General Facts why it should be Halal for muslims

Any activity which is endorsed by any activity which is affirmed by the Quran or the express endorsement or quiet Quran or the express endorsement or quietness from the Prophet. Halal meat is butchered such that the creatures kick the dies painlessly in Allah's name. Allah's name mentioning is compulsory. The blood is depleted so the meat is healthier and cleaner. This planning is healthier, and this preparation is called Dhabah. It is generally agreed within the Muslim community that for meat to be acceptable for consumption by Muslims, the animal must be a species that is accepted for Halal, more importantly, it must also be fit and well at the time of slaughter and that sufficient time must be allowed for the loss of blood, which leads to irreversible loss of brain function.

Halal Products include both Food & Non-Food Items. Halal Food includes products such as:

• Meat & Poultry

• Confectionery

• Dairy Products

• Canned

• Frozen Food

• Bakery Products

• Organic Food

• Herbal Products

• Beverages etc.

Why do we need Halal certification?

The short answer is we do not need Halal certification unless you are in the business of extortion and exploitation. Imam Habib Bewley of the Jamia mosque Cape Town, South Africa spoke out against Halal certification because of its profiteering nature and perversion of Allah’s law. Halal certification has only been around in Australia since roughly the 1960s, not taking off until the 1980s. Essentially a business pays an annual sum in exchange for a label that says the product is Halal. Certain products from the business can be certified as Halal, the price differs between different products. Muslims know what they can and cannot consume and have been consuming products that are now certified Halal long before they were certified. One must only read the ingredients to determine if they can consume the product, be it for dietary or religious reasons. If in doubt one can contact the manufacturer for more information on a product’s contents. Having a label that businesses pay for exploits the Islamic faith, businesses, and Muslims especially. Labelling something, especially meat or one brand of product, as Halal implies that all other meat or brands of that product are not permissible for Muslims to eat which is deceitful conduct. Islam in this way is used for financial gain and not spiritual sustenance. Having paid hundreds, even thousands for a Halal certificate does not guarantee any of the business’s products are Halal. The recent case of Cadbury confectionary company losing its Halal accreditation in Malaysia because pork DNA was found in their chocolates is testament to this. The reaction from the Malaysian public is nothing short of frightening: several Islamic organizations called for jihad against Cadbury. Charity and welfare programmers are catered for through the Red Crescent and other not-for-profit organizations and the Zakat (alms giving, one of the five Pillars of Faith) adopted as a tax in many Islamic countries to help the poor. Insisting that businesses must be Halal certified is both unnecessary and unethical. It should not cost more for businesses to provide the same goods and services which they were providing to Muslims before Halal certification schemes. There is growing concern among Muslims and non-Muslims alike about Halal certification. This concern is twofold: the encroachment of Sharia law and Halal by stealth. Commercializing the Halal process legitimizes one aspect of Sharia law, the laws governing the preparation and consumption of food and drink, this gives a legal system contrary to Australia’s own legal system a foot in the door and gives impetus for supporters of Sharia law to push for greater concessions, like Sharia compliant family law. The second concern is many products that are certified Halal do not have the Halal label on them. This creates two major ethical problems: many people for religious reasons cannot eat food that has been sacrificed to another Gods name (Jews, Christians, and Sikhs) and denies people the ability to make a conscientious choice about what they wish to support or associate with when purchasing goods and services. This is disingenuous behaviour and begs the question as to why buy Halal certification in the first place? Lastly, Halal certification has spread into the provision of services and transportation of goods. This is not required by the Qur’an or Hadith. It is blatant profiteering and exploitation. Insisting that services and transport are Halal compliant is increasing and represents the Halal industry’s slip into fundamentalism.

Where to, from here?

Paying for certification should be abolished, individuals are able to determine for themselves if a product is suitable for them, be it dietary, religious, or ethical reasons. If there is any doubt, they can contact the manufacturer for clarification. There is no religious requirement to pay to label anything Halal or to imply that one product is permissible while similar products are not by way of having the Halal label. Due to the complex rules governing what constitutes kosher food there should remain Kosher certification but at no expense to the tax payer or businesses and clear labelling should remain so people can make ethical and religious choices. This need is not found with Islam and Halal because there are no special preparatory requirements that exist beyond Australian health and safety standards for food under Islam. Denmark, Sweden, and Norway have banned ritualized slaughter (especially for Kosher and Halal purposes) without pre-stunning and this should be adopted here in Australia. All livestock slaughtered should be killed as quickly and as painlessly as possible, this means stunning. The blood can then be drained from the carcass and processed for markets both domestic and international. Informing people, organizations, and countries that insist on Halal certification schemes should be reminded about the religious requirements on the matter, the unethical nature of the schemes, and that they have been trading for centuries without the supposed need or desire for people and businesses to pay for Halal certification.