The recent decision by Saudi King Abdullah to allow women to run and vote in municipal elections and become members of the Shura Council, a parliament that acts as an advisory council to the King but has no legislative powers, has huge implications for the status of women in Saudi Arabia.
Al Islami, Chief Executive Deputy, Hamid Badawi, stressed on the importance of creating global standards for the “Halal” industry as a step towards transforming it to a global economic power. He said that “creating legislation to regulate the global “Halal” industry is one of the most prominent factors that enhance the performance of this growing sector worldwide”.
Under the patronage of His Excellency Chancellor Rashed Abdul Mohsen Al-Hammad, Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, and Minister of Justice, the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, the First Gulf Conference on Halal and its Services was held from 20-22 Safar 1432 AH corresponding to 24 to 26 January 2011, in the Holiday Inn Hotel, Salmiya, Kuwait.
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.
The version of the regulation that the Council has sent back to the European Parliament for their consideration does not include Amendment 205 the clause which would have required that all meat and meat products slaughtered by the shechita/Halal method be pejoratively labeled.
Fifty clerics from Austria, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States petitioned Van Rompuy to protect their freedom of religion at a time when some right-populist parties are calling for bans to certain non-Christian religious practices, including circumcision for minors and kosher and halal butchering of meat.
by Abdalhamid Evans, Founder, HalalFocus
In the UK, KFC’s now infamous ‘Halal Trial’ has taken a turn that may well prove to be a pivotal one in the shift of Halal into the mainstream. In any event, it has uncovered a series of misconceptions that can now be seen in a better light.
KFC’s 80-plus restaurants that [...]
The Halal Industry Development Corporation will assist the Halal Product Research Institute of Universiti Putra
Malaysia in marketing its research findings internationally.
Brunei’s 3rd International Halal Market Conference on 16-17 August will discuss the formation of a Halal Product Academy under the patronage of the Brunei Government. Such an institution will bring together Shariah scholars, scientists and Halal industry experts to collaborate on current and future issues in the Halal industry. Imarat Consultants MD, Abdalhamid Evans, was interviewed in Brunei recently about the IHMC and Brunei future in the Halal sector.
The issue of cloning certainly goes well beyond whether or not an animal is stunned before Halal slaughter and the method used in the slaughtering of it. This also comes under the category of ‘ethical’ which is also now a much broader issue with the production of food today. As this question becomes better researched from a Halal perspective perhaps the wisdom of the Islamic shariah will bring clarity on this for everyone questioning whether it is ethical to produce cloned animals for human consumption. Perhaps this is an issue to be addressed to the Shariah scholars and scientists at the upcoming International Halal Market Conference being held on the 16-17 August in Brunei Darussalam.
British Muslims have reacted with anger to know that certain
types of crisps produced by a major snack food manufacturer contain
traces of alcohol, hitting out at the producer for disregarding Muslim
religious sensibilities.
“The
Muslim Canadian Congress wants the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. to
stop a study considering the introduction of so-called “Islamic
banking” to Canada.” How ‘Halal’ is Islamic banking? The idea of honest interest free banking for everyone is perhaps a study the Muslim Canadian Congress should look into further for the benefit of everyone. If they look into the Islamic banking in SE Asia they will find there is a much higher percentage of customers that are non-Muslim who have seen the benefits are more favourable for them.
The
definitions of Halal, while generally agreed upon by Muslims, display
significant gaps when it comes to their application in the industry.
Due to differing Halal standards not only between countries but also
within each individual country (following the presence of various Halal
authorities), confusion, misunderstanding and even abuse in the Halal
audit and certification process have occurred. As a result, supply
chains have been broken whilst artificial shortages of raw material
have emerged as a result of disunity between Halal certification bodies.
The question of stunning is coming under the spotlight again, (see the articles about the call to review Halal slaughter procedures in Australia). Here is a Fatwa from the Islamic Fiqh Council affiliated to the Muslim World League on the question as to whether it is permissible to eat meat from animals which have been stunned before slaughter.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Imarat Consultants