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The Man Who “Halaled” Crispy Treats By Sakina Al-Amin
As the American Muslim population booms, so does the need for Islamic products, and nine years ago, one Muslim businessman saw the potential in the halal food industry. Ratib Habbal formed the company Halal Select Snacks and started making the Halal Crispy Treat, all while he was completing his Masters in Business Administration from Wayne State University in Detroit. His product, a marshmallow treat based off of the American youth staple Rice Krispies Treat, gained popularity in Muslim circles all around the nation, especially in Illinois and Ohio. The treat continues to sell well in Islamic schools, camps, and events. Habbal discussed his thoughts with The Lone Star Crescent on the Islamic products industry and experiences he had launching merchandise geared toward
Muslims living in America. Habbal said he came across many dilemmas when dealing with the “non-mature” business market of American Muslims, and he shared insight about starting and maintaining an Islamic business in North America. Q: What was the impetus for creating Halal Crispy Treats? A: Well – I hadn’t eaten one for more than 10 years! It was actually when I had to do a business plan for my MBA class in 1999, and I drew up a proposal for the idea not knowing much about what it would entail. When I stood up on the spot in class that day and said I wanted to do something like this, both Muslims non-Muslims alike couldn’t fathom what I meant. I knew that I wanted to do something that would impact Muslims. Three months after I graduated in 2000, I decided to leave my auto company job and give life to my idea for halal treats. I founded Halal Select Snacks, and produced two items: Halal Crispy Treats and American Halal marshmallows. Continues on page 13 >>
Ratib Habbal lives in Canton, MI, were he works as a legal mediator helping disputants settle their civil lawsuits. His wife Eamann teaches at Crescent Academy International and both are proud parents of two boys. He can be reached at: ratib@ juno.com.
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Healthy Snacks For The Summer
By Kena Sosa According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the child obesity rate in the United States has skyrocketed in recent years, up to 19.6% of 6- to 11-yearolds now qualifying as obese, spurring First Lady Michelle Obama to take action. She thus created the Childhood Obesity Task Force, whose goal is “to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation.” She wants better food in schools, responsible advertisers, and families to eat together in order to support this mission. Really, most of the efforts have to come from home where parents need to demonstrate and encourage healthy eating. Though parents are finding that their children do not always have the same goals in mind, parents have their tricks. Here are a few more to help willing families out. TIP 1: AVOID SUGARY DRINKS The first thing children ask for when bursting through the door, escaping the hot summer sun, is something cold. Instead of handing them a soda, hand them a glass of something less sugary but still sweet and delicious. Try giving them aguas frescas
(fresh water), a concoction from across the border. Basically, you blend together the fruit of your choice with ice and water, creating an incredibly refreshing and still healthy drink. The easiest flavor to make in the summer time is watermelon, however, aguas frescas can be made with virtually any fruit, even some vegetables. TIP 2: A POPSICLE CAN BE MORE FUN If the children are more than just thirsty, try offering up some healthy frozen snacks, such as juice-sicles or yogurt-cicles. All one needs to do to make juice-sicles is to pour pure juice into ice trays, cover the ice trays with Saran Wrap and place toothpicks standing up in each cube. The wrap will keep the toothpicks standing until the juice freezes. Once frozen, children can grab the toothpick and pull out a delicious frozen snack. An alternative to juice-sicles would be creating yogurt-sicles. Most children’s yogurt comes in individual cups. Simply stand a popsicle stick in the middle of the yogurt cup and put them in the freezer. Similarly to the juice-sicle, once frozen, just pull them out and enjoy this serving of fruit and dairy in a new way! TIP 3: DISGUISE FRUIT & VEGETABLES Some children are harder to convince than others. For the more discerning little guys, >> Continues on page 03