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Italy: Halal International Authority (HIA) Recognized by MUI

salama — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:14:31 +0000

Halal Interational Authority (HIA) Italy, has recently received a determination from MUI as a Halal Certification Body which is recognized and accepted by MUI for slaughtering and food processing category. This determination from MUI is issued through a Decree No. D-511/MUI/X/2011.

The decree has been provided to Sheikh Prof.Dr.Eng. Sharif Lorenzini, as the President of HIA Italy, because according to the head of the MUI, this Halal Certification Body of Italy which has its headquarters in Bari, and branch offices in Milan, Italy has fulfilled the requirements and in compliance with the conditions stipulated by MUI in the aspects of halal certification. The decree itself is valid for two years period. That is described by Drs.H.M. Ichwan Sam, the Secretary General of MUI who signed the decree dated on October 25, 2011, along with Drs.H. Amidhan, the Chairman of MUI.

Earlier, Sheikh Sharif Dr. Lorenzini who obtained master degree from Medina University, Saudi Arabia, has also followed the International Training for Auditors of Halal Certifying Bodies held by LPPOM MUI in July 2011 in Bogor. “We follow this international training because we want to explore further about halal certification system designed and implemented by LPPOM MUI,” he said in a talk conversation with Usman Effendi AS, from Halal magazines and the internet site, halalmui.org.

Indonesia has been recognized, however, added by this Italian Muslim leader, as the world halal center and the halal certification system by LPPOM MUI has also been internationally accepted and adopted by overseas halal certification bodies.

By following the international training by LPPOM MUI, he hopes he can establish a better cooperation with this Indonesian Muslims institution which has shown its work in the field of halal certification which is required by Muslim people internationally. (Translated into English by Usman Effendi AS).

Italy: Campania firm produces first ‘halal’ certified mozzarella

salama — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:32:09 +0000

Castel di Sasso, 21 June (AKI) – A company in Italy’s southern Campania region has won certification for the first ‘halal’ buffalo milk mozzarella cheese made according to strict Islamic principles.

The La Baronia company based at Castel di Sasso near Naples has been awarded ‘halal’ status for its mozzarella from Italy’s Zayd Ibn Thabit Islamic Culture Association and TUV food-certification agency.

To be certified as ‘halal’ buffalo-milk mozzarella, alcohol-based chemicals must not be used in the cleaning of equipment and the mozzarella must carry the date it was produced as well as its sell-by date.

‘This initiative is a sign of the attention companies and public institutions are paying to religious minorities,” said Abdallah Massimo Cozzolino, an imam at Naples’ Mosque and the president of the Zayd Ibn Thabit Islamic Culture Association.

”Finally it will be possible to find halal products on the supermarket shelves and this is a step forward for integration too”.

The subtly flavoured buffalo-milk cheese is prized as a delicacy in Italy and abroad and to be authentic must not contain a drop of cow milk and must be produced according to time-honoured traditional methods.

‘Halal’ buffalo-milk mozzarella is the latest product to tap into the lucrative foodstuffs market for the world’s 1.2 billion plus Muslims, which is growing at a rate of over 10 percent annually.

The market for ‘halal’ food products is estimated to be four times as large as that for organic foods.

Some countries even make ‘halal’ certification a condition for the importation of food items.

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

salama — Sat, 21 May 2011 12:16:10 +0000

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.

Italy eager to boost trade, investment ties with UAE

salama — Tue, 10 May 2011 08:20:36 +0000

DUBAI — Italy is very keen to enhance its tourism, trade and investment relations with the UAE, Ambassador to the UAE Giorgio Starace said.

Italy was among top ten countries in trade with the UAE in 2010 while investors from both the sides are also taking interest for enhanced investment relations. Recent examples are Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments’s 4.99 per cent stake in Italy’s UniCredit SpA and a joint venture between Dubai-based Emaar and Italian designer Giorgio Armani. The joint venture launched the first Armani hotel in Dubai a year before and there are plans to open 10 more Armani-branded hotels and resorts within the next 10 years in famous cities across the world.

Italy considers the UAE as a central point to get access to other parts of the Gulf and wider the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region because the Gulf country offers the best connections. Italy sees rising air connections from Gulf countries through Emirates airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. “We think the future is here and we have to do more in order to promote Italy as a tourist destination here because the UAE can help big flow of tourists coming from the region on its well connectivity,” the ambassador told Khaleej Times in a recent interview.

Starace mentioned that every year around 150,000 Italians come to the UAE as tourists and businessmen and this figure is growing. On the other hand, he said, Italy expect a double-digit growth in tourists from the UAE.

“We have noted that tourists from the UAE, either Emaratis or expatriates, also increasing… We are talking about 10 per cent growth in tourists from the UAE to Italy,” he said.

He appreciated the role of Emirates airline and Etihad Airways for the promotion of Italy as a tourism destination. He mentioned that Emirates will start its direct A380 flight to Rome next month. “We are talking to them [Emirates airline] and it will be very important occasion for Italy when Emirates will inaugurate its direct A380 flight to Rome on June 6,” Starace said.

Italy is ranked among top five tourists destination in the world and third among the European countries after France and Spain, he said, adding: “Tourism sector contributes around nine per cent of the total GDP of the country.”

“Last year Italy received around 50 million tourists, 4.3 per cent up over 2009, from across the world despite slowdown in tourism industry and we are expecting good growth this year,” he said.

First four months show around seven per cent growth in tourists number, he said, adding: “This year we will focus very much on promoting tourism to Italy with three big targets.”

First Italy wants to promote its beautiful cities and historical sites, he said, adding: “The country has more than 15 per cent of the world monuments.”

Few countries in the world can boast a collection of historical monuments as great in magnitude as Italy can. As the birthplace of both the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, there is no lack of historical sites in Italy.

First and foremost, millions of people per year visit Rome in hopes of witnessing just a glimpse into the past, a glimpse into the power and majesty that was the Roman Empire.

Starace said another very important sector which Italy will insist in promoting tourism is to Italian mountains.

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west. The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 metres on the Italian-French border.

The ambassador said the third target is to attract tourists to Italy’s beautiful beaches. He mentioned that these are the three targets where the country is focusing. He indicated that there is another secret weapon with the country, which is its famous food. “Italy is superpower in food. We provide very good quality and high standard food. Its difficult to find any tourists complaining about our food.

A majority of the Middle East and Gulf tourists look for Halal foods when they go abroad and Italy is not an exception. Italy has a good variety of Halal food and trying to improve it more. “Very recently Ministry Foreign Affairs signed an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Trade in order to promote Halal food made in Italy,” he said.

He said there is certified authentic Halal food available in Italy and it is also very important for our exports to Arab countries.

He also mentioned that BRICS countries are important for inbound tourism to Italy as growth numbers are increasing very fast from Brazil, India, China and South Africa. “We record great growth from these countries and Russia as well,” he said.

abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com

Switzerland eyes summer vacationers from Saudi Arabia

salama — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 05:35:23 +0000

By FATIMA SIDIYA

JEDDAH: Swiss tourist officials on Tuesday exuded confidence that they would get summer vacationers from Saudi Arabia despite the holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with the holiday season.

“We are aware that Saudis, by and large, prefer to stay homebound during the holy month, but we are preparing well in advance in expectation of a good turnout of holidaymakers from this part of the world,” Marc-Antoine Nissille, director general of hotels, told a press conference organized by the Team of Swiss Travel Experience 2011 and the Consulate General of Switzerland at the Jeddah Hilton.

“We are here to inform the local hotels, travel agencies and tour operators that our country is fully prepared to meet all of Ramadan requirements including halal food and shisha. Budget hotels are also available across Switzerland,” he added.

“Switzerland has all along relied on VIP tourists from the Kingdom, but now we hope for middle class families to come in large numbers to the country, for medical tourism and education in particular,” he said.

Saudi Arabia tops the GCC countries among the visitors to Switzerland. The number of tourists from the region increased by 19.7 percent to 12,295 in 2010, compared to the previous year.

“We hope for an increased market share for medical tourism in competition with countries like Germany and Austria, especially because of our rapid advances in medical facilities,” he said.

Asked about opportunities in the field of education in summer, Harry John, president of Montreux Vevey Lavaux, said: “There are plenty of opportunities for students of both genders and of varying ages.”

The country also offers separate schools for boys and girls, he said. “Some schools teach girls’ etiquettes. Scout camps are among the attractions.”

Jorg Krebs, Swiss-based director for the Middle East, Africa and India, said: “We’re looking for more presence in the region to attract more tourists, especially for medical treatment.”

He said that there is no agreement signed with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities to boost the sector of tourism, but “we’ll increasingly participate in local travel agency events.”

The Swiss commission for tourism was launched in 1994 and has since been working to boost tourism in Switzerland through its operations in 28 countries.

www.zawya.com

Building bridges: Muslims, Jews, Christians join forces for peace

salama — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 10:12:21 +0000

Joshua Dubois, executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, was keynote speaker at the meeting at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. (CNS/Paul Haring)

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The enthusiastic exchange of calling cards and making sure caterers provided kosher and halal food are small yet critical signs of a successful interfaith conference.

Jewish, Muslim, and Christian leaders came together in Rome to share success stories and break bread together at a daylong meeting as bishops from the Middle East gathered across the river at the Vatican for a special synod on the pastoral challenges in the region.

While synod bishops focused on the role the Catholic Church can play in giving witness to the faith in the Middle East, other leaders from all three monotheistic religions were reaching outward toward one another in an urgent call for increased interfaith cooperation to bring peace and hope to the world.

The interfaith meeting, “Building Bridges of Hope: Success Stories and Strategies for Interfaith Action,” was organized by the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican and held at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University Oct. 12.

“We believe that interfaith strategies can help solve many of the world’s biggest problems,” Miguel H. Diaz, U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, told participants.

The keynote speaker, Joshua Dubois, head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, said the current administration believes interfaith action is “the future of grassroots engagement.”

Every day, brick by brick, men and women of faith “continuously lay the moral and intellectual foundation of our public life and dialogue, and you are the ‘first responders’ when, for various reasons, that foundation is shaken,” he told the religious leaders.

Speakers from Catholic, Muslim and Jewish traditions focused on concrete ways people of faith have already and must continue to work together in promoting equitable and ethical development, protecting the environment, and preventing conflict.

Trusted religious leaders not only have tremendous influence in their communities, they have the power to persuade people to choose the more difficult and sometimes unpopular path in combating major crises, one speaker said.

For example, when facing the problem of environmental degradation and resource depletion, a politician who tells people “to tighten their belts” and show restraint in consumption will never get elected again, said Fazlun Khalid, founder and director of the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Science. Yet religious leaders can persuade people to change, he said.

Businesses that are infused with a philosophy of social responsibility founded upon religious principles also can make an enormous impact, said another speaker.

Adnan Durrani is the CEO of American Halal Co., a food company based in Stanford, Conn., that is based on Islamic values of justice, equity and responsibility toward society, employees and clients, said, “Values-based businesses can be live ‘Weapons of Mass enlightenment, the real smart bomb.’ “

Businesses are “the most powerful force on earth” because they have the financial resources for carrying out their ideas and they can act on them quickly, said Durrani.

Durrani, who is an investment professional, said he worked for many years on Wall Street where he saw “materialism on steroids.”

Yet he learned a lot about the importance of social responsibility from his Jewish partners, he said, and he strove to build the first socially responsible company in America based on Islamic values.

Hillel Levine, founding president of the International Center for Conciliation in Boston, works with Arabs and Jews in Israel and said he emphasized the need for both sides to talk about their “pained memory.”

Bygones should not be bygones, he said, and the past should be dealt with in order to “siphon off the hatred” and transform shared suffering into a shared bond that leads to understanding and empathy, he said.

Melkite Archbishop Elias Chacour of Haifa, Israel, shared his memory of pain with conference participants.

As Palestinians, he and his family were forced from their homes after the creation of Israel and wandered along the Jordan River for months because even bordering Arab countries didn’t want to take in refugees, he said.

“But thank God I was not born a Christian, I was born a baby. And I don’t know about you, if you were born a Jew or a Muslim, but I look at your hand, I see it is like mine, and I see you were born a baby, too,” he said, looking at Levine.

When tourists express their disappointment with the Israeli security wall, Archbishop Chacour said he tells them, “Do not try to destroy the wall, it’s too strong for you.”

He tells them, “I try to hide the wall with bridges” by creating connections of friendship and understanding between one Jew and one Arab at a time.

The archbishop turned to Levine who was seated next to him at the panel and said, “Convince your Jewish brothers that we are not your enemy. We will never be your enemy.”

Christians, Arabs and other non-Jews are tired of being second-class citizens and “are looking for integration” in Israel, he said.

The two men clasped hands warmly and later stood together holding one another’s hands as conference participants applauded. They only broke their grasp to fish out and exchange calling cards, building one more bridge over walls and troubled waters.

Italian Ramadan: A Rose With Thorns

hamid — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:17:17 +0000

Khalid
Chaouki

Italy welcomes Ramadan with covered optimism

A
note hanging on Al-Manar Mosque’s billboard unwillingly deprives the
charitable people of the reward they are seeking, as it announces, “No
more free days for those who want to offer iftar meals. All days have
been reserved!”

Ramadan is truly the month of charity and
goodness. Even under the severe economic crisis that the whole world is
experiencing, Muslims still respond to the call of faith. Everyday,
around 80 believers break their fast at Al-Manar, an Islamic center and
one of the eight mosques in Rome. Every evening, about 300 believers
from Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, and Bangladesh pray in this small
mosque.

Historically, Al-Manar was an underground
garage that some years ago ran the risk of being closed down due to
lack of funds. This would have happened had it not been for the
extraordinary commitment of the young Tunisian imam, Abdurrazzaq, now
the leader of this small community.

An Imam From Cairo

“Everyday we have about 250 believers coming to the free iftar
meal. Moreover, there are daily religious lessons, Qur’anic courses for
the youngsters, and traditional prize competitions every evening after
the Tarawih Prayer,” said Abu Omar of Al-Huda Mosque.

We find Al-Huda Mosque a few kilometres away
downtown. It is definitely larger, at least 800 believers can pray
there with a large area for women as well. As usual, there is an imam
from Cairo who burns the midnight oil worshipping during the blessed
month of Ramadan. “He came last year and I liked him very much. He
knows how to communicate easily and he helps me feel closer to Allah.
Furthermore, he reads the Qur’an very well and this is really important
for the Tarawih Prayer,” said Ahmad, a Moroccan man with two daughters
living in Rome since 1993.

Mohammad Abu Omar, in charge of Al-Huda
Mosque, tells about the activities of the center during the blessed
month: “Everyday we have about 250 believers coming to the free iftar
meal. Moreover, there are daily religious lessons, Qur’anic courses for
the youngsters, and traditional prize competitions every evening after
the Tarawih Prayer.”

Halal Food for Ramadan

In addition to being a month of prayer,
Ramadan is also a month of feasting for Muslim families. This is
especially so in a non-Muslim society, where people are used to gather
for breakfast and to go together to pray. Next to Al-Huda Mosque, there
are four Islamic butchers who feel the prosperity Ramadan brings.
Another cheerful scene is the goods that fill the Arab market where you
can see all kinds of fresh meat, juice made in Egypt, and dozens of
colored spices. “Dates and milk are directly imported from Morocco,”
emphasizes a young shop assistant proudly.

As for the supermarkets, Auchan, a huge
French chain of supermarkets, has a special offer for Muslims during
Ramadan. It offers halal food in its shops including halal meat and
other Islamic products like dates. Thanks to the increasing awareness
of the month of fasting by Italian society, there is rising sensitivity
to the feelings of Muslims. Italian Muslims do not expect their prime
minister, Silvio Berlusconi, to wish them a happy Ramadan as Barack
Obama did, but they have to acknowledge that the month of Ramadan is
becoming more and more familiar to the public.

Special Ramadan Holidays

“Imagine having a special holiday package
for Muslims during Ramadan!” — This is the idea of Stefano Giuliodori,
manager of the Dory Hotel at Riccione in northern Italy. “Our city was
chosen years ago by many Arab and Muslim families. They like shopping
here. We reserved the seaside for them, and they enjoy the fun, the
hospitality, and the parks. For this reason we propose a special offer
allowing everyone to enjoy their holiday in every way during Ramadan,”
said Giuliodori explaining his initiative.

In order to stabilize between enjoying a
holiday and Islamic principles, Giuliodori studied an offer specially
designed for Muslims. “We provide many special services,” he explains,
“Rooms with a cooking corner for a meal with the family without
disturbance, Arab TV channels, a means of transport to the mosque of
Rimini, and milk and dates available everyday at the minibar.”

The idea of the holiday package is
particularly concerned with the week of September 12-19, 2009, and it
has received the immediate approval of Rimini Mosque, which is ready to
welcome the believers who are on holiday. “It is a very positive
initiative,” said Yahya Cavuoti, a representative of the Islamic
community of Rimini, “I think it helps more people to perceive the
presence of Muslims in Italy as normal.”

Bad Face of the Coin

“We provide many special services: rooms with a cooking corner for
a meal with the family without disturbance, Arab TV channels, a means
of transport to the mosque of Rimini, and milk and dates available
everyday at the minibar,” said S. Giuliodori, manager of the Dory Hotel.

It is not all a bed of roses. If in Riccione
there are people who work to welcome Muslims to the best of their
ability, in the second largest Italian city, Milan, about 100,000
Muslims are still without an official mosque. For two years Muslims
have been using gyms and football pitches waiting for a definitive
solution. Dozens of them pray on the paving outside the small scattered
mosques.

Meanwhile, the deputy mayor of the city,
member of the right coalition, Riccardo De Corato, stated that there is
no place for Muslims and this caused complaints by some representatives
of the Catholic Church who have always been sympathetic with the
Muslims’ condition in the city.

“In this city it is the Lega Nord (North
League that has power while the other moderate political forces do not
want to show support to Muslims. However, we have to admit that this
is also our fault because we never raise our voices and we let the
Italians treat us like second-rate citizens without asserting our right
to have a decorous mosque,” said disappointed Mustafa Ahmed, an
engineering student at the University of Milan.

The North League party is known for its anti-Muslim stance and its opposition to the building of mosques in Italy.

Muslim Workers

Just a couple of
days before the blessed month began, news about the possibility of
forbidding fasting for Muslim workers in agricultural fields occupied
the stage. According to some entrepreneurial union, working in the
fields during summer without drinking means running the risk of
dehydration and sunstroke with potentially fatal consequences.

The Mantua Islamic Community’s president,
Hammadi ben Mansour, vocally rejected this proposal saying that if
during Ramadan any Muslim worker does not feel well, first of all, they
have to stop the activity, and, if they understand that their condition
is not transient, they may definitely drink so long as this is their
choice. He opined that fasting has no dispensations except for those
who suffer from serious physical problems. He concluded by saying that
if someone was fired for this reason the Muslim community would support
him. In the end, that measure was not adopted anywhere in Italy.

Ramadan is the month of patience and
perseverance. These are virtues that Muslims in northern Italy have
acquired over time. Meanwhile, thanks to the dialogue promoted by imams
and Christian religious authorities, there is also hope that a
respectful attitude toward the Muslim minority will take root until
Muslims see a decorous mosque for Prayer in Italy.

Khalid Chaouki is a Journalist and the editor in chief of Minareti.it,
an Italian portal of the Arab-Muslim world. He was born in 1983 in
Italy. Chaouki is a founding member of “Young Muslims of Italy” then he
was appointed the President of this national association. He has many
contributions to some important magazines: Corriere del Mezzogiorno, Il
Giornale di Reggio, and News Settimanale. He worked as journalist and
an editor in the Italian press agency ANSAMED and now contributes to
very famous journals such as Il Riformista, La Repubblica, and
Resetdoc.org.