Some like their meat rare, while others insist on organic free-range fare. But a different category of meat is gracing restaurant menus and filling grocery store shelves in Nova Scotia.

As the Muslim community across the province grows, the number of businesses from butchers to restaurants selling halal meat has grown in lockstep.

It’s a budding trend turning into big bucks for businesses offering beef, goat, lamb and chicken slaughtered according to Islamic religion.

Taiba Halal Grocery, a small shop “run by Muslims for Muslims,” opened in Halifax three years ago selling meat allowed under Muslim law and other specialty foods.

“We became frustrated with the quality of halal meat available here,” co-owner Khalil Alshanti said Thursday. “We opened up the grocery store as a service to the Muslim community and over time we’ve also served some non-Muslims, too.”

Alshanti and his business partner, Ahmad Alhamoui, buy the meat for their grocery store at farms in Upper Rawdon and Bridgewater.

“We go down there and slaughter the animals,” he said. “The main thing is you don’t want the animal to experience any shock or trauma before it’s killed. The animal shouldn’t see blade before it’s slaughtered with the single swipe of a blade.”

With Nova Scotia’s growing Muslim community, now estimated to be close to 20,000, as well as an influx of university students hailing from the Middle East, Alshanti said competition has grown over time.

In the capital region, Bailey’s Meat Market in Bedford, House of Halal Groceries in Halifax and Mid-East Food Centre & Cafe in the north-end Halifax offer halal meet.

In Sydney, Lebanese Flower opened last September.

“My family only eats halal meat and we knew a lot of Muslims in Cape Breton would like a restaurant that served halal meat,” said Ray Kassem, whose family owns and operates the restaurant. “We’ve also had a lot of support from the local non-Muslim community who really love the food, too.”

Halal has many meanings in Arabic but generally means “what is permissible” in the Islamic religion. Things that are not halal include pork and gambling, for instance.

Mike Oulton had never heard of halal meat when he started farming in Martock many years ago. But now it’s an integral part of his farming operation and the Mike Oulton Meat Shop.

Long-time employee Terry Patterson said serving the ethnic community is a very strong part of the business and continues to grow each year.

“There is a Muslim who comes by every Tuesday and blesses the animals and slaughters them,” he said. “We have a number of Muslims that come here to pick up the meat and we also do deliveries to homes, restaurants and stores.”

(bbundale@herald.ca)

Related posts:

1. W.Va. Farmers Aim at Growing Muslim Market
2. American-Muslim Consumer Conference (AMCC) Focuses on Marketing to Muslims, a Growing and Affluent but Often Overlooked Niche
3. USA: Halal standards in Muslim community up for interpretation
4. Area meat-packing plants prepare product for Muslim community
5. West Virginia farmers aim at growing Muslim market

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) has criticized Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) plan to draft halal and honesty certifications for its members.

Lukmanul Hakim, MUI’s food, drug and cosmetics study agency’s (LPPOM MUI) director, said it was unnecessary for NU to issue its own certifications because the LPPOM’s halal certificate was transparent and practical. However, he said, the certificate arrangement was subject to fees because the office is not subsidized by the government.

NU Businessmen’s Association (HPN) chairman, Abdul Kholik, questioned the ban. He said the NU’s certification plan aimed to protect its members under stricter NU references for determining whether a product is halal.

“It’s true the MUI is the head of all Islamic organizations, including NU, but we don’t feel that we’re represented by its halal certificate,” said Abdul.

MUI Secretary General Muhammad Alkhathath said that in the certification process, an audit must be conducted by an expert to check whether a product was halal. “In principle, it’s like the food and drug monitoring agency,” he said.

AFRILIA SURYANIS / FATKHURROHMAN TAUFIQ

Related posts:

1. Indonesia: Most halal products lack official approval
2. Can Indonesia serve as a World Halal Certification Centre?
3. Indonesia: Halal Certification by MUI Gaining Increasing Appreciation Worldwide
4. OIC To Submit Final Draft On Halal Standardisation, Accreditation And Certification In 2009
5. Indonesia to set up halal certification center

IGM and NPD Services have been working for over two years on the European Halal Food Park, the park is in its final stages of construction and ready to open its EU Licensed Factory for SME’s to come on board, the venture can expect to have a turnover of 15 million plus in the first year and has a number of committed partners and can be expected to be in full operation within the next six months.

The site in Banham was strategically sort out due to its ideal location situated less than 90 minutes from central London and has access to two of the largest European Muslim communities in Europe. The French market which has population of over 7million, and the UK market of approx. 4 million Muslims.

With the present climate of recession and unsuraties, this pilot project will allow the European Halal Food Park to open further halal food hubs in the other regions of the UK and the Norfolk plant will act as the central distribution hub. The jobs created will benefit all sections of the community; the European Halal Food Park will be strategically placed for other halal food companies to come on board.

Mr Ghulam Ghafoor Managing Director of Pak Supermarkets, Pak supermarkets Britain’s first main stream chain of halal supermarkets here in UK said: “we have been waiting for such a project, where we can purchase all our UK assured halal products manufactured in the UK, I for one am in favour of halal product which are with complete Shariah compliance ”

The first stage of the project has already been completed and is already operational, boasting a fully approved Halal Abattoir & Cutting Plant operated by Simply Halal which is 100% dedicated to supplying Non-Stun Halal Beef, Lamb & Mutton. NPD Services are working together with EEDA (East Anglia Development Agency) which will include, a central retail packing unit and a further processing unit focussed on manufacturing added value halal food products. The site already has a 300 pallet cold store and blast freezers which makes it ideal for Frozen food operations.

Mohammed Saleem, Policy Director for ANSA Said:  ‘He supports any scheme that benefits the Muslim community and the halal slaughter houses here in the UK by providing the Muslim community with assured 100% Non-Stun halal meat’.

For more information on the European Halal Food Park, please contact William Innes on 07786 993766 or email info@halalfoodpark.co.uk.

Related posts:

1. Hundreds of jobs at UK’s ‘Simply Halal’ food park
2. Bosnia aiming to become the center of European halal business
3. EU: A European Standard on halal food?
4. Belgium: Plans for European halal-hub at Liege airport
5. EU: European Council agrees on new labeling rules for food

UN-Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) can be achieved by eliminating Poverty through Islamic Microfinance:

01-02-2012

(Istanbul) A two day International summit on Islamic Microfinance has started in Istanbul. The basic purpose behind this summit is to promote Islamic Microfinance and to elucidate the strategy to remove obstacles from its way to progress. Microfinance experts from different continents like Africa, Asia, Europe and America etc. are participating in this Int’l summit. While speaking to the opening session of the Summit, Muhammad Zubair Mughal, Chief Executive Officer, AlHuda Centre of Islamic Banking and Economics said that Pakistan has been acknowledged as a leader of Islamic Microfinance Industry and right now in Pakistan; more than 20 institutions are providing microfinance services. While highlighting the importance of Islamic microfinance, he said that around the world, conventional Microfinance has badly failed and its examples can be clearly seen in India and Latin America. He further added that due to the failure of conventional financial system, many countries in the world are adapting Islamic microfinance system for poverty alleviation through which not only poverty will be eradicated but also a sustained economy shall come into being in these countries.

While addressing to the International Summit, he further added that one reason behind expansion of Poverty is interest base mechanism in Muslim countries, People do not use Financial and Banking system due to interest as it is  strictly prohibited in Islam hence forced to live in poverty whereas through Islamic Microfinance by using the financial products based on Shari’ah principles, we can get the people out from poverty. He further highlighted the need assessment of Islamic microfinance in Muslim Countries by saying that 44% of conventional Microfinance clients live in Muslim Countries and United Nations has added half of the countries of Islamic Development Bank in the list of least developed countries which shows that Islamic Microfinance can be used to eradicate poverty from Muslim-Majority Counties. While identifying the Muslim population and poverty in different regions of the world, he said that 85.5% in East Asia, 34% in South Asia, 58% in West Africa, 58% in Caucasus and 97.3% in MENA are Muslims and collectively, in 2.4 Billion population of these regions, Muslims are of 48.3% which clearly shows the need of Islamic Microfinance for poverty alleviation in these countries. He further added that not only Muslims but Non-Muslims can also get benefits from Islamic Microfinance because Islamic Microfinance is not a religion but a system which is equally useful for Muslims and Non Muslims as well and the clear example of this fact is that Non-Muslims consider it very attractive.

He said that Islamic Microfinance is essential to achieve Millennium Development Goals( MDGs), proposed by United Nations for alleviating poverty and social uplifting. He further added that if development of Islamic Microfinance starts right from today, these goals can easily be achieved till 2015. He said that Islamic Microfinance sector is facing difficulties due to apathy of Donors and to fulfill this deficiency, Sukuk (Islamic Bonds) can be issued. He further said that more financial products can be introduced by enhancing research in the field of Islamic microfinance and there are many opportunities for development in this field. AlHuda Centre of Islamic Banking and Economics has established a specific Microfinance help desk so that trainings, research and technical consultation could be provided to Microfinance Institutions worldwide.

In this Summit, the role of Pakistan in the development of Islamic Microfinance has very much appreciated and Pakistan is considered to be as global leader of Islamic Microfinance Industry. This conference will continue for 2 days in Istanbul.

Related posts:

1. Responding to demand for Islamic Microfinance
2. Russia: Market Emerging for Islamic Finance
3. UAE: Sharia-compliant bank products poised for strong global growth
4. Pakistan: 1st Global Halal Congress in Karachi – 4 Dec 2010
5. Pakistan looking to Thailand to jointly explore Global Halal market

But young artists like those included in “We Need to Talk” still face obstacles and government bureaucracy

By Henry Hemming. Web only
Published online: 30 January 2012

Visitors to the opening of “We Need to Talk”

JEDDAH. Usually it is the job of an art historian to pinpoint when an art movement begins. But last month, on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, the overwhelming feeling among visitors to a ground-breaking exhibition of Saudi contemporary art was that they had witnessed the birth of something new. They may well be right.

Organised by Edge of Arabia, an independent arts initiative, “We Need to Talk” (until 18 February) features more than 40 pieces by 22 young Saudi artists, almost half of them women, and includes videos, sculpture and photography from the likes of Abdulnasser Gharem, Ahmed Mater and Manal Al-Dowayan. Most of these artists have shown together over the past three-and-a-half years in London, Venice, Berlin, Istanbul and Dubai, but never before in Saudi Arabia. Could an exhibition like this have been staged in Jeddah ten years ago? “Of course not,” said the show’s curator Mohammed Hafiz, “because we didn’t have the artists, we didn’t have the works of art… there are many elements.”

One of these elements was a degree of indifference or suspicion displayed back then towards contemporary art. Now, members of the Saudi royal family, including the participating artist, Princess Jowhara Al Saud, as well as legions of young art fans packed the opening. A smattering of non-Saudis were also there, including photographer Wolf­gang Tillmans, Jack Persekian, the former director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, Antonia Carver, the director of Art Dubai, and the following day Chris Dercon, the director of Tate Modern, took a spin round the show, later describing the artists involved as “true intellectuals with a great eye for form and immanence”.

“It feels like a movement,” said London dealer James Lindon, visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time. “There’s extraordinary solidarity between the artists and a desire to push things forward in an interesting way. I’m incredibly impressed by the quality of the work.” While some pieces explored shared Islamic heritage, such as Ayman Yossri Daydban’s pieces on the Hajj, most focused on elements of contemporary Saudi society, and did so in a way that was immediate, considered, and at times gently provocative.

In Sarah Abu Abdullah’s video, Anees 9999, the artist, dressed in an abaya (a long cloak women in Saudi Arabia must wear in public), covers a wrecked car with pink paint before stepping gingerly into the passenger seat. “I was about to go back to Saudi,” she says of the piece, “so I started to count the things I wouldn’t be able to do… I wouldn’t be able to choose who I would marry, there are few working opportunities, I can’t drive myself to work, I can’t have my own little apartment. I granted myself a simple wish, by pretending to have my own car.”

Nor did she think she could ever display a video like this in Saudi Arabia. Clearly, the times are changing.

Maha Malluh, whose work is currently on show in the British Museum’s “Hajj” exhibition (until 15 April), refers to the religious tapes that appeared in Saudi Arabia during the late 1970s in her piece Food for Thought 7200. The cassettes are laid out in 1970s bread-baking trays and have been positioned to spell words that resonate from the tapes such as “un-religious”, “shame” and “lies”.

What makes the inclusion of pieces like these unusual is that every piece in the show was inspected by a committee of senior artists at the Ministry of Culture and Information and all but one work was approved. Financial support for the exhibition largely came from the private equity company, Abraaj Capital, and Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives, the social responsibility wing of the automobile and customer financing corporation. This allowed the show’s organisers to take more risks, not just in terms of the work but the staging. “We Need to Talk” is held in an unfinished, neon-lit wing of Jeddah’s Al Furisiya Marina & Mall—a highly unusual choice for a Saudi exhibition. “I think it’s just right for the work. It was a risk, but one that we felt was worth taking,” said Stephen Stapleton, the founder of Edge of Arabia and the co-curator of “We Need to Talk”.

Like the mall, the Saudi art movement looks set to receive considerable investment in event sponsorship and patronage in the coming years. As well as supporting the exhibition, Christie’s had eight representatives in Jeddah for the opening. Sotheby’s had four. By the end of the year both auction houses will have members of staff based in Saudi Arabia.

“Collectors [here] have the means and the interest,” said Paul Hewitt, the managing director of growth markets, Christie’s, who compared the emerging market in Saudi Arabia to that of Russia and India, adding that patience was key. For Lina Lazaar, a deputy director and international specialist for contemporary art at Sotheby’s, “every single Saudi that I know from my generation has or is about to start collecting contemporary art”.

Nonetheless this fledgling art movement faces some obstacles. There is no fine art college, no contemporary art museum, no dedicated art publication and no surplus of innovative art spaces in Saudi Arabia, with the notable exception of Jeddah’s Athr Gallery.

Saudi bureaucracy is another problem, a theme addressed in the show by several pieces. The Postman, a photograph by Sami Al-Turki, refers to the growing number of young Saudis who prefer to communicate by email rather than risk the state-run postal service, a situation he sees as analogous to what is happening in many Saudi creative fields as young men and women choose to feature their work and communicate by YouTube, Facebook and Twitter rather than through traditional channels. “We Need to Talk” belongs very much to this new tradition.

The fact that this exhibition happened, the extensive coverage it received in the Saudi media, and the prospect of a museum of contemporary art opening in Jeddah within the decade: all of this suggests an underlying shift. In Saudi Arabia today there is a new enthusiasm for art. It is being driven on by an indigenous movement of contemporary art that made its long-awaited arrival on a balmy night in Jeddah.

Related posts:

1. Saudi Arabia: Singapore taps into rising Saudi food sector market
2. Saudi Arabia A Good Option For Malaysian Business
3. Women in Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council, what next?
4. Canada and Saudi Arabia Agree to Reopen Beef Market
5. Al Islami Foods enters Saudi Arabia to reach USD5.6 billion food market

Related posts:

1. Saudi Arabia: SFDA to sponsor conference on halal food and drugs monitoring
2. Saudi Arabia: SFDA to monitor food imports from May 25
3. Saudi Arabia: Scholars to analyze halal food standards at Riyadh conference
4. Saudi Arabia: Singapore taps into rising Saudi food sector market
5. Horn of Africa to double livestock exports to Saudi Arabia

The controversial broadcaster has been taken off the air after Ofcom ruled it was in breach of licencing rules.

George Galloway is one of the UK’s most prominent contributors to Press TV. Photograph: Getty Images

Press TV, the Iranian state-funded news channel, is to be taken off the air in Britain after Ofcom ruled that it was breaching broadcasting rules.

The channel has responded with outrage, calling the decision “scandalous” and a “clear example of censorship”. Its chief executive, Mohammad Sarafraz, said that it was “an act of aggression by the British monarchy” which “will prevent the British from learning the truth”.

Yet it is not entirely out of the blue: the controversial broadcaster was threatened with a ban last year, after it emerged that it had aired an interview with Maziar Bahari, a Newsweek journalist, while he was imprisoned in Iran in 2009.

Rather than banning the channel outright, after hearing submissions Ofcom finally settled on a £100,000 fine in December 2011. However, Press TV failed to meet the early January deadline for paying the fine. Ofcom said that the broadcaster has been “unwilling and unable” to pay it.

This is not the only reason that Ofcom has given: it also ruled that Press TV is in breach of broadcasting licence rules in the UK because it runs its editorial insight from Iran’s capital, Tehran. The regulator wrote to Press TV about this in November, offering a choice of either switching editorial control for programming to the UK, or to transfer the broadcasting licence to Iran. According to Ofcom, Press TV has not responded.

These technical explanations are all very well, but it is difficult not to view this in the context of escalating tension between Iran and Britain (my colleague Mehdi Hasan has blogged extensively on this). The country’s nuclear programme has drawn ire from the west, and in November, Britain closed Iran’s embassy in London and expelled all diplomats, after the British embassy in Tehran was attacked by a crowd angry at sanctions.

Certainly, the channel’s fans will (rightly or wrongly) view it in this light. In October last year, Press TV ran a poll in which 52 per cent of respondents said that Ofcom’s attempts to get the channel taken off air was “an instance of intellectual terrorism”. The instant reaction on Twitter shows many concerned about free speech (although others are cheering the decision). Salma Yaqoob, the leader of the Respect Party, tweeted: “Reality is we r seeing increased hostility and preparation for attack on #Iran”.

While this has been rumbling on for months, things are now moving fast. Ofcom has contacted BSkyB, which broadcasts Press TV, to tell them to take the channel off the air before the end of the day. It appears the plug has already been pulled, although it can still be viewed online.

Regardless of the technicality — and certainly, Press TV played a significant part and displayed belligerence by failing to take action — this move will be seen as highly symbolic. It is yet another area where tension with Iran is escalating.

Related posts:

1. Egypt could be the next GCC member state, Gulf sources say
2. UK: EU-funded DialRel Report on Religious Slaughter now available
3. Halal makes it into top ten good news stories of 2009
4. HDC opens Halal food channel to France
5. Cooperation between Iran, Malaysia Benefits Muslim World

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Indonesian vice president, Boediono, opened Annual General Meeting World Halal Food Council (AGM-WHFC) and International Workshop on Indonesian Role for Strengthening Global Halal 2012, at his office, Monday.

The meetings among Muslim scholars, he said, would promote understanding and expand experience on how to implement the system of halal product in an effective way. Halal means food or other things prepared in accordance to Islamic law.

“The forum will be a great opportunity to open discussions and exchanging ideas among policy makers, practioners, academicians, and stake holders,” Boediono said.

For Muslims, food, drink, medicine, cosmetic and other products are not only to fullfill physical needs, but also should be in accordance to religious principles.

Indonesia has 200 milions Muslim in its population. The number is equal with six other countries in total, namely Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Uni Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, and Turkey. The huge number reflects a great potential for halal product.

“Therefore, we need to work hard to write, implement, and monitor the policy on halal products. We also need to promote implementing these policies to achieve global standardization in halal product,” he said.

Furthermore, Boediono explained that halal standardization was the duty of Indonesian Muslim Scholars Council (MUI) and Drug and Food Enforcement Body (BP POM). The bodies task to certify halal products in Indonesia.

“We need to enhance cooperation with other countries. Hopefully, The World Halal Food Council can facilitate such cooperations,” Boediono said.

Related posts:

1. Indonesia: Jakarta to be World’s Halal Food Center
2. WHFC Annual Meeting, Together Harmonizing the World Halal Standards
3. NZ fights Indonesian Halal beef ban
4. Indonesian women splash out at Islamic spas
5. Indonesian chefs, teachers ready to fill New Zealand market

According to Mohamed Noor, CEO, OSK-UOB Islamic Fund Management, OSK-UOB Islamic Fund Management was looking to find a partner who could provide detailed analysis of the revenue breakdown for the global stock market specifically for food companies involved in any non-halal elements. “IdealRatings, did an outstanding job screening companies with their one of a kind research methodology along with their comprehensive Shariah fund management solution. We feel confident relying on IdealRatings to provide us with top quality Shariah screening data for our Global Halal Food Fund and also for the other unique funds we will be offering as part of our portfolio in the future” said Mohamed Noor.

“The team at OSK-UOB Islamic Fund Management has great plans for much needed products in the market. We are proud to help such team with our service to develop successful products to meet the market demands in a high growth market” said Mohamed Donia, CEO of IdealRatings.

Related posts:

1. Malaysia: OSK-UOB Islamic Fund Management launches Global Food Islamic Equity Fund
2. Russia: Al Shams Capital is setting up first CIS focused Shariah compliant PE fund
3. Malaysia: Halal industry should work with Islamic finance
4. Halal index is new Islamic investment frontier
5. Opinion: Islamic finance, Halal industry & Shariah-compliant hotels during Ramadhan