Some Issues with Halal Certification

This is in continuation of the earlier post. Halal (from the Quran) means “permitted” or “lawful” and is used for food and other consumables that are permissible for consumption by Muslims, based on Islamic Shariah law. It may be recalled that the government body, FSSAI doesn't give halal certification in India. Halal certification is given by Muslim private bodies, and their guidelines do not permit non-Muslim employees to be engaged in any part of the slaughtering process which has to conform to the intrinsically Islamic practice including reciting verses from the Quran.

The trend of Halal certification for meat / other food and non-food products is continuously increasing. While Halal meat is said to be healthy, the anti-halal lobby claim that Halal certification is also a business model that makes others pay for the Islamic beliefs; Muslims call this Islamophobia.

Ever since I became aware of the Halal Certification process, I have become more alert. I am a vegetarian and am happy to say that none of the products I consume, whether food items or cosmetics etc. have this certification. However, my readings on this topic have thrown up some issues especially related to meat consumption.

• In Jan 2021, APEDA amended their manual and clarified that govt does not mandate that only meat slaughtered by Halal method as per Islamic Shariyat, has to be exported, it is the requirement of the majority of countries importing the meat*.  

https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2021/01/05/apeda-drops-halal-certification-in-red-meat-manual-says-no-govt-role-needed-for-exports.html

• A well-known boarding school in India specified Halal certified meat only in their tender. This was objected to on grounds that the tender for Halal meat is an insult to other students and community.
• In Indonesia, a Muslim body was taking steps to provide Covid vaccine with halal certificate, in their endeavour to boost immunization process in the Muslim-majority country.
• Some of Delhi’s Municipal Corporations recently mandated that meat shops and restaurants to display whether meat sold by them is ‘Halal’ or ‘Jhatka’ on grounds that that halal meat is prohibited in Hinduism and Sikhism.
• Christians in Kerala decided to boycott Halal meat and products saying they cannot consume meat offered to other gods.

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/ahead-of-christmas-christians-in-kerala-decide-to-boycott-halal-meat-hindu-group-extends-support/695123

 I now leave some questions open to all, more specifically the non-vegetarians.

1.    How comfortable are you in eating meat where the animal has been slaughtered while reciting verses from the Quran? 

2.    While buying from meat shops or eating meat in roadside dhabas, restaurants or even five star hotels – how frequently do you ask if the meat is Halal or Jhatka? 

3.    Have you ever checked if there is a Halal certificate on any of the products you buy?

4.    What is the quality certification given for Jhatka meat?

5.     Should Halal certification apply to vegetarian eatables, cosmetics, packaging etc.

(* The following paragraph was removed from the manual, “The animals are slaughtered by halal system under strict vigilance of (a) recognised and registered Islamic body as per the tenets of Islamic Shariyat. The certificate for halal is issued by the representative of registered Islamic body under whose supervision the slaughter is conducted in order to meet the requirement of (the) importing country.”)

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