitutes a project that can be implemented under the Brunei auspices. Viva Pharmaceutical Incorporated Canada, the Minister said, was established in 1984 in Canada and produces pharmaceutical and natural health products. The Company aspires to become the leading supplier in halal certified medicines, vitamins and nutritional supplement not only for the local market but also regional and middle east markets.
Courtesy by: Brunei News

Mellow Hope (HTDS) Reaches a Milestone in Indonesia

2011-03-09T21:39:00.000-08:00

The Indonesian Muslim Association inspected the Mellow Hope plant that produces the ACYW135 and A+C Meningococcal Polysaccharide vaccines. Mellow Hope plant and method of production of these vaccines met the HALAL certificate (Halal Assurance System) requirements. The Indonesian Muslim Association is well-known and regarded as the most authoritative Muslim organization in the world. The HALAL is a difficult certificate to receive, and Mellow Hope believes that there are only two companies in the world that have obtained this certificate.

With the HALAL certificate in hand, Mellow Hope believes that it will have advantage in marketing its MEVAC-ACYW and A+C in Indonesia and other Muslim countries. Mellow Hope is participating in tenders of Group ACYW135 in Indonesia and Bangladesh, and believes that the ability to acquire HALAL certificate will be a great help in securing the tenders.

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Information in this filing may contain statements about future expectations, plans, prospects or performance of Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc. that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor Provision's under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words or phrases "can be," "expects," "may affect," "believed," "estimate," "project," and similar words and phrases are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. HTDS Corporation cautions you that any forward-looking information provided by or on behalf of Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc. is not a guarantee of future performance. None of the information in this filing constitutes or is intended as an offer to sell securities or investment advice of any kind. Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc.'s actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, some of which are beyond Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc.'s control. In addition to those discussed in Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc.'s press releases, public filings, and statements by Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc.'s management, including, but not limited to, Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc.'s estimate of the sufficiency of its existing capital resources, Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc.'s ability to raise additional capital to fund future operations, HTDS Corporation's ability to repay its existing indebtedness, the uncertainties involved in estimating market opportunities and, in identifying contracts which match Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc.'s capability to be awarded contracts. All such forward-looking statements are current only as of the date on which such statements were made. Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc. does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which any such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Courtesy by: Sys- Co Media

Do you know where your meat has been?

2011-03-09T02:11:00.000-08:00

What type of meat do you eat? Do you only eat certain types of meats, say beef or chicken? If so, do you know where your meat comes from or how it is processed?
As a practitioner of Islam, I am only allowed to eat meat that is "halal," or in other words, the Jewish concept of kosher. Halal is an Arabic word meaning "permissible." Kosher, according to the Jewish website Jewfaq.org, is a Hebrew term that means "fit or proper."
So where do the laws of which meats I can and cannot consume come from?
According to the same website, both of dietary laws go back to the guidelines outlined in the Holy Quran for Muslims, and the Torah, or Holy Bible, for those practicing Judaism.
So why should you care if Muslims and Jews are catered to on the campus?
A major point regarding catering to different groups on campus is that it allows the university to promote "a sense of community."
According to the Office of Institutional Research, there isn't any data or reports on the numbers of Muslim and Jewish students on campus. However, based on the 2007 Campus Climate Service Report, "75 percent of the respondents think that Sac State should place an emphasis on promoting a sense of community."
Though, can food "promote a sense of community," and bring different types of people together?
"Yes, and this is why we have many ethnic food choices on campus such as Gyro 2 Go, Mother India Express, Saigon Bay Express, Crepe de Paris, etc." said Ruedi Egger, director of Dining Services at University Enterprises Incorporated.
So, does that mean the Sac State campus caters to the Muslim and Jewish community as a whole, with regards to campus eateries?
I asked around campus and many of the eateries were familiar with kosher; however, they did not serve any kosher meats.
"Dining Services does not cater to any specific religious or ethnic group," Egger said. "We cater to the campus community as a whole depending on survey results and our capabilities."
However, there is an outlet for Muslims to eat on campus. The new Gyros 2 Go in the River Front Center, provides halal meat to the general Muslim body on campus.
I asked where the Gyros 2 Go meat came from.
"The halal meat we get is brought all the way from New York," said Wahida Kakar, Sac State alumna and owner of the Gyros 2 Go in the River Front Center.
Kakar said she knows the person who sends her the halal meat and that the business that she runs is a family trade.
"I can give you the name and the number of the man I get my halal meat from, he is central to our business not only in the east coast but also in the west coast, as well," Kakar said.
So what about catering to the Jewish students on campus? If we now have an outlet for Muslims to eat on campus, shouldn't we have an eatery for the Jewish students as well?
Some Jewish students think that having a kosher eatery on campus would be too complicated and that having a vegetarian eating place such as Fresh Choice would be better, not only for Jews but for Muslims as well.
"Many youth are keeping kosher for ecological reasons—however, having a vegetarian institution on campus would better serve the needs of both populations - it's nice to serve the Jewish populations needs, but the process for practicing kosher are complex and most Jews will bring their own food or they will be lenient on the institutions in which they buy their food from," said Sheree L. Meyer, associate dean for Undergraduate Studies for Academic Affairs, and a self-considered liberal Jew.

The rules for practicing kosher are complex. Some rules include not mixing meat with dairy; your cheese pizza, for example, cannot have any pepperoni on top. Other examples would include keeping all your silverware separate, Meyer said.

"Personally, I don't keep kosher; however, I do try to understand the reasons behind the dietary laws of Kashrut," Meyer said.

I hope for the near future both Muslims and Jews will see a number of halal and kosher eateries on campus. Having such eateries on campus will not only affect both Muslims and Jews, but more and more people should know where their meat is coming from and how it is processed; through the dietary laws of both Muslims and Jews, people will find it easy to have access to clean, and natural meat.

Furthermore, do yourself a favor, the next time you get hungry, open your horizons and visit a place that is culturally different from your own, in hopes that you will become a more tolerant, respectful, and understanding human being.

Courtesy By: The State

Plan for Halal food a step forward

2011-03-05T02:26:00.000-08:00

Washington University Dining Services is currently planning to implement a Halal foods program. If implemented, Halal options will first be offered in the Village and Bear’s Den, with plans to expand the options across campus later.
The University’s introduction of Halal foods should be seen as a major step forward in providing dining options for those on a restricted diet of any kind, whether for religious, cultural or health reasons. Wash. U. currently offers vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and kosher offerings, among others, and in this respect it is a commendable food service provider for those with special dietary needs. Between 70 and 100 people have requested halal foods, and this population cannot go unnoticed. With so many options available for kosher dining, we believe that introducing Halal options on-campus is long overdue.
It is understandable that the University has not offered Halal foods up until now. The group of people who currently benefit from kosher foods is few in number, and there are additional costs associated with implementing Halal Foods, just as there are with kosher foods. Specifically, Dining Services would have to find a new, Halal-certified source of meat, which could be costly. Still, Dining Services does not anticipate a major increase in cost, and while the number of students that would benefit from Halal Foods is small, the University is acting properly in accommodating their needs.
On a progressive campus such as that of Wash. U., it is important that we extend our notions of tolerance and acceptance to all aspects of one’s lifestyle. For example, to be a vegetarian is not just to avoid eating meat, but to embrace a conscious lifestyle that takes into account ethical questions and demands. While we may not all agree with vegetarianism, we still support the right to be vegetarian for those who choose to do so, and the University provides them with dining options to facilitate these choices.
More often than not, however, we forget that religious restrictions on dining constitute just as much of a conscious lifestyle, and observing religious customs on dining is part of a larger way of living and thinking. As students, we should respect the decisions of others to engage in any kind of decision involving food, and part of this respect involves ensuring that such options are available for those who choose to observe Halal regulations.
Ultimately, the University and Bon Appétit should be praised for the expected new Halal options. Accommodating the needs of observant Muslim students only increases our level of awareness of differing lifestyles on campus, and while the number of people requesting Halal is comparatively small, the University ought to do so on principle alone. After all, Wash. U. prides itself on being a welcoming community.

Courtesy By: Student Life

Can Religious Liberty Become "Halal"?

2011-02-24T00:37:00.000-08:00

The groundswell that began in Tunisia has ousted Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, and is spreading across the Middle East. This moment may well represent a historic turning point for the Muslim world . . . or it may not. The choice is up to new leaders of the Middle East, who will (hopefully) continue to topple authoritarian governments, or at least extract substantial reforms. Now is the time for the Muslim world to rise up—but not just for democracy. As we have seen in China, "democracy" is a sham without real religious liberty. Islam's detractors say that Muslims are incapable of embracing religious liberty, because Islam is an inherently coercive faith. Let us hope that events will prove that assumption untrue.
Those who see Islam as a uniquely oppressive religion fail to note that there was a time when Christians brutally suppressed religious dissent, too. Christians began as persecuted sectarians who hoped only to win the freedom to worship. They got their wish when Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313. But that development set the stage for Christianity to become the state religion of the Roman Empire, and later, for the Catholic powers of medieval Europe. The Catholic Inquisitions were an extreme version of the suppression of religious dissent, and the wars of the Reformation led both Protestants and Catholics to stifle unorthodox sects.
The Puritans of New England, too, outlawed dissenting religious groups such as Baptists, Quakers, and Anglicans. They saw it as a religious duty to expel dissenters such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams, and in the most tragic case, they hung three recalcitrant Quakers in the years 1659-1661. Freedom of religion, to the early Puritans, meant freedom to leave New England if you did not agree with them.

America's pattern of religious persecution only gradually abated during the 18th century. Until the eve of the American Revolution, state-sanctioned maltreatment of dissenting Christians continued. A number of Baptists were put in jail for illegal preaching in Virginia as late as the 1770s, a development that leaders such as Patrick Henry and James Madison watched with disgust. Their revulsion shaped the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, which affirmed not just "toleration" of dissenters, but the "free exercise of religion." Baptists continued to insist, however, that real religious liberty meant not only stopping the abuse of dissenters, but abolishing official state denominations. This was the triumph of the First Amendment's ban on an "establishment of religion": the United States, unlike England, would not have a national church.
Most Muslim-dominated countries have failed to make the transition to full religious liberty. The reasons why are historically complex. In the early modern period many Muslim countries actually afforded greater protections to religious minorities than Christian countries did (evangelism among Muslims was always problematic, though). But today, Muslim-dominated countries often smother religious dissent and allow minority Muslim and Christian sects to be viciously persecuted. Those who would turn from Islam to other faiths commonly face flagrant harassment or even execution.
Some Muslim leaders have, of course, gone on record favoring religious liberty, but with the sea change happening now in the Muslim world, there has never been a better chance to apply the freedom principle. If fundamentalist Muslims hijack these uprisings and suppress adherents of different beliefs (such as happened in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution), it will be a great tragedy. But if moderate Muslims do not insist upon religious liberty as an essential part of any new democratic order, it will be perceived as an indictment of Islam itself.
I can hear Islam's critics now: "Have you ever read the Quran? Muslims cannot honestly support religious liberty." Remember, Christians have their coercive, violent passages, too. (Ever read the book of Joshua?) Sacred verses commanding the destruction of enemies have always required interpretation. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Christians became almost universally convinced that the Old Testament commands to destroy the Canaanites did not represent a mandate for all time, but only for ancient Israel.
I pray that the Muslim world will condemn violent jihadism and the persecution of religious minorities and converts. As a recent New York Times editorial put it, democracy is now becoming halal (or permissible under Islamic law). Hopefully religious liberty will become halal, too.

Courtesy by: Path Eos

homeNewsFeaturesOpinionWespeaksArtsSportsChew and TellBlargusTrial Halal Food Program Found Fiscally Unsustainable

2011-02-22T23:38:00.000-08:00

At the start of the spring semester, Bon Appétit administrators discontinued the Usdan Marketplace Halal food program, which had been running on a trial basis since Oct. 25, citing the program’s financial impracticality. The announcement frustrated many Muslim students, who can no longer purchase Halal meat under the meal plan.
According to Director of Usdan University Center Michelle Myers-Brown, only five or six students picked up Halal meal tickets each week. After Thanksgiving, Bon Appétit administrators decided to switch the program from lunch to dinner in hopes of generating more interest, then cancelled it entirely for the spring semester.
Myers-Brown said that the bulk of the financial burden came from hiring an additional chef who worked 20 hours per week.

“To avoid potential contamination with other foods, the preparation had to be done in a separate kitchen which meant this individual could not also work on other kitchen needs for the general population,” Myers-Brown wrote in an e-mail to The Argus. “Meaning we had hired an individual as special cook for, what ended up being, five to six students.”
According to Ali Chaudhry ’12, who has advocated for a Halal program since his freshman year, there are only 20 to 25 students on campus who identify as Muslim. However, Chaudhry said that the relatively small number of Muslim students on campus does not mean that the program is less valuable.
“Often the school says that if the demand increases they will provide Halal food,” he said. “But that’s a really dangerous kind of argument, because then they are saying the minorities aren’t important in a way.”
Although participants were required to pick up their meal tickets every Monday morning, the food was offered to all students one hour before the end of each meal. According to Chaudhry, each meal was prepared for between 40 and 45 students. Chaudhry said that he believes the Halal station should have been open to all students for the entirety of the meal, just as the kosher station is.
“[40 to 45 students] is a little absurd, because the Muslim students on campus are 20 to 25, and you can’t expect each and every Muslim student to eat there,” he said.
Myers-Brown said that Bon Appétit has explored a number of alternatives, but has not found any to be feasible. Last year, they fulfilled the demand by purchasing frozen meat and selling it for point. However this program required students to prepare the food themselves, and was seen as a temporary solution from an administrative standpoint.
“We have had numerous conversations and looked at many ways we could financially support a program; we have discussed the issue with colleagues on other campus who have strong Halal programs; we have discussed it with [the Finance Office] and with students, we have reached out to distributors,” Myers-Brown wrote. “A big piece of any solution, however, will have to be actual student participation—that did not materialize last semester.”
Chaudhry said that many Muslim students will now have to purchase Halal meat on their own.
“Many of us who are from Muslim programs are on financial aid plans, and expecting us to spend $50 to $100 per week on Halal food is a little outrageous, especially given that we already have a meal plan, which we paid for,” he said.
Chaudhry said he hopes the cause will garner support from the greater University community.
“The idea now is to get student support from across campus,” he said. “To try and get some kind of petition started to get a movement started to get Halal food on campus.”

Courtesy By: The wesleyan

RBC Holds Maulud Nabi Celebration, Receives Halal Certs

2011-02-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - Royal Brunei Catering (RBC) organised a Maulidur Rasul 1432H celebration. The celebration was held at Seasons' Restaurant in Gadong yesterday.
The religious occasion saw a recital of al-Quran read by one of the RBC's staff. It followed by the mass reading of ratib al-attas and selawat led by Mudim Haji Metassim bin Haji Metassan. A religious lecture on Maulidur Rasul and leadership of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was delivered by Dr Hj Syahroni bin Hj Abd Kahar from Islamic Dakwah Centre.
The guest of honour for the event was Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Religious Affairs, Awg Haji Abd Aziz bin Orang Kaya Maharaja Lela Hj Mohd Yussof. Among those who attended the event were the ministry's senior officers, RBC senior management and its staff.
At the ceremony was an official handover of Halal certificates to RBC's four outlets, namely, Season Restaurant, Sungai Tilong, Kiulap and Tutong Express Fast Food.

Courtesy by: Borneo Bulletin

Brunei Halal brand gets support in S'pore

2011-02-17T02:07:00.000-08:00

THE Brunei Halal Brand is enjoying good reception from Singaporean shoppers, especially the Muslim population, who acknowledge the halal certification from Brunei, said a representative from NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Ltd.
Winston Ng, assistant manager of Corporate Communications in an e-mail to The Brunei Times said that the more popular items include the brand's seashell chocolates, biscuits, sparkling juice and instant noodles.
"However, it's too early to comment on any sales figures as we have only launched the range of products some three months ago," said Ng.

NTUC FairPrice, which is run by Singapore's National Trade Union Congress, started offering the Brunei halal products in the middle of October 2010, the first supermarket chain to do so outside the Sultanate.
Around 15 per cent of Singapore's five million people are Muslims.
Brunei's halal brand, which is owned by state company Wafirah Holdings, is handled by Ghanim International Food Corporation, a joint venture company formed in July 2009 by the Brunei government and Hong Kong-based Kerry FSDA.
Kerry Logistics, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based firm, distributes the products. It also handles the products' international freight forwarding and integrated logistics management to ensure compliance with strict halal standards.
Ghanim, on its part, is working with global manufacturers to make products that suit local demand that will need approval by Brunei's halal certification body.
In an earlier statement, Antony Greenstein, Kerry FSDA's director of Global Business, said that the company was confident it would see further opportunities in Asia and Europe "as we roll out the Brunei Halal range of products". Following the Singapore launch, Brunei Halal Brand's Interim Chief Executive Officer said that the brand's marketing and trading agency is looking at two more countries within the region as potential markets.
Noel Shield added: "We are still negotiating with other companies, but to get in a country is not an easy task."
"You can't just turn on the tap as there are a lot of negotiations and hard work involved," he previously said, adding that most importantly, they "needed the right products."
The brand's presence in Singapore marks a significant step for the Sultanate, as efforts to leverage on Brunei's stringent halal certification becomes a reality.
This, Shield said, reinforces what Ghanim has believed all along that the brand has a lot to offer, as product sales across the board have been good.
Further, the Singaporean foray of the brand also shows that efforts to leverage on Brunei's stringent halal certification is now coming to fruition.
"The public's response is way beyond what we expected," Shield said.
"The communities are very much behind the brand and product sales across the range have exceeded (our) expectations."
More than 20 products including cup noodles, noodle nuggets, chocolate, potato chips, prawn crackers, cookies, cheese puffs and sparkling juices, were made available at NTUC's supermarket and stores during the launch.

Courtesy by: Asiaone News

Halal industry seen to propel economy of Mindanao

2011-02-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Feb. 14 (PIA) -- The huge global market for Halal products may propel the economy in Mindanao, but this is largely dependent on the consciousness of local Muslim consumers and the business community when looking at the vast potentials of the industry.

Dr. Norodin A. Kuit, Muslim Mindanao Halal Certifying Board, Inc. (MMHCBI) Lead Halal Auditor said that halal goods and services are currently valued at USD 1.323 trillion in global food value.

He said that other countries, particularly non-Muslim countries are venturing more on the halal industry because of its multi-billion dollar value. He cited Thailand as champion of the industry, which is currently dubbed as the “kitchen of the world.”

Dr. Kuit said that unlike in the Philippines, Thailand has sole Halal Certifying Board and 33 out of 78 provinces have their own halal program. Eleven universities have their comprehensive halal program, notably the Cholalongkorn University in Bangkok that has their own Halal Science Center with sophisticated 280 million Baht worth of Halal laboratory and equipment.

He added that Thailand government allotted about 40 billion Baht to develop Patani Province as the Key Halal Production Hub of Thailand.

Dr. Kuit said that the Philippines, particularly the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are looking at the model countries for halal industry development in the country.

He said the halal market is so vast that Mindanao particularly the ARMM should take advantage of, adding that Global Muslim consumers are estimated at 1.8 billion in 112 countries. Non-Muslim countries exporting Halal products are Thailand with a value of US$10 billion annually and Australia with US$3.2 billion in 2002.

In his message during the third Halal Consultation and Orientation workshop in Lamitan, Basilan last week Veterinary Dr. Rogelio M. Bahinting, the OIC-Provincial Agriculture Officer challenged stakeholders to take an active role in spreading awareness of the industry towards the pursuit of economic growth in Mindanao.

Saddened by the slow pace of its development since it was started in 2003, Bahinting asked the participants to find the missing link that would raise the halal industry in the Philippines to its maximum growth potential.

He called on all stakeholders to look back at previous consultation meetings if questions and commitments made during those times were answered, particularly in boosting the industry through advocacy, the commitment of the Ulamas in spreading awareness and local government units in policy support.

Courtesy by: PIA Daily News

French Muslims Confused Over Halal Restrictions

2011-02-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

The news suspended forks on their way to mouths, and sent supermarkets rushing to pull goods from shelves. Last month, the website Débat Halal claimed it had evidence that a popular brand of halal-certified poultry sausages marketed in France by a giant international food producer actually contain pork, rendering them forbidden — or haram — to Muslims. The accusation led many French Muslims to question how they can be sure that any of the halal food they buy meets certification standards — only to discover that no single set of standards exists for determining which products are halal and which aren't. Now, some observers are hoping that the haram hubbub may finally push France's Muslim leaders to agree upon a united code for the halal food sector — one of the biggest-booming niche markets in the nation.

The stir began when Débat Halal published a Jan. 16 report saying that tests had detected pork — a substance forbidden under both halal and kosher rules — within halal-branded poultry sausages produced by Herta, a unit of global food giant Nestlé. Counter-tests revealed by Herta a week later found no traces of pork in their Knacki Halal poultry sausages. Nevertheless, on Feb. 1, one of France's largest supermarket chains, Casino, removed the sausages from its stores to run its own test to "guarantee the strictest respect of halal certification." Still, the entire episode led Muslim consumers to wonder about the reliability of all the halal food they buy.

Courtesy by: Time

Most halal products lack official approval

2011-02-10T21:24:00.000-08:00

Just over a third of all the halal products offered for sale in Indonesia actually have official halal certificates, according food and drug monitoring agencies.

Only 41,495 products — 36.73 percent of all products registered at the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) — had official halal certificates, according to the BPOM.

Lukmanul Hakim, the Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI) Food and Drug Analysis Agency chairman, said on Tuesday that there was lack of awareness among manufacturers about the need for halal certification.

Halal certification was needed to show that certain products could be safely consumed Muslims and to ensure that the products could be consumed by all people, regardless of religion, due to the healthy and nutritious ingredients and hygienic production process required for halal products, he said.

“Halal certification will assure that the products are safe both in terms of sharia and hygiene,” he said on the sidelines of a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs.

According to government regulations on food labeling and advertising, every manufacturer or importer of products to be circulated in the Indonesian market had to declare that their consumable goods were halal.

They were also responsible for affixing halal labels to their products.

A 1996 Health Ministry regulation stipulated that the MUI’s halal certification process would be based on an edict (fatwa) issued by the council’s commission on the use of product ingredients.

The regulation further stipulated that a agreement letter on the use of halal logos would be issued by the BPOM.

“By attaching a halal logo, a manufacturer ensures that the product is safe for Muslims,” Lukmanul said, adding that such certifications were needed since most Indonesians were Muslim.

In fact, many consumable goods circulating in the domestic market lack halal certificates.

The House of Representatives has been deliberating a bill on halal products that would make it mandatory for food and drugs offered for sale in Indonesia to bear a halal label.

The bill, however, has sparked controversy among manufacturers, who said it would be an additional burden on the national economy. The bill was also criticized as superfluous since existing laws regulating food and drugs were sufficient.

Lukmanul, whose organization and the BPOM have been authorized to issue halal certifications, said the bill would hopefully increase awareness on the importance of certification.

According to a BPOM market survey, 54.9 percent of all products with halal logos that it found offered for sale had not been officially certified halal.

“Not all products with halal logos have official halal certificates,” Lukmanul said, adding that most halal logos were counterfeit.

Lukmanul said the situation was worsening since people were unable to determine whether if the products they purchased were genuinely halal.

BPOM director Kustantinah said the agency had continuously monitored consumable goods safety by intensifying pre-and post-sale controls.

“We still find many products improperly using halal logos, however,” she said.

She said that 357 products of 843 products surveyed by the agency in 2010 improperly displayed halal logos, meaning that they actually had no halal certificates.

Lukmanul said that popular awareness of the importance of halal certifications for daily consumable goods had significantly increased.

Citing a recent report, he said 21,837 products were certified halal in 2010, a 100 percent increase from 2009. About 21 percent of the products certified as halal were imported from the US, the EU, Australia, New Zealand and China, among other countries.

“We have seen a sharp increase in interest among foreign manufacturers to obtain halal certificates for their products. This is part of their strategy to win our market,” he said.

He said Chinese manufacturers’ awareness of halal certifications had increased sharply, as evinced by China’s 21 percent share of halal-certified imported products.

“They may think that a halal certification will increase the competitiveness of their products in the Indonesian market,” he said.

In another hearing session on the bil at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI) chairman Soedaryatmo questioned the government’s ability to make the certification obligatory, saying that it had turned blind eye to companies that have refused to comply with the policy.

“It would be better that the certification is voluntary,” he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

He also said that the existing procedure also burdened micro and small companies as certification officials have asked fees to conduct surveillance on their products.

Courtesy by: The Jakarta Post

How Democracy Became Halal

2011-02-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

IN the Western study of medieval Islamic history, the institution of iqta — land grants from the sovereign to his soldiers — once loomed large, because scholars searched for reasons behind the Muslim failure to develop feudalism, and with it the contractual relationships that eventually led to constitutional government. But looking for parallels between the West and Islam — especially the classical Islamic heartland from North Africa to Iran — has always been politically a sad endeavor, since the region seemed so resistant to the ideas and institutions that made representative government possible.
President George W. Bush’s decision to build democracy in Iraq seemed so lame to many people because it appeared, at best, to be another example of American idealism run amok — the forceful implantation of a complex Western idea into infertile authoritarian soil. But Mr. Bush, whose faith in self-government mirrors that of a frontiersman in Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America,” saw truths that more worldly men missed: the idea of democracy had become a potent force among Muslims, and authoritarianism had become the midwife to Islamic extremism.
One of the great under-reported stories of the end of the 20th century was the enormous penetration of the West’s better political ideas — democracy and individual liberty — into the Muslim consciousness. For those of us who speak and read Persian, the startling evolution was easier to see. Theocracy-versus-democracy has been a defining theme of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the revolution, which harnessed both Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s religious charisma and the secular intelligentsia’s democratic aspirations. Over the last three decades, clerical Iran has nurtured an intense intellectual discourse about the duties that man owes to God.
When the legitimacy of theocracy started to unravel amid the regime’s corruption and brutality in the late 1980s, democratic ideas, including powerful democratic interpretations of the Islamic faith, roared forth. The explosion on the streets after the fraudulent presidential elections of June 2009 was just the most visible eruption of the enormous democratic pressures that had built up underneath the republic’s autocracy. More regime-threatening moments are surely coming.
Today’s Arab societies — less intellectually vibrant than Iran, in great part because their regimes have been more effective in shutting down internal debate — have become increasingly schizophrenic. Long before the tumult in Tunisia and Egypt, Arab liberal secular intellectuals had divided. Except for the fearless, who went to prison, liberals who didn’t flee their homelands usually became “court liberals,” whose views never seriously challenged the rulers.
Aware of the dismal fates of their kind in Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini, they faithfully echoed the anti-Islamist, après-moi-le-déluge fears that the region’s autocrats used in Washington whenever American officials objected to tyranny. Democracy remained for them a cherished ideal, attainable at some future date when the Islamists had lost their appeal and the despots their power.
The secular intellectuals in exile, however, more forcefully embraced the democratic cause — their newspapers, books, magazines, Web sites and, increasingly, appearances on Al Jazeera — delivered their views back home. Intellectuals of such diverse viewpoints as Kanan Makiya, Edward Said, Saad Eddin Ibrahim and Burhan Ghalioun opened up an ever-increasing liberal, democratic space in foreign and Arabic publications. Yes, some mixed their message of liberty with other “Arab” priorities: anti-Zionism, anti-Americanism and anti-imperialism. But their support of democracy was clear, and became more acute after the 9/11 attacks.

Courtesy By: The Opinion Page

Halal market valued at $1.2 trillion

2011-02-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

More than 1.8 billion consumers worldwide purchase halal products according to the International Halal Integrity Alliance with the halal food market forecast to grow by more than 20% over the next decade.
Taking place from February 27 to March 2 at the Dubai International Convention and Conference Centre, Gulfood 2011 hosts companies from more than 100 countries around the world, and is ideally positioned at the epicentre of a burgeoning international import and export halal market.
“Gulfood plays a pivotal role in the industry by both showcasing products and fostering growth in the regional markets. In terms of the halal food and beverage category specifically, this is demonstrated by the wide range of international companies participating at Gulfood, and the increasing number of local and regional companies specialising in the halal market who attend to broaden their markets beyond the GCC,” said Helal Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of Gulfood.
“Halal is an increasingly important pillar of the trade, and Gulfood is perfectly positioned both geographically and economically as a trading hub to support and facilitate continued growth for local, regional and international businesses in the halal segment,” he added.
The focus on halal products at Gulfood extends from almost every corner of the world, with beef, poultry, dairy, raw ingredients and flavourings, baby foods and processed foods just some of product lines on show. Country pavilions including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, New Zealand, and the US all have exceptionally strong halal product representation.

Khazan Foods, one of the Middle East’s top producers of premium chilled and frozen meat products and quality food in the FMCG market, and the platinum sponsor for this year’s Gulfood exhibition, will be unveiling their latest halal product range aimed at the health conscious consumer. Called Light & Vital, the premium beef, turkey and chicken products are low fat, and free of lactose, MSG, soya and gluten.
“We have chosen Gulfood to launch our latest range because the reach of this exhibition enables us to keep our customers updated on our product offerings, rev up our sales and increase our market share, all at the same time,” said Frank Andreu, General Manager of Khazan.

Included in the 300-plus halal exhibitors at Gulfood this year, are: Al Accad Department Stores, Al Islami Foods, Americana Meat, Brazil Food, Herfy Food Service Co., Matrade, Nestle, Rembrandt Foods Inc., Sadia International, The Halal Catering Argentina and Volys Star.

Courtesy by: Hotelier Meddle East

Halal industry awareness campaign starts

2011-02-06T23:49:00.000-08:00

Lahore—National Awareness Road Show on Halal Industry organized by Halal Research Council has been started from Peshawar. The prime aim of this road show is to promote nationwide awareness of Halal industry and Halal products of Pakistan in the international market. While conducting 150 Awareness Seminars it will pass by 50 Major Cities of Pakistan and end up on 01st Mar 2011 in Karachi.

Dr. Tila Muhammad, Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Peshawar briefed the audience about the latest trends of Halal industry. He admired the selfless efforts of Halal Research Council for the promoting of Halal industry and confirmed his full support for the cause. Addressing to the audience, Mr. Muhammad Sulaiman, Director, Pakistan National Accreditation Council Islamabad admired the efforts of PNAC and gave the details of the workouts of the council. Dr. Subhan Queshi, KPK Agriculture University Peshawar praised noteworthy endeavors of the department of food technology. An awareness program was also conducted to help industrialists and exporters to develop the awareness of the international Halal linkages. This was arranged in Sarhad chamber building with the mutual collaboration of Tribal Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Exporters and industrialists in bulk participated in this program.

While speaking to the participants, Mr. Muhammad Zubair Mughal, CEO, Halal Research Council said that the volume of Halal market is 2.3 trillion dollars in which Pakistan doesn’t have even a smaller share into that. Pakistan can earn heavy revenue with Halal branding. He further added that ten countries are on the top of the list of Halal food exporters e.g. Brazil, America, France, India, Russia and New Zealand etc. Pakistan having name being the large Muslim state can earn name in 1.8 billion dollars market of Halal food industry of Muslim world.

It is to clear that Halal Research Council is working for the promotion of Halal industry. This road show will conduct different programs in Sarhad, Truibal, Murdan Islamabad, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SMEDA, Minsitry of Science and Technology. State bank of Pakistan ARID University etc and will end up with a grand closing ceremony in Karachi on March 01, 2011.

Courtesy By: Pakistan Observer

Gov’t targets to finalize national halal standards by April

2011-02-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

THE GOVERNMENT hopes to finalize unified standards for halal products by April, in time for presentation in an international conference scheduled that month, the Agriculture department said in a statement yesterday.
Such a move, in turn, has long been cited by both government and industries as a requirement to penetrating the global halal market that is estimated to be worth some $2.3 trillion.
Halal refers to the prescribed process of preparing certain products according to Islamic law.
Local halal products have been certified by groups like the Ulama Conference of the Philippines. But Republic Act No. 9997, or the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Act of 2009, sought to introduce a national system by forming this agency to accredit halal-certifying bodies.
Still, these standards and certifying procedures have to be harmonized with what is enforced in major Muslim countries if Philippine halal exports are to gain a foothold in these markets.
The press statement quoted Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala as saying that nationwide consultations are now under way to finalize three draft standards, namely: the Halal Agriculture and Fishery Products, the Code of Halal Slaughtering Practices for Poultry and the Code of Halal Slaughtering Practices for Large Ruminants. Besides prescribing specific procedures for each food group, the standards will also "address issues on genetically modified organisms," the statement added.
The Agriculture department hopes to finalize these halal standards in time for their presentation at the meeting of the ASEAN Technical Working Group on Halal Food and the World Halal Forum this April in Malaysia, the statement said.
"I had instructed the Department of Agriculture’s Halal Food Industry Development Committee, chaired [sic] by BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) 12 (Central Mindanao) Regional Director Sani D. Macabalang to undertake a series of consultations with stakeholders nationwide, so they could share in refining the proposed draft standards," Mr. Alcala said.
The first consultation, held last Jan. 24 at the Bureau of Plant Industry office in Quezon City, was attended by 50 Muslim scholars from Metro Manila, as well as representatives of NCMF, relevant agencies and the private sector, the statement said.
Datu Tahir S. Lidasan, Jr., NCMF director for External Relations and Halal Technical and Accreditation Unit, said in a phone interview yesterday that another round is scheduled in Cebu City from Feb. 7-9.
The statement said two other hearings have been planned: one in General Santos City on Feb. 16 and another in Zamboanga City sometime in March.
"[Middle Eastern countries] do not produce their own food," Mr. Lidasan explained. "The Philippines wants to get a share of that market, which is actually dominated by non-Muslim countries like New Zealand, Australia, and the United States."

Courtesy by: Business World

Kuwait Resolutions supports the banning of machine slaughter for Halal.

2011-02-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

"The First Gulf Conference on Halal Industry and its Services". Organized by Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs State of Kuwait, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and GCC Standardization Organization.

The conference which was hosted by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs of Kuwait (MAIASK), the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), and GCC Standardization Organization.

The conference enjoyed the cooperation with international specialized organizations in the halal standards industry, the Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation, the Public Authority for Industry in Kuwait, Halal Industry Development Foundation for the Awqaf Ministry of Malaysia, International Halal Integrity Alliance of Malaysia (IHIA), the Association of Awareness and Information to the Defence of Muslim Consumers in France (ASIDCOM), Muslim council of Britain (MCB), and the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).

The conference also lined up diverse group of speakers from all over the world, including Malaysia, South Africa, USA and UK. The conference covered a wide array of topics ranging such as global halal standards, status of ingredients, and animal welfare standards.

Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Rashed Al-Hammad said, “All products of this industry should be fully compliant to the provisions of Islamic sharia.” the minister made his remarks when addressing the first Gulf conference on halal.

The Conference called for providing the necessary financial support for scientific research centres and universities to conduct research on ways to detect Hararn (prohibited) materials in the foods, considering the great need for such findings in substantiating the religious decisions adopted by the Islamic jurisprudence bodies.
The Conference recommends applying caution with the use of stunning methods as much as possible and alternatively advocates use of hand slaughtering when performing Zibbah, with emphasis on the enforcement of the Islamic jurisprudence bodies resolutions, and in particular the Decision of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy No: 95 (3 / 10).
The Conference recommends referring the scientific papers presented throughout the conference sessions on stunning methods to the International Islamic Fiqh Academy for review and appraisal.
At the conclusion of the conference the participants decided to extend their deepest thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Sabah A1-Ahmad A1- Iaber A1-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, may Allah protect him, and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad A1-Iaber A1-Sabah, the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Moharmriad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, and Minister of Iustice, the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Chancellor Rashed Abdul Mohsen Al-Hammad Chancellor, for his patronage of the Conference.

Courtesy by: Halal World

National Awareness Road Show on Halal Industry Starts from Peshawar

2011-02-01T22:34:00.000-08:00

National Awareness Road Show on Halal Industry Starts from Peshawar

While conducting 150 Awareness Seminars it will pass by 50 Major Cities of Pakistan and End up on 01^stMar 2011 in Karachi

Feb 02, 2011

(Lahore) National Awareness Road Show on Halal Industry organized by Halal Research Council has been started on Feb 01, 2011 from Peshawar. The prime aim of this road show is to promote nationwide awareness of Halal industry and Halal products of Pakistan in the international market. While conducting 150 Awareness Seminars it will pass by 50 Major Cities of Pakistan and end up on 01^stMar 2011 in Karachi.

Dr. Tila Muhammad, Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Peshawar briefed the audience about the latest trends of Halal industry. He admired the selfless efforts of Halal Research Council for the promoting of Halal industry and confirmed his full support for the cause. Addressing to the audience, Mr. Muhammad Sulaiman, Director, Pakistan National Accreditation Council Islamabad admired the efforts of PNAC and gave the details of the workouts of the council. Dr. Subhan Queshi, KPK Agriculture University Peshawar praised noteworthy endeavors of the department of food technology. An awareness program was also conducted to help industrialists and exporters to develop the awareness of the international Halal linkages. This was arranged in Sarhad chamber building with the mutual collaboration of Tribal Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Exporters and industrialists in bulk participated in this program.

While speaking to the participants, Mr. Muhammad Zubair Mughal, CEO, Halal Research Council said that the volume of Halal market is 2.3 trillion dollars in which Pakistan doesn’t have even a smaller share into that. Pakistan can earn heavy revenue with Halal branding. He further added that ten countries are on the top of the list of Halal food exporters e.g. Brazil, America, France, India, Russia and New Zealand etc. Pakistan having name being the large Muslim state can earn name in 1.8 billion dollars market of Halal food industry of Muslim world.

It is to clear that Halal Research Council is working for the promotion of Halal industry. This road show will conduct different programs in Sarhad, Truibal, Murdan Islamabad, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SMEDA, Minsitry of Science and Technology. State bank of Pakistan ARID University etc and will end up with a grand closing ceremony in Karachi on March 01, 2011.

Halal burgers and hotdogs now available at Union Market

2011-02-01T22:14:00.000-08:00

Two halal meat options, a burger or hotdog, are now being offered at the Union Market as of Jan. 28.
"Our goal is to make (halal food) available as much as possible," said Zia Ahmed, senior director of Campus Dining Services at Ohio State.
Halal meat is meat that Muslims are permitted to eat according to Islamic dietary guidelines and the Quran. "Halal" means "lawful" in Arabic. The meat, which can never be pork, must be slaughtered in a certain way and in the name of Allah.
Some Muslim students at OSU opted out of eating meat on campus because of the lack of any certified halal meat through dining services.
"As a freshman with a meal plan, I could not eat meat. I had no choice but to eat a vegetarian diet. Many Muslim freshmen, limited to meal plans, do not eat meat on campus," said Maria Ahmad, president of OSU's Muslim Students' Association and a third-year in speech and hearing sciences.
Students unable to eat meat on campus were the main inspiration behind Ahmad's campaign platform in Spring 2010 to bring halal foods to OSU.
Ahmad caught wind of Food Service Express' media outreach via webinars and speeches at conferences that advised students on ways to approach campus administrators about providing halal options.
Don Tymchuck, president of HalalHealthy.com and Med-Diet, a parent company of Food Service Express, spoke at the Muslim Students' Association Conference on Jan. 30 at the Ohio Union.
"Students must create the demand. Campus Dining Services will not provide alternative dining options unless that demand is expressed," Tymchuck said. "It is my goal to prime the pump by guiding students."
After reading a packet on Tymchuck's steps for addressing campus administration, Ahmad contacted Ahmed in Autumn 2010.
"I came from the University of Akron four months ago and my goal is to refocus commitment to student feedback, to address all backgrounds: religious, cultural, and even dietetic needs," Ahmed said. "We've met with students from the USG, BSA (Black Student Association) and graduate societies."
Campus Dining Services is not just waiting for requests; it is also focusing on reaching out to students.
"We are reaching out and soliciting information. But we would never arbitrarily place a product out there … it would not make sense to introduce a product no one wants," Ahmed said.
Tymchuck said there is a niche for halal.

"Halal has a market. Nearly half of the colleges we surveyed had 100 or more Muslim students; however, only 6 percent had halal meal plans," Tymchuck said.
Ahmad said it took three meetings with the Undergraduate Student Government's Diversity Committee supporting the Muslim Students' Association and one meeting with the Muslim Students' Association representing itself to convince Dining Services that halal should be offered.
Ahmed said Campus Dining Services took its time sorting out the logistics of offering halal. Ahmad said it is difficult to provide food that meets religious guidelines. It took two weeks for dining services to get halal meat on the Union Market grill.
"It is important to do something the right way. You can imagine how terrible it would be if we called something halal or kosher and it was discovered not to be," she said.
Food supplier Restaurant Depot now provides meat that is halal-certified to Campus Dining Services. The issues of contaminating halal were also addressed. Halal meat ceases to be halal if contaminated by haram foods — "haram" means "forbidden" in Arabic.
Ahmed said measures were taken to educate chefs about halal and that one side of the grill is used specially to cook halal burgers or halal hot dogs.
"The University will probably see if students respond well to halal. They should; it's a big deal," said Ahmad. "Students want dining to be a home away from home."

Courtesy by: The Lentern

Nestle suspends halal products due to pork traces

2011-02-01T22:06:00.000-08:00

Nestle (NESN.VX) said on Tuesday it was suspending all production of its Herta halal products after a laboratory found traces of pork.
"We have decided to carry out DNA tests so this will delay deliveries ... As a result we are suspending production in France until we find a new production process," a spokeswoman said.

Retailer Casino (CASP.PA) decided earlier on Tuesday to pull from the shelves halal sausages with the Herta brand. (Reporting by Gerard Bon; Editing by Will Waterman)

Courtesy by: Reuter

Abu Omar: Houston's Only Halal Taco Truck

2011-01-27T20:54:00.000-08:00

I scanned the short menu on the side of Abu Omar, a silver-sided taco truck on Hillcroft at Pagewood. It wasn't very forthcoming about the kinds of meats it served, just listing items like tacos and tortas.

"Do you have chicharron?" I asked the smiling young man, Roberto, inside. "No," he replied. "We're...um..." He trailed off as the word seemed on the tip of his tongue. Finally: "Halal! We're halal. Only beef and chicken."
Abu Omar is, as far as I know, the only halal taco truck in Houston. And even more interestingly, it switches from Mexican specialties during the day to Middle Eastern cuisine at night: After 6 p.m., the truck offers shawarma, falafel, foul, Turkish coffee and much more. When you think about it, shawarma isn't all that different from al pastor-style meat (except with regard to the meat itself) -- so an Arab taco truck isn't that much of an aberration.
Nevertheless, it's an exciting and wondrously new thing here in Houston. So when my friend John, who works with refugees in the area, emailed me to tell me about the little truck -- which just opened two weeks ago -- I was incredibly excited to check it out.

Arriving on a sunny afternoon last week, John and I took in the hand-painted, bright yellow sign next to the truck, displaying its name in both English and Arabic. As I snapped a couple of pictures after ordering, a handsome young man got out of a car parked near the truck and walked over to me and John, curious about our intentions.
The owner introduced himself as Alex, a young man originally from Amman, Jordan. Upon hearing this, John eagerly launched into a discussion about restaurants and food in Amman and the foods that Alex carries in his little truck.

"Do you have lebne?" he asked. Alex nodded yes. "What about hummus?" Another nod, as John continued listing off items.
"We also have hot tea everyday," Alex said. "For free."
"With mint?!" John seemed to be barely containing himself.
"Of course!" Alex responded.
And just then, our orders were called up. My lengua taco came on two fresh, hot corn tortillas with plenty of cilantro, which I quickly doctored up with some creamy salsa verde that sat on the truck's ledge. It tasted like the wonderful ají amarillo sauce at Pollo Bravo, all spicy jalapeno and olive oil and a pinch of salt.

The sauteed tongue nearly melted in my mouth, a wonderful sensation that tasted almost like someone had made lengua butter and spread it on the hot tortillas. And although I'd been wary of ordering a chicken quesadilla (I'm pretty much a tacos and tortas kind of girl), it was equally good. But I noticed it had a distinct Middle Eastern quality about it.
The chicken tasted like shawarma-style chicken, seasoned with plenty of garlic and hints of cinnamon and nutmeg playing at the edges. It made me even more excited to come back here on one of these cool Spring evenings and try Alex and Roberto's real specialties.

And as much as I enjoy the chef-driven, gourmet taco trucks that have sprung up around town, there's a lot to be said for this kind of adventurous, cuisine-spanning spirit in a simple little taco truck off Hillcroft.

Nashville Red Cross to cater to religious dietary needs

2011-01-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

The American Red Cross learned a few lessons from last year's catastrophic flood, including the growing religious diversity of Middle Tennessee and the food needed to honor those different ways of worship.

The result is a push by the charity to find vendors that can supply kosher meals for the area's Jewish population and halal meat for Middle Tennessee's Muslims.

It is part of an ongoing effort by the Red Cross to take more note of what different populations eat in order to better prepare for disasters.

"In a disaster, there are very limited resources, but we try to plan menus to accommodate as best as we can," said Joel Sullivan, CEO of the local chapter of the American Red Cross, which serves 17 counties surrounding Nashville. "We learned during the flood that there are dietary needs out there that there wasn't a demand for in this area before."

In the months after the flood, staff at the Red Cross have been calling community leaders to get advice on how they could have better responded.

Food was a popular topic.
The local Red Cross' primary meal suppliers are Second Harvest Food Bank and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. They are looking for more vendors, especially those that can in a pinch supply meat-free and ethnic foods.

Kosher meals are prepared by Jewish standards, including the way an animal is slaughtered. Of the 8,000 Jewish people in greater Nashville, about 500 have strict kosher diets, said Rabbi Saul Strosberg of Congregation Sherith Israel on West End Avenue.

Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel of Chabad Nashville said he applauds the effort. The day the flood hit, Tiechtel and volunteers from Chabad Nashville delivered to shelters more than 300 kosher meals that had been prepared for an event that day.

"The Red Cross raises money from the general public, so the food it serves should be available to the general public," Tiechtel said.

Shelter is concern
Amir Arain, public relations director for the Islamic Center of Nashville, regularly buys meats from area restaurants that supply the center with halal meats, which are also slaughtered in a specific way. Most Muslims, per their religion, will eat anything in a disaster situation, he said.

Arain said there are 25,000 Muslims living in Middle Tennessee.

Arain's primary concern is for emergency shelter. Women must stay in a separate area, he said.

Santosh Kortian is the manager of Woodlands Indian Vegetarian Cuisine on West End Avenue.

During the flood, he sent money and vegetarian foods to shelters. The India Association of Nashville called him to send meals.

He said he hopes to never have to be in a situation in which he has to decide whether to compromise his vegetarianism in an emergency. Like Strosberg, Arain and Tiechtel, he appreciates the preparedness.

"It's impressive," Strosberg said. "They did such a good job that people are complaining about the food. That means they covered all the necessary ground."

Courtesy by: WBIR.com

Reputation of Halal Monitoring Committee of UK at Risk by Abusive Companies

2011-01-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

Before the credible organisation took root in Muslim areas and began to proactively monitor and regulate the halal meat industry in the UK, one could not actually be sure whether the meat being sold as ‘halal’ was actually halal; or that it met the stringent demands of being Halal, from cradle to plate.
Expose after expose of malpractice and profiteering, by unscrupulous business men, had led many Muslims to either leave eating meat altogether, or feel deeply suspicious and apprehensive whenever eating meat.
So when the HMC label started appearing on shop windows, Muslims then knew with confidence, that a high level of scrutiny was taking place, by a credible organisation and they were willing to pay the difference in cost for peace of mind.

Many Muslims will now ONLY eat at HMC certified outlets, or outlets that source their meat from the HMC abattoirs and slaughterhouses; due to their trust in the brand and firm knowledge that it is not a profit driven organisation, manned largely by volunteers and overlooked by a body of authentic scholars.
So reports in the BBC of HMC bullying shops come as a surprise to many Muslims, given their reputation and standing within the community.
Now herein lies a problem, at first many meat shops and fast food outlets shunned HMC as a fad and refused to pay the paltry sum demanded, but when foot flow began to go elsewhere, a few began to change their mind and paid up. However, others have now began to ‘FAKE’ the HMC status, by having either amateur signs, or telling their customers that they are HMC certified, when they are not. Many cases of this have been uncovered in recent months.
HMC however, deny that they have been involved in any kind of bullying tactics or shaming retailers. There is no evidence other than statements by greedy, disgruntled shopkeepers who may not want to pay a few extra pence per chicken, or those disgusting retailers who deliberately try to pass haram meat for halal, and are now being found out.

Courtesy by: ABNA.ir

HDC signs 12 MoUs with Global Halal trade organizations

2011-01-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

Karachi–The Halal Development Council of Pakistan (HDC) has made a major headway in associating the country products, industry and business with the global Halal economy currently being emphasized by the Muslim Ummah for lawful as well as good quality products, said Asad Sajjad, Secretary General, HDC.

Asad said that HDC has recently signed 12 memorandum of understanding (MOU) with acclaimed international Halal Certification Authorities, Research Centres, and Scientific Laboratories of Far East, South Africa, America and Europe for developing and promoting Pakistan as a major exporter of Halal goods and services to the global markets. The international organizations will offer support to HDC in maintaining the integrity of Halal products, to support in mainstreaming of Halal products for competing in the global market and to promote Halal certified products & services in Pakistan and OIC countries.

The MoUs signed by the HDC are with International Halal Integrity Alliance of Malaysia; Crescent rating Pte of Singapore; Department of Science and Technology of Philippines; Faroogh Sciences Research Lab of Iran; Halal Council of Mauritius; Muslim Judicial Halal Trust of South Africa; N.Z. Islamic Meat Management Co. of New Zealand; Halal Polaska of Poland; The Halal Catering Co of Argentina; Ethnic Focus Research of UK, Mufti’s Council of Russia and OnePure Beauty Company of Canada.

“Signing of MOUs with HDC by the renowned global organizations working for the trillion dollar global Halal economy reflect their commitment and support for the promotion of Halal goods and services from Pakistan and to take the International Halal movement forward from the platform provided by HDC..” said Asad Sajjad.

It may be mentioned that the HDC made the major breakthrough by organizing the 1st Global Halal Congress last month which succeeded in registering Pakistan as a potential player in the trillion dollar global Halal economy. Dr. Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia, Malaysian State Minister of Trade & Religious Affairs and other eminent personalities from Far East, Africa, Europe, UK, USA and Canada participated in the Congress and shared their views and knowledge with the local leaders of trade, industry and policy makers.

Courtesy By: Pakistan Observer

Maple Leaf Farms Halal Duck Now Available to Purchase Online

2011-01-21T22:17:00.000-08:00

Milford, IN, January 21, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Maple Leaf Farms Halal Whole Duck is now available for purchase online on the company’s website. Once available only to the foodservice industry, Halal Duck is now offered to consumers online and in limited retail stores.

Maple Leaf Farms Halal Whole Duck is a high quality USDA Grade A all-natural, farm-raised whole bird that has been certified by Islamic Services to comply with the principles and values of the Muslim community. The Halal Duck comes with giblets and a neck stuffed inside.

For more product information or to order Halal Duck online, visit the Maple Leaf Farms duck product page at http://www.mapleleaffarms.com/49?prod=276.

About Maple Leaf Farms:
Maple Leaf Farms, Inc. is America's leading producer of quality duck products, supplying retail and foodservice markets throughout the world with innovative, value-added foods. Founded in 1958, Maple Leaf Farms is a third generation family-owned company. For more information and delicious duck recipes.

Courtesy By: PR.com

Ramiz Hasanov: “Azerbaijan has not determined “halal” standard yet”

2011-01-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

Baku. Shahriyar Alizadeh – APA. “Azerbaijan has not determined “halal” standard yet”, chairman of the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patent Ramiz Hasanov told journalists, APA reports.

He said it was disputed issue. “We addressed all Muslim countries, but there are some problems. The mark of “halal” on any good is a trade mark and it has no any significance”.

Concerning the quality of foods, the committee chairman said there were problems with bakery production and sanctions were imposed against more than one hundred bakeries last year.

Ramiz Hasanov said much work has been done for coordination of Azerbaijani standards with European standards. “We try to make our standards recognized in Europe. There is a presidential order on this issue. We adopted 162 standards last year. Azerbaijan exports jams, juices to Europe now”.

Row brewing over halal meat regulation

2011-01-20T20:56:00.000-08:00

An organisation which licenses companies dealing in halal meat has been accused of bullying the firms it regulates.

The Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC) was set up in 2003 in Leicester, with the aim of carrying out inspections in abattoirs and meat wholesalers and to monitor butchers. In return the businesses would be given a HMC licence - and pay a monthly fee.
Some retailers have complained the HMC is too heavy-handed, uses bullying tactics to get them to join the scheme and are just in it to make money.
But the HMC said it existed to give people peace of mind over quality of food, that it wanted to protect high standards and was not bullying anyone.

Mehboob Ayub, who has a butcher's shop in Huddersfield, alleged that HMC inspectors threatened him, tried to damage his property and told people in the local mosque not buy his meat.
"They tried to push me in my shop and argue with me, they tried to take my posters down and have been telling people in the local mosque not to buy meat from my shop," Mr Ayub said.
"I buy my meat from a HMC-registered slaughterhouse, my wholesaler has a HMC licence, so why should I pay them £30 a week to sell the meat? They just want money."
The HMC denies his claims, saying it does not go into mosques and "shame" retailers.

Halal meat: are you eating it without choosing it?

2011-01-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

British public has no idea that they are eating halal meat, a senior member of the Church of England’s governing body said yesterday.

In comments likely to spark controversy, Alison Ruoff said, ‘this is just another back door way to the Islamification of our country.”

Livestock destined for halal meat is dispatched in a process that involves the animal being prayed over by a Muslim butcher as its throat is cut. Some religious abattoirs do no stun the animal, as Sharia law stipulate that the animal must hear the prayer. It’s estimated that it can take around 30 seconds to die.

Alison Ruoff continued: “We are still a Christian country in that 71% of people in the UK believe in a Christian God, not a Muslim God.”*

The interview on Premier Christian Radio’s Woman to Woman show yesterday tackled the issue of unlabelled halal meat being sold to unsuspecting customers in supermarkets; an issue that affect people of all faiths, and not just Christians.
Ruoff revealed that most stores stock halal lamb only, with Morrisons being the only store to label their products.

She believes that most meat imported from New Zealand is halal, enabling them to sell on to Muslim markets. She alleged that economically it’s cheaper to butcher the animals in the same way, rather than halal and non-halal.

Joy Barrow, Interfaith Relations Officer said: ”No person should be made to eat halal meat. Clearly it’s an issue of labelling.”

However, a Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “The specifications we give to our lamb suppliers relate to the safety, legality, quality, hygiene, animal welfare standards and product packaging for our lamb. We do not ask or check for compliance with any specific halal requirements, so couldn’t robustly support any halal claim on our packaging.”
Although when asked to explain a previous Sainsbury’s Head Office claim that all meat is halal, a later statement said, “In the case of lamb, Sainsbury’s purchases it from suppliers that use halal licensed abattoirs, which adhere to our strict quality and animal welfare standards.”

A Morrisons spokesperson said, “We only sell 100% British fresh beef, lamb and poultry. None of it is halal. The vast majority of our fresh beef and lamb is processed at our own abattoirs in Britain. We adhere to high standards of animal welfare. All of the cattle, lamb and poultry are stunned prior to slaughter.

However they went on to say: “Our own label frozen lamb is currently sourced from New Zealand and is halal, the animal is humanely stunned before slaughter and a prayer is read. We sell a limited range of halal and Kosher-branded frozen food products which are all clearly labelled as such.”

Peter Kerridge, CEO of Premier Christian Media Group said, “This is clearly a matter for concern. If meat were labelled properly people would have an educated choice on whether to eat halal meat or not. The British public, whatever religion they are, have a right to decide for themselves.”

Courtesy by: Inspire Magazine

Selangor sets up RM10m fund for Muslims affected by new guideline on non-halal jobs

2011-01-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Selangor government today announced that it was allocating RM10 million to help train and provide capital for Muslim workers in the state who are doing non-halal (not permissible in Islam) jobs.
A statement issued by the Selangor Menteri Besar's press secretariat here today said the government symphatised with the plight of Muslims who worked in factories producing alcoholic drinks or outlets where liquor was sold.
Among the businesses the workers would be trained in are tailoring, beauty salon operations, cooking and reparing of handphones, the statement added.
Those interested can contact any officer from the sectoral division of the state economic planning unit at 03-5544 7115/7965 or visit the division's office at the 5th Floor of Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Shah Alam.
The announcement comes in the wake of guidelines under Selangor Syariah law enactments which prohibit Muslims in partaking in any non-halal job.

Courtesy by: Malay Mail

What the Hell Is Halal? (Hint: Heavenly)

2011-01-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest complaints about Seattle's light-rail system is the distance between stops. If you live between two stations, it's a bit of a schlep--a miserable experience on a rainy day. As someone who mostly rides the train for the food, it means that I see dozens of restaurants that pique my curiosity but which are a longer haul from my stop than my level of hunger is usually willing to wait.

But it's time those cafes (and my post-holiday muffin top) got some attention. The stretch between the Columbia City station and the Othello is especially rich with diverse food possibilities--Chinese, African, Vietnamese, and barbecue line Martin Luther King Jr. Way. So from the latter, I jumped off and headed north.
The Cafe: While riding light rail, a sign I see frequently is "Halal," usually followed by some descriptor like "African Meats." Frustrated by my own ignorance, I found myself under the bright, welcoming sign at Moga's Market (6727-B MLK Jr. Way S., 723-3588).
Inside were shelves of culinary basics: flour, sugar, and the like. Racks of clothing filled an adjacent room. Hanging from the racks were the burqas and hijab headdresses worn by the women chatting at the counter. There were also stands filled with long beautiful skirts that made me wish I were six inches taller. But there was no sign of these halal meats, so finally I asked.

"Halal is from God," one of the women at the counter explained. "At Safeway, that meat isn't Halal. Like Allah."
With the language barrier making details a little difficult, I did some Wikipedia sleuthing back home. Based on the Internet encyclopedia and my conversation at Moga's, it appears Halal is a designation similar to kosher. Halal meat is slaughtered in a ritual method known as dhabiha.
"And you sell Halal meat here?" I asked the woman, glancing around the store.
"It's in the back, we cut it," she replied. "Do you want beef? Goat? Chicken?"
I ordered a pound of halal steak and another woman headed for the back. 15 minutes later she returned with a gorgeous red chunk of beef that looked well over a pound. "$3.99," she said.

I don't think I've ever paid that little for such pretty meat.

Courtesy by: Seattle Weakly

Islamic finance growing in Kazakhstan

2011-01-17T01:34:00.000-08:00

Kazakhstan is aiming to become a Central Asian hub for Islamic finance, with plans to launch its first corporate sukuk this year and a new Sharia-compliant bank.
"By attracting [foreign direct investment], a more effective role should be played by Islamic finance mechanisms," said Asset Issekeshev, the deputy prime minister and minister of trade and industry, who was in Abu Dhabi to announce that Astana, the Kazakh capital, would host this year's World Islamic Economic Forum, which takes place in June.
"The Kazakh government these days works very actively towards the practical introduction of Islamic finance tools within the country," Mr Issekeshev said.
Kazakhstan is seeking foreign investment to help diversify its economy into areas including petrochemicals, renewable energy, tourism and agriculture. The UAE and Kazakhstan also have "good potential" for cooperation on food security, Mr Issekeshev said.
Yerlan Baidaulet, the chief economic adviser at the Kazakh ministry of industry and new technologies, said the country had two prospective issuers for its flagship corporate sukuk, one a South East Asian company registered in Kazakhstan, and a local company.
"It's very important for us to create a regional centre for Islamic finance," Mr Baidaulet said, adding that the sukuk would be sold internationally. He said he expected it to be issued within the next two to three months.
Mr Issekeshev added that Kazakhstan could open its second Islamic bank this year, after the opening there last year of a branch of Al Hilal Islamic Bank, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council.
Astana has courted the UAE in the past, with ventures including the US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) Al Falah Fund, which invests directly in oil and gas projects in Kazakhstan.
Foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan is the second-highest among member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States after Russia, with $122bn worth of inflows since 1993, Mr Issekeshev said. There has also been some direct investment from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The Kazakh government is also seeking investment in renewable energy to tap the country's wind and solar potential.
"We have to admit that we are learning, but Kazakhstan has a vast potential in renewable sources of energy," said Askar Mussinov, the country's ambassador to the UAE.

Non-Muslim countries hold $580 million Halal food market

2011-01-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

FAISALABAD (January 15, 2011) : Halal food market of $580 million is in the hands of non-Muslims as they cater to the needs of 2 billion Muslim consumers around the world. Pakistan needs to harness the potential of exporting Halal food to Muslim consumers as in the United States out of 9 million Muslims each person spends around $6 everyday on Halal food which is processed and handled by non-Muslims.

Addressing the participants of inaugural session of international seminar on Halal Food Production organised by National Institute of Food Science & Technology here in Nestle Hall on Friday morning, Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture said OIC member countries used to make only 8% trade with each other against a vast potential and opportunities as all available food in Middle East is processed by the non-Muslims.

Dr Khan said this was a complete value chain of monitoring, capacity building, handling, storage, value-addition needed attention to produce Halal food. He was of the view that every year 3 millions Muslim lives remain at risk due to unavailability of Halal vaccine. Dr Khan urged the need for holding multi-disciplinary research by taking the religious scholars on board and to capitalise the vast trade potential.

Earlier, delivering a keynote address, Dr Winal Dahian, Director of the Halal Science Center, Chulalonghorn University Thailand said Muslim countries have ignored the significance of harnessing the trade potential of Halal food, thus Brazil, China, India, Thailand and Switzerland became the major players of the sector. Dr Dahian underscored the need to see the origin and various processes involve in producing Halal Food adding that sometime, a food stamped as Halal is not found Halal as they use Haaram ingredients in the food.

He emphasised the need to establish local Halal food certification system in Pakistan strictly bounded by Islamic traditions and principles to ensure complete adherence to Shariah requirements. Pakistan has potential to become a hub of global Halal food and could enjoy direct access to millions of consumers in Middle East, Central Asia and South East Asian countries. He emphasised that there was a need to strengthen the link between Pakistani public and private sector with international organisations to get benefits from their experience.

Earlier, GD NIFSAT Professor Dr Faqir Muhammad Anjum said that Agro-climatic condition of Pakistan ranges from tropical to temperate regions favours the growth of array of agricultural commodities. He said agricultural production is dominated by livestock and crop production, which accounts for 53.2 and 43.9% of agriculture's GDP, respectively.

To meet food deficit particularly in the case of edible oil, he said that the country has to continuously depend on imports. Besides agricultural crops as Pakistan is also blessed with a climate that is suitable for cultivation of a large variety of fruits and vegetables.

Courtesy by: Business Recorder

Europe Goes Halal

2011-01-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

The European Union, bowing to pressure from Muslim lobby groups, has quietly abandoned a new measure that would have required halal [religiously approved for Muslims] meat products to carry a label alerting consumers that the animals were not stunned, and therefore conscious, just before slaughter. With the exponential growth of Europe's Muslim population in recent years, thousands of tons of religiously slaughtered halal meat is now entering the general food chain, where it is being unwittingly consumed by the non-Muslim population.
Muslims have the right to choose halal foods, but non-Muslims do not have the right to choose not to eat the ritually slaughtered meat.
Halal, which in Arabic means lawful or legal, is a term designating any object or action that is permissible according to Islamic Sharia Law. In the context of food, halal meat is derived from animals slaughtered by hand according to methods stipulated in Islamic religious texts. One such method, called dhabihah, consists of making a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife on the neck that cuts the jugular vein, leaving the animal to bleed to death without stunning. Of vital importance, according to the Koran, is that the animal's blood flows from its body by "natural convulsion."
Many non-Muslim veterinary experts say the method is cruel and should be outlawed. In Britain, for example, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), an advisory body to the British Government, says in a report that cutting an animal's throat without stunning induces "significant pain and distress." The FAWC also says: "Slaughter without pre-stunning is unacceptable and the Government should repeal the current exemption."
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) says: "The BVA believes that all animals should be effectively stunned before slaughter to improve the welfare of these animals at slaughter. However, as long as slaughter without stunning is permitted, the BVA has argued for any meat from this source to be clearly labelled to enable all consumers to fully understand the choice they are making."
Animal-welfare legislation in Europe requires that abattoirs stun all animals prior to slaughter unless they are being ritually killed according to the practices of a non-Christian religion. But critics say the religious slaughter exemptions are being abused and millions of cows, goats, turkeys and chickens are being slaughtered according to halal standards and then sold to unwitting, non-Muslim customers, providing producers with a large and profitable market.
In Britain alone, it is estimated that more than 150 million halal animals are killed each year. Critics say this number is far more than is needed by the Muslim community, and that the growing success of halal products in Europe is being driven by the fact that the non-Muslim public is unaware of the halal origins of the meat. They say the ability to sell halal meat products by stealth has opened up vast new markets across Europe, which, by extension, is leading to a huge increase in the number of animals slaughtered using halal methods. The European halal food market is currently valued at €50 billion ($67 billion), and is expected to grow by at least 25% by 2020.
Critics of halal say that by dropping the halal labelling requirement, the EU effectively is institutionalizing a discriminatory two-tier approach to identifying the origins of meats. This controversy, as with so many others, highlights the growing assertiveness of Europe's Muslim community, and demonstrates once again how the rise of Islam is stealthily overwhelming the daily lives of hundreds of millions of non-Muslim Europeans.
Amendment 205 to the EU food information regulations, passed by members of the European Parliament in June 2010 by a vote of 559 to 54, would have required all meat or meat products from animals slaughtered without stunning to be labelled as follows: "Derived from animals that have not been stunned prior to slaughter." Although halal meat is well labelled in specialist butcher shops and food outlets, the EU regulation would have alerted non-Muslim consumers to supplies entering the mainstream food system.
Not surprisingly, the move to require halal meat producers to provide consumers with more information on the packaging of their products has enraged Muslims, who claim that the move has little to do with animal welfare, and reflects a bias against Islam. In any event, halal slaughter is permitted in all but four European countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland) and halal-related controversies are becoming increasingly commonplace.
In Britain, for example, a London Daily Mail investigation has found that the country's major supermarket chains, fast-food restaurants, even some hospitals and schools are serving halal food without telling those who are eating it. Cheltenham College, which boasts of its strong Christian ethos, is one of several top British schools serving halal chicken to pupils without informing them. Even Britain's biggest hotel and restaurant group Whitbread, which owns the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre chains, admits that more than three-quarters of its poultry is halal.
In London, the Harrow Council has provoked a storm of protest after announcing plans to offer Islamic halal-only menus in the borough's 52 state primary schools. Parents are outraged that meat prepared according to Sharia law is being pushed on non-Muslim children. In Derby, the Dale Primary School has only halal meat on the school menu for certain days of the week to avoid cross contamination with non-halal meat. In Blackburn, the Daisyfield Primary School has become the first non-Muslim school to become certified by the Halal Monitoring Committee.
In Birmingham, the Domino's pizza chain has opened a halal-only outlet that does not offer its customers ham or bacon. Critics say the new policy discriminates against non-Muslims. Domino's says it has "thought long and hard" about not offering pork products at the store, which serves an area with a large Muslim population. The company says there are "alternatives, such as turkey ham." Meanwhile, most of the in-flight meals on British Airways could soon be halal.
Also in Britain, the 2nd World Halal Forum Europe 2010 recently was held in London. The theme of the World Halal Forum Europe was: "Halal Products & Services -- Going Mainstream."
In Spain, Muslims have rejected efforts by the Spanish rail company RENFE to offer halal menus on its high-speed trains. The Muslim Council of Spain says it is not enough for RENFE to simply remove alcohol and pork from its menu. The company must also take into consideration how the animals are slaughtered, what type of oil is used in cooking, as well as comply with a list of other demands.
In Spain as a whole, the Muslim population has undergone an almost twenty-fold increase in just two decades and the internal market for halal products is now estimated to exceed 2 million consumers, in addition to the estimated 7 million Muslims who pass through Spain each year as they cross the Strait of Gibraltar to and from North Africa.
In Belgium, the Justice Ministry recently launched a pilot project to train prison guards, as well as doctors and nurses, about practical problems related to halal. Muslim inmates in Belgian prisons often refuse medication because it contains animal fat, and Muslim patients in Belgian hospitals sometimes refuse medical care during Ramadan. As part of its halal training efforts, the Justice Ministry commissioned a practical guide titled "Comprendre le halal" (Understanding halal).
Also in Belgium, the parents of children attending the De Kleine Kunstenaar kindergarten in the town of Houthalen recently signed a petition objecting to their children being forced to eat halal meat on a school trip. "Due to their religious beliefs, Muslims can only consume halal meat, but that does not mean our children must eat it," the petition says. The parents are asking for an alternative burger for their children, but the school says that request is "practically impossible."
In Denmark, an investigation found that thousands of tons of beef in Danish supermarkets are halal slaughtered. In Finland, a separate investigation found that McDonald's secretly served its Finnish customers chicken meat that was slaughtered according to Sharia Law.
In France, the Franco-Belgian fast-food chain, Quick, has removed bacon burgers from its menu and replaced them with a version using halal beef and a slice of smoked turkey. René Vandierendonck, the socialist mayor of the northern French city of Roubaix, says the move amounts to discrimination against non-Muslim customers. He has filed charges with justice authorities against Quick for what he says is prejudicial religious catering. He has also lodged a complaint with France's main anti-discrimination authority on the matter. Marine Le Pen, vice president of the National Front Party, says Quick's halal option is "an Islamic tax" on diners. Xavier Bertrand, secretary general of the ruling conservative Union for a Popular Majority (UMP) says Quick's menu change is undermining France's secular, integrationist social model.
Elsewhere in France, where the halal food sector has doubled in five years and is now valued at €5.5 billion ($7 billion), animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot says that 80% of French slaughterhouses are now halal because the method is cheaper and faster, and thus more profitable.
In Italy, the government in July 2010 signed an agreement with the Italian Islamic Community to establish a halal certifying organization. The Halal Italia certification scheme will guarantee compliance with Islamic laws for Italian food products such as tortellini and lasagne. The Italian market for halal is valued at €5 billion ($6.5 billion). Foreign Minister Franco Frattini says the Islamically-correct "Made in Italy" certification is designed to facilitate "the progressive integration of Muslim communities resident in Italy into the social fabric."
In Sweden, which has banned the religious slaughtering of animals since 1937, the Muslim Association of Sweden (SMF) is demanding that halal slaughter practices be legalized. SMF chairperson Mahmoud Aldebe says the Swedish government should respect the democratic rights of Sweden's Muslims to exercise their "religious freedoms" and help find a way to permit the practice.
In Holland, an elementary Catholic school in Weert decided to serve only halal food for its Christmas meal. The school has about 400 students, only ten of whom are Muslim. Margo Janssen, the school principal, says that serving only halal food for Christmas is a Christian thing to do because it puts others -- Muslims -- first.
Also in Holland, several Dutch prisons are now serving only halal food. The Dutch Justice Department says it is too expensive to offer prisoners both halal and non-halal menus, so it has decided to offer only halal food. The prison in the Dutch town of Sittard is now being sued by a prisoner; he says that by being forced to eat halal food, he is receiving extra punishment.

Courtesy by:hudson Newyork

Pork, Egg and Dog Meat Vendors Demand Court to Annul 'Halal' Requirement

2011-01-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

Pork, egg and dog meat vendors are demanding the Constitutional Court annul an article in a law that requires all vendors to get “halal” certification.

The 2009 Animal Husbandry and Health Law states that all meat products distributed in Indonesia should have veterinarian and halal certificates.

“It is impossible to get a halal certificate for pork and dog-meat vendors,” Agus Prabowo, the lawyer of the applicants, said at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

He was representing egg vendor Deni Juhaeni, pork vendor I Griawan Wijaya and dog meat vendor Netty Retta Herawaty Hutabarat.

Pork and dog meat are haram, or not allowed, for Muslims, but chicken is allowed.

The problem posed by the law for the egg vendor, Agus said, was that the law obliged him “to have veterinarian and halal certificates for each egg that he sells.”

Chief Justice Fadlil Sumadi said the applicants should present a deeper arguments. “The request is pragmatic, but it would be better if the request is complete with thorough arguments and developed legal theories,” Sumadi said.

Bardot group campaigns against halal animal slaughter

2011-01-09T23:50:00.000-08:00

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation along with six other French animal rights groups last week launched a campaign against ritual slaughter practices that do not first stun the animal in France, the country with the largest Muslim and Jewish populations in Europe.
The new campaign immediately was assailed as being more about targeting minorities than about animal welfare. That's not a very surprising charge since Ms Bardot has been convicted five times before for controversial remarks about Muslims and animal rights.
But the spokesman for her foundation, Christophe Marie, denied that the campaign had any objective other than improving animal welfare. "It is ridiculous to say that we're targeting Muslims or Jews. We conduct this campaign like any other. It is like saying that we target the Spanish when we oppose bullfighting or the Inuit when we oppose seal hunting."
Mr Marie said it was "regrettable" that some anti-Muslim activists could latch on to the campaign. The campaign had been postponed several times, he said, because the foundation had not wanted to overlap with sensitive debates about Muslims in France, such as the introduction of a ban on the burqa.
The new campaign is mainly aimed at the animal being slaughtered without being stunned, either by a blow to the forehead or with electricity or gas. Stunning is required in Europe but an exception is made for ritual slaughter on grounds of respecting the freedom of religion. Both mainstream Jewish and Islamic religious authorities in France oppose stunning.
Mohammed Moussaoui, the head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, last year clearly stated his opposition to the practice. Nonetheless, some halal-certifying bodies in France take a different position and stunning does sometimes take place. In Jewish circles there is even more opposition to the stunning of animals. "We maintain that stunning often goes wrong while our religious way causes minimal suffering to the animal," said Rabbi Bruno Fiszon, speaking on behalf of the chief rabbinate of France.
He said the new campaign targeted Jews and Muslims. "It shows them as cruel people who have no respect for animals." He felt that it particularly exacerbated anti-Muslim feelings in Europe.
Animal rights groups throughout Europe are opposed to the practice of slaughtering without stunning first. Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and New Zealand ban the practice. But not all those concerned about animal welfare applaud the new campaign.
"A ban antagonises people and is not the best way to go about it," said Mara Miele, the co-ordinator of DialRel, an EU-funded academic project that examined the issue. "If we ban it in Europe, it still continues elsewhere. We'd rather develop methods and procedures to improve animal welfare that can then be exported."
She did confirm that very recent scientific studies show that animals suffer more during religious slaughter, something that had long been disputed. But she said: "We have to balance the rights of people to practise their religion with the rights of animals." Inevitably, DialRel's work itself has been criticised by religious and animal-welfare groups.

Other than an outright ban on ritual slaughter or at least mandating stunning before the procedure, animal rights groups insist as a bare minimum on the clear labelling of meat and meat products that come from ritually slaughtered animals. They say that a significant proportion of kosher and halal meat ends up with general consumers.
"Consumers have a right to know what they are buying and not to buy meat from an animal that was slaughtered halal or kosher if they do not want to," said Mr Marie, the spokesman for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.
A law to introduce such labelling was approved by the European parliament last year but was subsequently vetoed in the EU's ruling council of ministers. It was opposed vigorously by both Jews and Muslims.

Rabbi Fiszon said that labelling kosher and halal products would once again single out Muslims and Jews. Instead he suggested a labelling system not mentioning any method used to slaughter the animal, "because none of them entirely guarantee that the animal does not suffer". It is a position that has also been embraced by Muslim consumer organisations in France.

International Road Show For the Development of Halal Industry (Press Release)

2011-01-03T22:37:00.000-08:00

January 03, 2011

(Lahore) Halal Research Council is pleased to organize a Road Show on Halal Industry starting from February 01, 2011. In the first phase of this road show, 150 seminars in different chambers of commerce, trade associations and industrial associations of Pakistan will be conducted for the awareness of Halal industry in the masses that will start on February 01, 2011 in Peshawar and will end up in Karachi on March 01, 2011. While in phase II, Halal research Council will hold awareness seminars on Halal industry in South Africa, Kenya, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Mauritius. The purpose of such awareness programs is to promote Halal industry in Pakistan and in the rest of the world. This Road Show will enable the easy access of the Pakistani Export products to 2.3 Trillion Dollars’ international Halal Market of more than 2 billion Muslims.

Mr. Muhammad Zubair Mughal, Chief Executive Officer, Halal Research Council highlighted two main purposes of organizing this road show. One is the easy access of the Pakistani Halal products to the international Halal markets while the second objective is to give accurate knowledge of the Halal industry to the Muslims. He further elaborated that the chemical ingredients used in the production of Muslim food has put aside the distinction of Halal and haram in the products and the labeling of E codes has drastically put people in ambiguity whether the product is Halal or haram. It is very astonishing that even in Pakistan several food products are imported in which the fats of pig and many other haram ingredients are used.

He added that it is quite disappointing that Pakistan has no access yet in the export of Halal products in international 2.3 trillion Halal markets. If we pay heed to this market then we can earn a handsome profitability through this market because Pakistan has a prominent place in Muslim world for its sound Islamic footings. He told that Halal market covers more than 100 products i.e. meat, dairy, spices, gee and oil, beverages, medicines, biscuits, snacks, cosmetics, herbal and leather etc.

This awareness road show has been given high appreciation nationally and internationally and it has got more than 50 national, international, government and non government organizational associations. Halal Research Council is working nationally and internationally for the certification of Halal products.

Fusan Named Domestic Distributer Of Brunei Halal Goods

2011-01-02T22:54:00.000-08:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - Since mid-December, consumers can purchase Brunei Halal brand products from about 100 retail locations throughout the country, said a representative from its distributor.

Appointed distributor of Brunei Halal brand products in the domestic market, Fusan Enterprise is seeing a positive response from consumers for the products, said its manager, Anna Chiu.

"The response is pretty good, those supermarkets that we're distributing to, some have been taking repeat orders so we take that as a good response," said Anna yesterday in an exclusive interview with The Brunei Times.

With a three-year contract under their belts to distribute the Brunei Halal brand in collaboration with parent company Ghanim Inter-national Food Corporation Sdn Bhd, Fusan is currently supplying to approximately 100 locations.

"(The entire range of products) are now in the kedai runcit (grocery stores) but there are too many of them so we didn't really publicise that. Last week when I checked, we were distributing to about 80 outlets but this week, its gone up to over 100 outlets," she said, which also includes major supermarket chains like Hua Ho, Supa Save and all their existing outlets.

The company began distributing in mid-December, added Anna, and has even approached restaurants and hotels, apart from supermarkets and small retail shops. "I knew they were looking for a distributor, so I approached them to just let them know what we could do for them as a distributor," she said of how the collaboration came about.

While Fusan Enterprise will not be taking part in the current Brunei Grand Salebration, Anna said the prices for the Brunei Halal brand products are affordable "and are on average" with the market price of similar products on the market.

Since the launch of the brand in September, Ghanim had already executed several promotional campaigns to introduce its products to the domestic market including Weekend and Weekly Specials as well as a Hari Raya Hamper Sale with hampers priced from $55 to $125.

Fusan will also be working with Ghanim on promotional activities for Brunei Halal said Anna, adding, "We will work with them on the marketing side and do some sampling promotions in supermarkets but all this has to be approved by Ghanim."

Anna said she is positive that the brand will be well-received due to the "halal" factor, saying that Ghanim had gone through "all the proper processes of getting certified halal". "So, it's trustworthy," she added.

Consumers can also visit the brand's website at brunei-halal.com to peruse a list of products which includes a detailed list of ingredients.

In a previous report published by The Brunei Times, Ghanim CEO Noel Shield had also described Brunei Halal Brand as a "People's Brand".

Ghanim International is the company appointed by His Majesty's Government to handle and manage the marketing of Brunei's premium halal brand which takes advantage of the country's reputation in selling goods to growing Muslim markets.

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Halal Research Council is organizing National Awareness Road Show on Halal Industry from Kyber to Karachi (Feb 01 to Mar 01, 2011)

2010-12-31T01:12:00.000-08:00

Halal Research Council is an organization working globally on Halal certifications and accreditation in order to cater the needs of food and nutrition agencies and side by side non-food agencies especially in the FMCG sectors.

We are pleased to organize a “National Awareness Road Show on Halal Industry” from Feb 01 to March 01, 2011. The Road Show will start from Peshawar on Feb 1^st, 2011. It will pass through all major cities of Pakistan and will conduct different awareness programs on Halal food and non-food products and highlight dire need of Halal certification. In 30 Days journey, the road show will cover 20 Cities and conduct 150 awareness programs that includes 30 awareness programs at Chambers & Industries, 20 Seminars at Universities and 25 Interactive Sessions with Trade & Business Associations. This road show will end up in Karachi on Mar 1^st, 2010.

For Further details: http://www.halalrc.org/

'Halal champagne' falls a little flat

2010-12-30T23:20:00.000-08:00

After the halal burger and halal foie gras became a hit with Muslims living in western countries, it is now the turn of champagne - or something vaguely like it - to try.
Trumpeted by its manufacturer as one more way that Muslims can integrate into European society, especially during the holiday season, the drink has been widely derided as a misguided and ultimately demeaning attempt to imitate non-Muslim habits.
"I do hear that," said Rashid Gacem, one of the partners in Night Orient, which is being marketed as a halal-certified, zero per cent alcohol "festive drink".
At a tasting in a suburban shopping mall on a snowy Paris afternoon, he passionately disagreed with his critics: "Muslims in Europe wear western clothes, buy western products and have western friends. What makes our halal drink different from that"?
Orient Drinks SPRL, the Belgian manufacturer of Night Orient, is using the Christmas and New Year holiday season for a promotional push for the first time after being launched in 2009. It is also targeting Arab and Muslim countries, including the UAE.
Standing next to a stack of champagne look-alike bottles, with shiny foil tops and gold and blue labels, Mr Gacem and his wife, Nadia, tried to interest Parisian pre-Christmas shoppers in a sip. It showed the difficulty of steering a course between the glamour of champagne and the non-alcoholic safety of fruit juice.
In March, Night Orient was the recipient of the first European halal certificate issued by the Brussels Chamber of Commerce.
But when it comes to an imitation champagne, many Muslim shoppers reacted with disbelief to the halal claim.
"What? Champagne without alcohol? That cannot be," said one Muslim woman in her 20s who refused to give her name. On tasting it after being reassured she pulled a face. "Bitter," was her judgment. Mrs Gacem was unfazed. "Mix it with cassis and you'll have a kir royal, very chic and much sweeter," she said.
According to Mr Gacem, many Muslims feel pressured to drink something festive on occasions that are traditionally marked with champagne in France, such as "weddings, births or New Year". Rather than being singled out by drinking water or fruit juice, they could now fully participate with their non-Muslim friends and colleagues, he said.
The global halal food industry is estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. In France alone, with its approximately five million Muslims, research companies say it is worth more than US$50 billion (Dh183.5bn). Mr Gacem and his Belgian partner, Arnaud Jacquemin, hope to capitalise on the strong expected growth. "We in France are known for our food and drink. We should take advantage of that image," Mr Gacem said.

The need to protect the image of French gastronomy is taken with upmost seriousness by France's food and beverage boards, which can prove an obstacle, as Mr Gacem found out last year. Hesitant to speak about the subject, he acknowledged an earlier version of his product ran foul of the Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne, the champagne board that staunchly guards the drink's image.
The board ruled that the drink, originally called Cham'alal, infringed too much on the champagne name and won a court order in January last year to stop it from being sold. Now, Mr Gacem carefully avoids the champagne comparison and even considers the ruling to have been a blessing in disguise. "The first drink was even more brut, much too bitter for most Muslims who like it sweeter. So we changed the taste."
His partner, Mr Jacquemin, who is not a Muslim, maintains that Night Orient, now marketed in 12 countries, differs from other sparkling grape juice beverages because it uses a unique manufacturing process and comes much closer to the taste of alcoholic drinks. "We produce a very high-level product, both in the way it is packaged and in the way it tastes," he said.
The appeal of the drink seems to be broader than just for Muslim customers. Christophe Montagne, the food and beverages manager for the Cora supermarket in the Paris suburb of Arceuil where the tasting took place, said he chose to carry Night Orient "because there is an increasing interest in world foods and drinks". The supermarket is not in a predominantly Muslim area of town and many non-Muslims showed an interest.
Courtesy by: The National

Say Hello to Halal: U.S. Companies Respond to Growing Muslim Market

2010-12-30T23:17:00.000-08:00

In recent years, Americans have watched from afar as Europe has dealt with ideological battling over halal product sales at mainstream shops. France, as we've been told, has witnessed a huge boom in the halal meat market, with everyone from large fast food restaurants to "quintessentially French" food manufacturers and upscale Parisian restaurants adding halal options to their menus. In the UK, food makers have also tuned into the profit potential unlocked by the halal seal of approval. Last September, one British paper shouted the inflammatory headline: "Top Supermarkets Secretly Selling Halal Foods."

Well, shh, don't tell anyone, but some U.S. companies have also decided that they wouldn't mind getting a piece of the middle class Muslim market, too.

According to the Associated Press, the worldwide market for halal goods -- those that conform to Islamic rules about manufacturing and ingredients -- has grown to more than half a billion dollars annually, and in the U.S., more and more executives are looking for ways to cash in. Last year the American Muslim Consumer Conference -- a gathering aimed at promoting Muslims as an untapped market segment -- attracted 200 attendees. This year its organizer had to cap registration at 400 to avoid going over capacity.

A few major mainstream companies have already begun to experiment with halal goods. Whole Foods has added a line of ready-made halal meals -- frozen Indian dinner entrees -- to its product offerings; the Saffron Road brand is the first halal product to be offered national distribution by the mega-chain. McDonalds and Wal-Mart have also introduced halal goods at certain locations. (McDonald's has been selling halal foods in Europe for years, of course.) Wal-Mart is not selling halal meat nationally, but is responding to market demand in places like Dearborn, Michigan, where a number of Wal-Mart shoppers eat according to halal guidelines.

Some Muslims fear that the growing corporate interest in halal products will cause a backlash on this side of the Atlantic, just as it has in Europe. Will shoppers here may equate "going halal" with supporting a theology that contradicts Western ideals? In the UK, some have gone further still -- radical protestors have called KFC's halal menu products "terror chicken."

What would that look like?

Oh, sorry, that's a bald chicken. Terrifying.

It remains to be seen whether the majority of U.S. supermarkets will embrace halal in an obvious way. "Supermarkets aren't benevolent charities, they're in it for the money ... And they've discovered halal sells," said a Muslim woman interviewed last year for a Guardian story about the trend in France. The owner of a chic, all-halal restaurant in Paris offered: "Young Muslims have money and want to eat out like everyone else but according to their religion. The food doesn't taste any different; we have many French customers who don't even know we're totally halal. To us, that is what integration is about."

For a buy-the-numbers analysis of the issue, check out this interview, which appeared in Meat Trade News Daily. In it, Adnan Durrani, the “Chief Halal Officer” of American Halal, the company that makes Saffron Road, lays out his (albeit subjective) assessment of why his product is destined for knockout sales.

Durrani, who previously founded Crystal Rock Water and was a principal of Stonyfield Farms and Delicious Brands, told his interviewer the following:

The North American Muslim population is 8 million strong, growing at over 500,000 per year and will double by 2020.
Within this surging American Muslim demographic, there is also a meaningful percentage who are affluent, well educated consumers looking for and willing to pay up for 100% natural, anti-biotic free, 100% veggie-fed, and organic Halal foods. These are Whole Foods shoppers!
In EEC, Halal protein sales in 10 years have gone from less than $1 billion to $20 billion. Why? Primarily due to supermarkets – Tesco, Sainsbury, Metro, Carrefour, etc. – finally deciding in Europe to carry Halal products. France, with a smaller total Muslim population than the USA, generates over $2 billion in annual Halal protein sales due to French supermarkets. US retailers have woken up – now Walmart, Costco, Shoprite, SuperValue, Giant, and of course Whole Foods Markets started carrying Halal foods. The tide has started – now comes the tsunami!
In terms of ready-to-eat entrees, the way we looked at it is that the ethnic food sector in the US is around $70 billion. Frozen entrees represent over $15 billion. Indian has the largest growth in the category. There were no Halal Indian entrees in the supermarkets – let alone natural or organic.

Durrani added that he believes non-Muslims will also be interested in his product. He reports that in France and the UK, non-Muslim customers account for 50% of all Halal food sales.

"Whole Foods’ managers tell us that Saffron Road’s products are stellar – that our authentic gourmet quality, our wholesome and 100% natural ingredients, and our Certified Humane and gluten free designations appeal to a majority of Whole Foods’ consumers -- 90% of whom are probably non-Muslim."

Courtesy by: Minyanvi

By a New MOU with the Ministry of Health More Cooperation

2010-12-29T22:18:00.000-08:00

"70,000 food production license s , 11,000 hygienic and Health production licenses for 12,000 manufacturer and factories were issued. We are ready to cooperate with ICRIC in the field of Halal brand for these productions for continuation of the solidarity of this work". Said Dr. Sheibani,.....

Deputy of Minister of Food and Pharmaceutics in the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education who presented in Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIM) with the invitation of Dr. Nahavandia, the President of ICCIM .

Dr. Janat, Director General of Food, Dr. Rastegar, Director General of the Food and Pharmaceutics Control Laboratories and Dr. SafarChi, the Responsible for Cooperation and International Relations were accompanying Dr. Sheibani.

Dr. Nahavandian thanked the cooperation and companionship of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education with ICRIC that has became applicable with signing previous MOU by the former Deputy of the Ministry of Health and also thanked of good cooperation of the current responsible in following up and strengthening that MOU and increasing the area of cooperation especially in the field of operating of the central food and pharmaceutics research center. He remarked that the achievement of holding International Health Tourism Forum was a great success and added: "It was a grace of God that we achieved by the efforts of our friends, ICRIC, Iran, Turkey and some other countries and also the great achievement of adopting OIC Halal Food Standard is a golden document in the proximity of the Islamic Schools of Thought which should watch over very carefully and to stabilize it in the world".

Dr. Nahavandian emphasized that establishing Halal Research Center is a necessary issue which has been adopted by Halal Supreme Council and we can promote and accomplish it with the cooperation of Ministry of Health. In the field of laboratories, all potency of the Ministry should be in service of this international issue and fortunately a MoU was signed with the Turkey Standard Organization (TSE) which according to this MoU all laboratories in Turkey will be in service of this direction. Dr. Sheibani expressed his happiness of these efforts and expressed his full readiness and his friends in different parts of Ministry of Health among all Food and Pharmaceutics Office and also the laboratories of food and pharmaceutics control. In this meeting a MoU was signed between Dr. Nahavandian from ICRIC and Dr. Sheibani, the Deputy of Food and Pharmaceutics of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education.

Courtesy by: Halal World

Brunei: Education on Islamic Branding and Marketing

2010-12-29T22:13:00.000-08:00

Brunei companies and Small and Medium Enterprises or SMEs will soon be able to develop their potential in the growing Halal sector and assist in diversifying the economy with the signing of a collaboration agreement for a project on “research and Education on Islamic Branding and Marketing for Brunei Darussalam”. The project provides knowledge that will facilitate putting the Sultanate on the Halal map and gain access to markets in this competitive industry. In addition, the project will also provide knowledge and transferable skills to Bruneians for long term benefit of the Brunei Halal industry.
This morning, a signing agreement for the project’s Phase One was held between the government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the Oxford Said Business School Limited, University of Oxford. Representing Brunei Darussalam was the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya. Signing on behalf of the government was the Acting Director of Agriculture and Agrifood, Dayang Hajah Aidah binti Haji Mohammad Hanifah, while the signatory of Oxford Said Business School Limited, University of Oxford was its Associate Fellow and Project Director, Doctor Paul Temporal. The scope of works in the project are to implement training programmes in branding and marketing techniques; and to conduct as well as write research and development work on the subject area specific to the nation’s needs.

The main focus of this project are topics related to Halal branding and marketing including research on Halal markets, products and services. This is especially appropriate to the future of the Brunei Halal industry such as food, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, research on Islamic minority and majority Halal markets – opportunities and challenges among others. Through this research, Brunei will be able to brand, position and prepare itself in the most effective manner to take advantage of this growing Halal industry. The project is expected to be completed in about 12 months. The signing ceremony took place at a hotel in the capital.

Courtesy by: Halal Focus

Opinion: When Haram Can Become Halal – Part II

2010-12-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

Filed in Asia, Halal Integrity, Ingredients, Opinion, Shariah Issues on 28/12/2010 with no comments

By Dr. Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad, Senior Fellow / Director, Center for the Study of Syariah, Law and Politics, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM)
[Note: This article was published by The Star (Malaysia) on December 14, 2010. However, it was edited to the extent that I believe may distort readers’ understanding of the issue. Here is the full version of the writing].
This is a corollary, a continuation of my earlier article, “When haram can become halal,” (see HalalFocus) published by The Star on December 7. These two pieces must be read together before one can make any appropriate conclusion on the subject matter discussed.
The entire issue is extremely sensitive to Muslims and technical in nature. Thus readers are to go through the whole writing with patience and passion to the very end.
The second Islamic legal principle that complements my deliberation on istihalah last week is istihlak, or ‘extreme dilution’. Readers must be careful here so as not to confuse the two.
This concept materializes when a particular entity is entirely obliterated inside a second entity in such a manner that the former cannot be considered as part of the latter.
In our context, it refers to a situation whereby a prohibited substance is diluted in a lawful medium to the extent that none of the known properties of the prohibited substance are noticeable in the lawful medium.
When this takes place, the prohibited status of the first substance can be ignored, meaning it’s unlawfulness has no legal effect on the second medium.
To illustrate, if animals urinate in a lake, the water of this lake is still pure and lawful for drink and ablution, provided the noticeable properties of the water, i.e. its colour, smell and taste are unchanged by the urine.
Similarly if a drop of wine/blood founds its way into a glass full of clean water and becomes diluted in it, the water is still pure so long as the properties of the water remain unchanged. Here, the drop of wine/blood loses its identity. Hence the applicability of the law prohibiting intoxicant/blood ceases to exist.
This ‘extreme dilution’ principle is based on a hadith when people asked the Prophet about a well in which a carrion fell (carrion is considered impure and anything contaminated by it is equally impure). The Prophet SAW explained that if the water is more than a specified amount, then there was neither harm nor prohibition in using it. (The specified amount of water is required to ensure that the carrion will not change the properties of the water).
Another hadith supports the above. During the Prophet’s time, his companions continued to drink fruit juice until it showed signs of fermentation. They would only stop drinking the ‘juice’ if its smell or taste indicated that it had changed to wine, suggesting the presence of a considerable amount of alcohol in it.
But even before the fruit juice becomes wine, a certain amount of alcohol was already there. However, the amount of alcohol was too insignificant to affect its taste or smell. Thus the companions consciously ignored its purported prohibition.
The above shows that the mere presence of alcohol is not the determining basis for the prohibition of such a beverage containing it. This kind of beverage is declared unlawful by virtue of its intoxicating effects. A number of other hadiths affirm this.
Allow me to digress a bit. Alcohol here refers to ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, the intoxicating element in wine, beer, spirit and so on. It is produced by means of fermentation or distillation. Generally, the content of alcohol in beer is between 4 – 6%, in wine 9 – 16% and in spirit more than 20%. The fact that ethanol is added to other material to form liquor indicates that it is extremely harmful to be consumed in itself.
‘Khamr’ as related in the Qur’an is not this ethanol. The forbidden khamr here refers to the fermented liquor, and extended, by analogy to include any intoxicating beverages or drugs. Therefore, it is not ethanol per se that is prohibited by Islamic Law, but rather any beverages with intoxicating effect that wipes out one’s sanity.
If the mere presence of alcohol is the defining factor for prohibition, many other beverages, food items or other products containing it are to be equally declared so. Consider the following examples.
A certain amount of alcohol exist in ‘tapai’ (a delicacy made from rice or tapioca fermented with yeast), ‘tuak’ (a drink extracted from coconut tree, very popular in Kelantan), carbonated drinks and colas, or even in ‘budu’ (a sauce made from fermented salted anchovies/fish), all of which are consumed by a large portion of Muslims. But none of them is haram despite the presence of alcohol.
Let’s go back to our actual discourse. One might argue the validity of istihlak by citing the well known and authentic hadith to the effect that if a large amount of an intoxicating substance is prohibited, then a small amount of it, perhaps even a drop, is also forbidden.
My response goes as follows. The said hadith is literally applicable under normal circumstances. However, in our context here, the syari’e texts are to be interpreted wholistically by taking into consideration other relevant textual evidences as well.
Taking one particular verse from the Qur’an or one hadith in isolation of other related texts can lead to strange, irrational and contradictory rulings.
In light of the hadith referred to above, Muslim scholars have interpreted and qualified it in combination with the previous two situations (the carrion and fermented juice cases). Therefore, under special circumstances, or any situations comparable to that embodied in the two traditions, the ‘one drop’ hadith does not prevail.
As pointed out, a certain amount of alcohol is also present in tapai, tuak, colas, budu and so on. But, in reality, despite rigorous consumption, one is hardly affected by the alcohol contained in them since its amounts and concentration are so minimal and thus negligible.
Similarly, most cheeses are made with the help of milk-coagulating enzymes, such as pepsin or rennet, which can be taken from pigs or other animals. However, enzymes are catalysts, in the sense that they do not actually become part of the cheese itself. They only aid in its formation.
After the milk coagulates and the curds fall to the bottom, the remaining liquid and enzymes are drained off. While it is possible that some enzymes remain in the cheese, the concentration is minimal.
Another case of istihlak is the medicinal use of certain chemical compounds extracted by dissolving plant tissue in alcohol. The end product is virtually free of alcohol although it might contain some infinitesimal traces.
From the foregoing discussion, I would say that there is something common between istihalah and istihlak. This commonality, at least, refers to the inconsequential amount of prohibited substance in things Muslims consume or use.
All cited examples illustrating the two principles are real, pointing to the fact that the amount is too insignificant to the extent that it can only be traced by special machines or detectors, if any, with capabilities that go beyond what our naked senses may capture.
The question here, as Muslims, are we strictly supposed to go into that minutest details in ascertaining the lawfulness of things we use? Are we supposed to conduct a DNA test or employ other scientific methods to determine a 100% permissibility status of things?
Of course, every Muslim is obliged to be conscientious about what he/she does, be it the consumption of beverages/foods, nutritional supplements, medicinal, pharmaceuticals or cosmetic items.
But I am of the opinion that generally Muslims are not required to go and investigate into such a microscopic detail for every occasion of ambiguity. Until and unless convinced otherwise, I believe that the law pertaining to halal and haram is not applicable at the molecular or atomic level of things.
If we were to accept that the law is still relevant, say, at the DNA level, then we have no choice but to consider the excrement, blood and milk of cattle (the illustration for istihalah) are all haram though all of them come from the very same halal source.
For a lay Muslim, if he wants to buy a birthday cake, it is not strictly necessary for him to check whether or not the gelatin used is taken from pig or cattle, to the extent of visiting the factory manufacturing it in Canada for example, or by tracing the animal (if not pig) up to its farm in Argentina, or going to abattoirs in New Zealand to determine whether or not the animal was Islamically slaughtered.
One is also not supposed to buy a specially made device to detect the amount of prohibited substance down to its smallest measurable unit. All the steps mentioned are too troublesome for one to carry out every time one encounters such an uncertainty in any product.
It is sufficient for one to rely on what is manifest from the external noticeable features, or what the public perception say on it. In fact, in Islamic jurisprudence, most legal rulings are concluded based on what is obvious to the senses, decided so by general agreement of the community, endorsed by scholarly observation and rational arguments of majority jurists by means of preponderance probability (ghalabah al-zann), a legal principle that entails positive knowledge.
But for Muslim entrepreneurs, businessmen and other industrial players selling or producing items consumable by Muslims, it is their duty to ensure that their goods and products are safe from any noticeable prohibited substance.
Though I am personally inclined to say that perhaps the principle of istihalah is applicable to them in certain situations, there are other legal opinions saying that if they have the knowledge, it is haram for them to ignore such a prohibited substance.
To be on the safer side, a Muslim cheese manufacturer, for instance, is not supposed to use porcine originated from pig in his products if he can look for alternative material like bovine extracted from cattle.
This fraternity of business people must enjoy their profits and commercial gains responsibly, religiously, legally.
Now, Muslims must bear this in mind. Allah the Almighty admonishes the believers not to ask questions about things which if made plain and clear to them may cause them trouble (al-Ma’idah, 5: 101).
If they do not pay heed to this, they will become like the Jews, who, when Allah straightforwardly commands them to sacrifice a female cattle, they reacted by asking silly questions making its execution even more difficult for themselves, almost calling it off (al-Baqarah, 2: 67—71).
Commenting the story, Abdullah Yusuf Ali says those Israelites were actually treating the divine command as a jest.
Taking lesson from this event, Muslims today must never imitate or seen to reprise these attitude and behaviours, ‘mocking’ religious instructions and making life troublesome unnecessarily!
The Quranic reminders aforementioned are substantiated by the hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). His mission was never to inflict hardship on people, but to bring mercy to the whole creatures of the universe.
He counsels that religion is easy and always prefers an easier alternative from two or more options. He demonstrates this, for instance, by not having long recitals during prayers and never imposed that tarawih prayers during Ramadhan must be performed 20 cycles.
Having said all the above, I am not advocating that Muslim scientists have to give up their R & D and halt inventing devices to trace prohibited substances in any products related to Muslims.
On the contrary, it is their collective responsibility (fardhu kifayah) to do so. In fact, under certain circumstances, this responsibility may change to become personal obligation (fardhu ayn) to certain individual scientist.
But, if they manage to come out with any scientific gadget, such a device is not to be first marketed to the general masses.
It is quite ridiculous for those scientists to expect that ordinary members of the public will have to dig out their pockets to buy, say, a RM10K detector and to make it available in every household for one to inspect whether or not one’s vegetables contain a certain ‘nanogram’ amount of prohibited elements traceable to pig.
What is more advisable for those scientists is to go and urge the authorities responsible for Muslim affairs or even the government to take actions to protect and enhance the interests of Muslims in all aspects of life.
In the midst of abundant obscurities pertaining to the lawfulness of thousands of products used by Muslims, and upon discoveries made through those scientific devices, those authorities and government must take measures, for example, to encourage and to financially support more Muslim industrial players to produce halal gelatin and so on in huge entities.
But, often times, on the one hand, I am annoyed with the kind of ‘religious overzealousness’ of our people. On the other, as an academician, I am equally disturbed, flabbergasted, with what I perceive as the lackadaisical attitude, lack of commitment, lack of political will and sincerity of our political leaders.
While I applaud the ongoing efforts to make Malaysia the world’s best halal hub for mankind, I just hope that the people entrusted with the amanah mean business and are really serious about it, giving utmost priority to religious considerations as their inspirations, rather than personal or organizational gains.
Last but not least, as guidelines, the right attitude for Muslims to hold includes the followings:
(i) In cases of doubt and one fears that one may compromise one religious belief and principles in doing or consuming anything, then one may distance oneself from such a thing. This is actually the spirit of the very first hadith referred to in this article (the first part).
(ii) Any product that contains a considerable amount of a prohibited substance, or in which the properties of a prohibited substance are noticeable, is in itself prohibited, and thus to be avoided.
(iii) If the amount of a prohibited substance is significantly inconsequential/infinitesimal to affect the noticeable properties of a thing, then the prohibition may be ignored.
In short, as a general rule, Muslims are not rigidly required to unnecessarily putting themselves into severe hardship in identifying the lawfulness of things. If one insists that such an action or process of determination is imperative on Muslims no matter what, then one would not find anything lawful on the face of this planet!
In this regard, Muhammad b. Allan al-Bakri, a traditional Shafi’i jurist, has reportedly said: “Complete certainty that something is lawful is only conceivable about rainwater falling from the sky into one’s hand” (see Dalil al-Falihin li Turuq Riyad al-Salihin).

Courtesy by: Halal Focus

Iran: MOU signing at the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines

2010-12-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

Filed in Asia, Halal Integrity, Science & Research on 28/12/2010 with no comments
“70,000 food production licenses, 11,000 hygiene and Health production licenses for 12,000 manufacturers and factories have been issued. We are ready to cooperate with ICRIC in the field of Halal brand for these productions for continuation of the solidarity of this work”. Said Dr. Sheibani, Deputy of Minister of Food and Pharmaceutics in the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education who presented in Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIM) with the invitation of Dr. Nahavandia, the President of ICCIM .

Dr. Janat, Director General of Food, Dr. Rastegar, Director General of the Food and Pharmaceutics Control Laboratories and Dr. Safar Chi, the Responsible for Cooperation and International Relations were accompanying Dr. Sheibani.

Dr. Nahavandian thanked the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education for their cooperation and companionship with ICRIC, that commenced with the signing of a previous MOU by the former Deputy of the Ministry of Health. He also thanked them for their cooperation with their current work in following up and strengthening that MOU, and increasing their area of cooperation, especially in the field of the operation of the central food and pharmaceutics research center.

He remarked that the achievement of holding International Health Tourism Forum was a great success and added: “It was a grace of God that we achieved by the efforts of our friends, ICRIC, Iran, Turkey and some other countries and also the great achievement of adopting OIC Halal Food Standard is a golden document in the proximity of the Islamic Schools of Thought which we should watch over very carefully and to stabilize it in the world”.

Dr. Sheibani also expressed his happiness for these efforts and expressed his full readiness, and that of his friends in different parts of Ministry of Health among all Food and Pharmaceutics Office, and also the laboratories of food and pharmaceutics control.

At this meeting an MoU was signed between Dr. Nahavandian from ICRIC and Dr. Sheibani, the Deputy of Food and Pharmaceutics of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education.

courtesy by: Halal Focus

USA: Businesses seek ways to tap Muslim market

2010-12-28T02:28:00.000-08:00

USA: Businesses seek ways to tap Muslim market

Filed in Branding & Marketing, Media & Events, Partner Events, The Americas on 27/12/2010 with no comments

By Rachel Zoll, Associated Press

Companies find opportunity in marketing to U.S. Muslims, but some face ugly reaction

NEW BRUNSWICK — In the ballroom of an upscale hotel a short train ride from New York, advertisers, food industry executives and market researchers mingled — the men in dark suits, the women in headscarves and Western dress. Chocolates made according to Islamic dietary laws were placed at each table.
The setting was the American Muslim Consumer Conference, which aimed to promote Muslims as a new market segment for U.S. companies. While corporations have long catered to Muslim communities in Europe, businesses have only tentatively started to follow suit in the U.S. — and they are doing so at a time of intensified anti-Muslim feeling that companies worry could hurt them, too. American Muslims seeking more acknowledgment in the marketplace argue that businesses have more to gain than lose by reaching out to the community.
“We are not saying, ‘Support us,’” said Masood, a graduate of the University of Illinois, Chicago, and management consultant. “But we want them to understand what our values are.”
There are signs the industry is stirring: Faisal Masood, a Wall Street executive who organized the gathering, had attracted only 200 or so attendees when he started the event last year. This year, he had to close registration at 400 to keep from going over capacity.
The worldwide market for Islamically permitted goods, called halal, has grown to more than half a billion dollars annually. Ritually slaughtered meat is a mainstay, but the halal industry is much broader, including foods and seasoning that omit alcohol, pork products and other forbidden ingredients, along with cosmetics, finance and clothing.
Corporations have been courting immigrant Muslim communities in Europe for several years. Nestle, for example, has about 20 factories in Europe with halal-certified production lines and advertises to Western Muslims through its marketing campaign called “Taste of Home.” Nestle plans to increase its ethnic and halal offerings in Europe in coming years.
In the United States, iconic American companies such as McDonald’s (which already has a popular halal menu overseas) and Wal-Mart have entered the halal arena. In August, the natural grocery giant Whole Foods began selling its first nationally distributed halal food product — frozen Indian entrees called Saffron Road.
Along with new customers, however, the companies draw critics and can become targets in the ideological battle over Islam and terrorism.
Abdalhamid Evans, project director with the World Halal Forum Europe, which works with the global halal industry, said a recent backlash has prompted some mainstream businesses in Europe to keep a lower profile about their halal products or scale back their offerings.
In the U.K., after Kentucky Fried Chicken rolled out halal menu options in several dozen stores, the restaurant chain pulled the items in a few locations in the face of protests. Critics dubbed the menu “terror chicken.”
Last September, the Daily Mail of London reported that many British supermarkets, fast-food chains, hospitals, schools, pubs and sporting arenas such as Wembley Stadium, were serving some halal meat and poultry without notifying the public. A large share of meat sold in Britain comes from New Zealand, where the slaughterhouses have expanded halal production as they try to boost their already robust exports to Islamic countries.
In the uproar that followed, Barnabas Aid, a group that fights Christian persecution worldwide, started a petition in Britain against what it called the “imposition” of halal. It “may be interpreted as an act of Islamic supremacy,” the group said.
U.S. companies have also faced some resistance, although on a smaller scale.
Last year, Best Buy Inc. was inundated with calls, e-mails and letters complaining that the company was anti-American after acknowledging a Muslim holiday — “Eid al-Adha,” or the Feast of the Sacrifice — for the first time in a national advertisement. That year, Eid al-Adha fell around Thanksgiving, so the ad, a small bubble at the bottom of the page, appeared in the company’s Thanksgiving flier. Critics seized on the timing in their complaints.
“They used very abusive language,” said Nausheena Hussain, a marketing manager for Best Buy in Minnesota. “It was pretty sad.”
Best Buy executives stood by their decision. The company saw the holiday greeting as part of a larger goal of reaching consumers from different cultures. Soon, Muslims started calling to thank Best Buy and set up a Facebook page honoring the company, which continues to acknowledge Muslim holidays.
“It’s a very viable customer segment,” said Zainab Ali, senior marketing manager with the money transfer company MoneyGram, which ran a special Ramadan promotion this year for Muslims in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. “You just need to get over some of the fear and look at them as just another consumer.”
The potential for profit is drawing more companies to the idea.
This year, Ogilvy & Mather, the global advertising firm, started an international Islamic branding consultancy called Ogilvy Noor that includes an emphasis on U.S. Muslims. (“Noor” means “light” in Arabic.) Muslims came to the United States in large numbers for doctorates, engineering and medical degrees, after the federal government eased immigration quotas in the 1960s. Studies have found that a significant percentage of Muslims are better educated and wealthier than other Americans.
Joohi Tahir, vice president of marketing and sales for Crescent Foods, the halal chicken producers based in Chicago, said Wal-Mart executives approached Crescent Foods two years ago looking for a halal chicken supplier, then invited Crescent executives to Wal-Mart headquarters in Arkansas to advise them on reaching Muslim consumers.
That same year, Wal-Mart opened a supercenter in Dearborn, Mich., an area with one of the largest Muslim and Arab populations in the country. The store is geared for Mideast consumers, with a range of halal products, including specialty foods.
“Mainstream is coming to halal,” Tahir said.
Wal-Mart spokesman Bill Wertz said the merchandise in each store can vary according to the needs of the surrounding community, so it is difficult to know the exact number of U.S. stores that carry halal products. But several in Michigan and at least one store in Canada have advertised that they offer some halal items.
Manufacturers entering the field hope they can appeal to non-Muslims as well.
Jack Acree, executive vice president of American Halal Co., which produces the Saffron Road products, emphasizes that the entrees are not only halal, but also all-natural and humanely farmed, and free of
antibiotics and hormones.
“Muslims are highly educated and live in metro areas, and they’re shopping with us already,” said Errol Schweizer, senior global grocery coordinator for Whole Foods. “If we have a customer base where there’s a big Muslim population, it makes sense for us to service that population.”
Schweizer would not answer directly when asked if anyone complained to the company over its Muslim outreach. He said only that halal foods will be judged like any other products — by whether the items sell.
For Muslims, the issue is not just a matter of convenience. Recognition by major companies is an important sign of acceptance as they struggle to establish themselves in the U.S. They are following in the footsteps of American Jews, who struggled for decades for mainstream acceptance of kosher food — and of Judaism.

Despite the sometimes unfriendly climate for Muslims, Evans, of the World Halal Forum, said it is inevitable that a large number of businesses will reach out to Muslim consumers, given the wealth and size of the Muslim population — more than a billion people worldwide — and their presence in the West.
“It isn’t a question of whether they’re going to do it,” Evans said. “It’s a question of where and when and how.”

Courtesy by: Halal Focus

Russia to export halal reindeer meat to Qatar

2010-12-27T23:53:00.000-08:00

When Governor Dmitry Kobylkin of Yamalo-Nenets, where most of Russia's gas is produced, was in Qatar for investment talks last month, he made an agreement with the Qatari leadership to start production of halal reindeer meat, Reuters reports.
Upon return to Yamal, home to 700,000 reindeer and 500,000 people, Kobylkin had the state-owned Yamal Reindeer Company arrange for ritual Islamic slaughter and the trial production of 1,000 cans of halal reindeer meat.
This week Qatari officials will get their first taste of reindeer at a Russia-Qatar investment forum in Doha where Kobylkin's deputy will present the Reindeer Company’s business plan to expand into halal meat production and product exports.
Reindeer herding and meat production is Yamalo-Nenets’ No 3 industry after oil and gas. Yamal produces 85 percent of Russia's gas and 15 percent of its oil. The state-owned Yamal Reindeer Company received EU certification to export in 2006.

Also among Russia’s Muslim community there is a large demand for halal products and the Yamal Reindeer Company hopes to be able to market halal canned reindeer within Russia.

UK: Halal cosmetics store to open in Birmingham city centre

2010-12-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

A BEAUTY shop offering Halal cosmetics is to open in Birmingham city centre.
Pure Halal Beauty will offer ethical beauty products and cosmetics, all free of animal products and alcohol and all Halal certified.
The store will open on the Lower Ground Level at The Pavilions Shopping Centre on December 11.
The woman behind the shop, 20-year-old Rose Brown from Birmingham said she was shocked that so many products contained animal derived ingredients.
As a vegetarian and keen follower of ethical issues she searched the world for products from Malaysia, United States, Holland and the UK that cater for female and male everyday use as well as a vast range of cosmetics, hair care products, specialist creams and serums.
“I wanted to be able to use beauty products and cosmetics but was not prepared to compromise anymore by using products that I knew to be unethical,” she said.
“Halal certification ensures the ingredients used in the products are free from all animal ingredients and testing.”

Courtey by: Bloomberg

Malaysia: ‘Don’t be misled on Halal food’ advice

2010-12-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

Many Muslims don’t seem to be very aware of the halal concept and their rights to buy and consume halal products, said Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, Datuk Nasir Tun Sakaran.
“As a result, some food traders are taking advantage of the existing situation by placing ‘Halal’ signages on their non-Muslim premises and hire waitresses and cashiers wearing headscarves to attract Muslim customers.
“Therefore, Muslims must be vigilant and be alert on their rights as consumers so that they would not be hoodwinked into eating at such premises,” he said.
Nasir said this when officiating at the closing of the Halal Convention Sabah 2010 at Sa’adah Hall in Wisma Muis, here, Monday.
Also present were Sabah Islamic Affairs Department (Jheains) director Datuk Amri A. Suratman and his Assistant Principal Director for Regional and Administration Ustaz Siddiq Ag. Adi.
Nasir said the halal convention was held to educate Muslims on the halal concept and enhance their awareness to have a better understanding of the issue.
“It is imperative for the Muslims to understand that halal does not only mean the logo or products being free from pig meat and alcohol but that it covers many aspects including cleanliness and the ingredients of food and drinks.
“In fact, by definition halal covers all aspects of a product in terms of its cleanliness and quality from the beginning of the production process up to the stage when it is ready to be eaten.
According to Nasir, a total of 314 premises have been issued the halal certification by the State-level Committee of Islamic Food Utilisation that comprised Jheains, Sabah Health Department, Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Co-operative Ministry, Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry, Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim) Sabah branch, Sirim Berhad Sabah branch, City Hall Kota Kinabalu, Chemistry Department Sabah branch and Local Government and Housing Ministry.
Of the figure, he said, 124 product premises were issued the certification followed by 93 restaurants and eateries, 54 hotel restaurants and 24 abattoirs and 19 re-packaging premises.
In this respect, he called on the food operators and traders who were issued the certifications to always make sure and safeguard the standard and quality required of the halal concept are met at all times.
This is because, Nasir said not all Muslim consumers have full confidence in the halal logo although it is issued by the State and Federal religious authorities following several incidents involving some non-Muslim traders who abused the halal logo for profit.
At the same time, he urged Muslim traders and operators to obtain the halal certification and logo which will not only enhance the Muslim consumers’ confidence but also make sure the production, preparation and marketing of products meet the halal standards.
By doing these, he said Muslim entrepreneurs would have bright prospects to penetrate the vast halal market.

Brunei: Brunei’s First Halal and Good Manufacturing Practice

2010-12-09T12:17:00.000-08:00

Brunei Darussalam will be the world’s first country to issue guidelines on the production of halal pharmaceuticals, including the use of alcohol and animal products. Viva Pharmaceutical Incorporated, Aureos Capital and a group of local investors have committed to investing in Brunei’s first Halal and Good Manufacturing Practice certified manufacturer of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical producers, Vivapharm (Brunei) Sendirian Berhad.
Officiating at the ground breaking ceremony for the centre’s building this morning were the Second Minister of Finance at the Prime Minister’s Office, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman and the Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong.
This morning’s ceremony then proceeded with the signing of the lease agreement between Vivapharm (Brunei) Sendirian Berhad and the Brunei Industrial Development Authority, BINA, an agency under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. Signing on behalf of BINA was its Acting Director, Pengiran Haji Tajuddin bin Pengiran Haji Salleh witnessed by the Senior Special Duties Officer of BINA, Haji Metassan bin Haji Abdul Salim. Vivapharm (Brunei) was represented by Pengiran Adanan bin Pengiran Seri Indera Pengiran Haji Ismail and witnessed by the Chairman of Vivapharm (Brunei) Sendirian Berhad, Mr Jason.

Vivapharm will invest in research and development, particularly focused on developing new drugs and advanced technologies based on the local flora and fauna found in the heart of Borneo. Vivapharm will also focused on the export of halal-certified natural health products, over-the-counter and prescription drugs on the regional markets of Asia Pacific, Middle East, Western Europe and the US which have large muslim populations.

SBI signs MoU with Malaysian Halal Authority

2010-12-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

KARACHI: Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) achieved a historic milestone in its progress towards development of Halal sector in Pakistan by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) which is the premier agency for development of Halal Industry in Malaysia.
According to SBI here on Thursday, the MOU was signed in HDC’s Kuala Lumpur office between Mohammad Younus Dagha, Secretary Investment Department and Director General Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) and Jamil Bidin, the Chairman and CEO of HDC in the presence of Advisor to CM Sindh on Investment Zubair Motiwala and the High Commissioner of Pakistan for Malaysia Masood Khalid and the officials of HDC.
Malaysia is one of the key players in global Halal sector, the others being Australia, Brazil, Thailand, India, etc. with China, France and Japan having plans to enter soon.
Speaking on the occasion Jamil Bidin, CEO of HDC stated that the great potential of global Halal market provides various opportunities for collaboration between the two brotherly countries and the initiative taken by the SBI will pave way for development of this industry in Pakistan.
He said, HDC will provide all assistance for development of regulatory framework, establishment of Halal Parks (designated industrial areas) and training of entrepreneurs, auditors and functionaries in pursuance of the MOU signed. He also pointed out the potential of business to business joint ventures for Halal industry in both the countries.
Motiwala, in his address said that SBI was keen to work out the detailed implementation plan to ensure that the MOU meets aspirations of both the parties to play their due roles in development of Halal industry.
A working group comprising of was also formed to work out modalities and work plan for the implementation of MoU.

Malaysia store in Tehran to market Halal goods and services in West Asia

2010-11-30T11:49:00.001-08:00

HDC chief executive officer Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin (left) and Neguin Group Executive Director Dr Rahman Abidin

PETALING JAYA: The Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) and Neguin Group of Companies of Iran today announced the setting up of 1Malaysia Departmental Store (1MDS) at the Tehran Mega Mall in Iran to position a more effective marketing platform for made-in-Malaysia goods for the halal consumer market in West Asia.While the Neguin Group is engaged in the setting up of the infrastructure of 1MDS, HDC is engaged in the business coaching and marketing of Malaysian SMEs into Iran and the West Asia region. 1MDS represents an excellent platform to a vast halal market potential in Iran for Malaysian SME exports estimated at RM1.85 billion over the next five years from 2011-2015.
In June this year the HDC and the Neguin Group had signed a MoU to collaborate on activities that will further the SME’s capacity-building and marketing prowess worldwide. Iran strategically provides a marketing springboard for Malaysians to reach the halal markets in and around the West Asia region.
The Neguin Group at a news conference also said that 1MDS will be opened for business in mid 2011. 1MDS is aimed to function as a shopping haven where every conceivable halal product and service can be sourced and obtained from Malaysia.
The global halal market is currently estimated at USD2.3 trillion covering both food and non-food sectors while the Iranian Halal market is estimated at USD26 billion.
Malaysian manufactured halal food and beverages, personal care and cosmetics, fashion wear, furniture, fast moving consumer goods as well as restaurants will be among the goods and services available to Iranians at this mega mall developed and built by the Neguin Group.
Speaking at a news conference, HDC chief executive officer Dato’ Seri Jamil Bidin said, “Further to the signing of the MoU, several seminars will take place to offer SMEs market intelligence on doing business there as well as quality marketing strategies and retail programmes required to make the collaboration successful.”
The first of these seminars entitled, ‘The New Halal Frontier Market – Iran and West Asia’ is opened to 350 Malaysian SMEs by public invitation. It will also be attended by the top 20 Iranian retailers and buyers plus representatives from the Iranian Chambers of Commerce who are expected to ‘meet-and-match’ products and services for the Iranian market and beyond.
The Trade seminar and the buying-mission activities will be organised at Matrade, Kuala Lumpur from 24 -25 November 2010 from 8.00 am – 6.00 pm daily.
“At the seminar, a trade export value targeted at RM35 million is to be captured at the end of the meet-the-buyer session while a sales export value targeted at RM15 million with Neguin is also expected at the Malaysian Halal showcase event,” said Datuk Seri Jamil.
“The upcoming seminar is one of many initiatives that the HDC would like to develop and see expanded, as Malaysian companies take to the international arena and penetrate into overseas markets in a more tangible way. We have undertaken considerable marketing intelligence and for Phase 1 of our overall development, we have chosen to focus on Iran and West Asia.
“HDC itself has charted a long term plan covering the same period as the 10th Malaysia Plan, that is from now until 2015. We have identified several areas that we would like to grow and facilitate in a more in-depth fashion for our target groups, particularly the SMEs. Through business matching to be fulfilled at the seminar, we will be able to drive home the collaboration for understanding the marketing requirements in Iran and West Asia more closely.
“The time has come for both Malaysian SMEs to directly meet and interface the Iranian counterparts and establish our local Halal brands with impact and great returns,” said Seri Jamil.
“We are ready to support over 700 high quality export ready SME products with varying Stock-Keeping Units (SKU) across clusters and sectors,” he added.
“This programme with Iran has been researched and thoroughly planned; our market thrust underlies two major activities: firstly, getting the proper consumer recognition for our Malaysian made goods and services particularly for the Halal sector, and secondly, building the SME capacity and retail penetration into new markets. We believe that this collaboration with Iran will bring in full dividends,” said Seri Jamil.
On the 1MDS project, halal goods and services will be given a new shopping impetus and international attention. The industry needs this boost in order to serve the consumer market and industry more efficiently. There is an estimated 3 billion Muslims around the world who would be keen to explore value-add halal products and services that can enrich their lifestyles.
Malaysia’s halal certification is recognised worldwide among Muslim and Non-Muslim countries. It is of ISO compliant standard – MS1500: 2009 (Second Revision) – Standard for the Production, Preparation, Handling and Storage of Halal food, developed by Standards Malaysia. The standard complies with international standards such as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practice (GHP).
Iran is ranked as the second-largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa in terms of GDP – after Saudi Arabia – at about USD330 billion in 2009 and in terms of population – after Egypt – at about 73 million people.

UAE: Trend of Halal cosmetics

2010-11-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

In a luxury resort in Dubai, Emirati wait next to the bronze statue of the ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, smile and wait for the routine treatment of their weekend beauty treat. The resort is different from the others in which it uses some skin care products based on minerals and pork-free and alcohol-free materials as what Reuters reported yesterday (09-11-2010).
Charlotte Proudman, the products supplier, wants to obtain the statement that these products in accordance with Syariah Islamiyah (Islamic law) to join the growing trend on Halal cosmetics consumption in the Middle East. The Proudman said at the spa, which uses the range she launched in 2008: “I want to put this on the cover of our packages so our clients are convinced that our products are Halal and until they trust that these products meet their religious belief”. She added: “I really feel that Halal cosmetic have a future. I don’t think that any Muslim or Muslimah would abandon his/her trust on skin care product because they make him/her feel comfortable.”
The Halal cosmetic are produced using the extract of plants and minerals and not from the pork and alcohol derivatives forbidden in Islam which often used in cosmetics manufacturing.
The attractiveness of Halal cosmetics reflects the global trend of cosmetic products -which are not tested on animal or utilizing the animal substances- and also the increasing demand of some beauty care based on natural ingredients and gentle for hair and skin. This trend gets wondrous fascination from Muslim people in Europe, since it protects from every harmful action toward the environment.

Iran: The Report of the 5th Supreme Halal Council

2010-11-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

The Fifth Supreme Halal Council was held with the presence of the members of this council in Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIM). The agenda of this meeting was presenting the report of the adopting OIC Halal Food Standard in the 26th Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, on 5-8 October 2010 in Istanbul-Turkey, the procedures of implementation of this standard in different countries and surveying the plan of establishing Halal Research Center.
At first, Dr. Nahavandian, the Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines, has enumerated the most important events as the adopting of Halal food standard by OIC member countries in the scope of Unity of Islamic Schools of Thought and said: “It is the first practical step of unity.
This unity will guarantee emphasizing on All Commons Islamic Values without deterring of each school of thought from their beliefs”. He said that this procedure is an effective way for agreement on the other points which should follow by the religious experts. Also he expressed his gratitude of all council members who were partaken in this great success. In this meeting, the letter of Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani addressed to the Head of council was read which included thanks of the efforts for adopting united Halal standard. Ayatollah Alemi, the representative of Supreme Leader in Jihad, added that after this success, there are many things which should be implemented and to make them practical in the international area. Mr. Kermanshahi, the representative of Trade Development Organization, has declared that considering to the clause of promotion and development of brand culture in the country, Halal brand is the first brand which is in the line of full supporter of this movement and asked to prepare the support package of this plan. It was confirmed to prepare a support package consisting of activities related to Halal brand and the Trade Development Organization will support it.
The next issue was presenting a report of adopting OIC Halal food standard in COMCEC 2010 to the member’s council which was presented by Dr. Mohammad Hossein Shojaei. Then “the plan of establishing Research Halal Center” was discussed. After presenting the ideas of attendants from Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, Jihad of Agriculture, Iran Chamber, Ministry of Commerce and ICRIC’s advisors the principle of establishing Research Halal Center was confirmed totally and it was assigned that the details of this plan will be discuss in the next meeting.
About executive process and the implementation of Halal standard in different countries the council has launched a committee to survey the plan of informing this event in different countries. This committee will study and choose the best way and it will notify this standard to all countries in the world for implementation

Call for fostering awareness about halal products

2010-11-30T11:41:00.000-08:00

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has called for fostering awareness regarding the halal certified products.
He was talking to a delegation of the Halal Development Council (HDC) which called on him at the Governor House here on Monday under the leadership of Barrister Habibur Rehman. The delegation apprised the governor of the steps being undertaken by the HDC for the introduction of the hilal certified products in the country.

It was also pointed out that the hilal products have a huge market the world over. The delegation said that Pakistan should also play a role in this respect. Dr Ibad said that the recommendations of the HDC would be quite beneficial

Russia: Halal industrial park opens in Tatarstan

2010-11-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

Russia’s first halal industrial park opened on Friday in Tatarstan.
According to the press service of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of that republic.
“Halal” in Arabic translates as “tolerated”, that is, products manufactured strictly according to the canons of Shari.
It is not just about the finished product, but also the raw materials, meat, flour, spices and fabrics.
In the industrial park they only produce halal foods, including meat.
Russia is the home to 20 million Muslims, and there are over 1.5 billion consumers of halal products in the world.