The Halal Journal Jan/Feb 2011 by The Halal Journal

Journey

WWW.HALALjOURnAL.COM

Work

Play

Balance

issue

38 :: Jan+Feb 2011

ENTERTAINMENT NOW!

• UK £2.95 • AUstrAliA AU$6.50 • UAE Dhs10 • MAlAysiA RM9.90 • singAporE s$5.50 • issn 1823-1441 • pp 13884/10/2011 (028515)

The rise of value-based media content

WORK & PLAY h ISLAMIC E-BOOK h MALAYSIAN FINE ART – THE REVIVAL h A SOIREE IN MAURITIUS h BOOK: KING OF THE CASTLE – CHOICE & RESPONSIBILITY IN THE MODERN WORLD h GALLERY: ALI NURAZMAL & SUDDIN LAPPO h MUSIC: SAMI YUSUF & MASIKAH h MOVIE: HAQ – WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH POWER IN YOUR HAND? 61

SEEING GOLD & SILVER Re-establishment of the dinar & dirham as alternative currency CO-CERTIFICATION OF ORGANIC & HALAL Should the two become one? ANCIENT ANIMAL RIGHTS The status of cats in Islam

Conversations

MUSTAFA DAOOD – DEBU

FUAD ABDULLAH – VICTORIA CREST

THE PREMIER GLOBAL HALAL INDUSTRY EVENT

The 6th

World Halal Forum

the power of values in global market 4 - 5 A P RIL 2 0 1 1 KUALA LUMPUR CONVENTION CENTRE KUAL A LUMPUR, MAL AYSIA W W W. W O R L D H A L A L F O R U M . O R G

Inspection and Certification Body

Recognized by JAKIM Malaysia, MUI Indonesia, MUIS Singapore, CICOT Thailand and other reputable Halal authorities.

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contents | January+February 2011

DiSclaimer : While all care is taken, the publisher accepts no responsibility for the information contained herein which is believed to be reliable. The publisher/editor takes no responsibility for opinions expressed or implied as they are the writers’ own and do not necessarily reflect that of the publisher or editor who make no warranties governing material, including advertising or features contained within this publication. This publication may not in whole or part, be copied, reproduced or translated without prior written permission of the publisher.

Global Browsing

07} Global News + Good Stuff

Stay Tuned

12} A brief insight into events currently shaping the Halal industry & consumer lifestyles around the globe

Parting Words

88} Quotes + Thoughts + Wisdom Features 28} CO-CERTIFICATION OF ORGANIC & HALAL Should the two become one? 34} SEEING GOLD & SILVER Re-establishment of the dinar & dirham as alternative universal currency 40} AUSSIE HALAL BRANDING MISSION Analysis & reflections on the Australian Halal branding efforts 43} ANCIENT ANIMAL RIGHTS The status of cats in Islam

P A G E

c ov e r s to ry

ENTERTAINMENT

NOW!

The rise of value-based media content

Happenings WHAT’S NEW + EVENTS 54} USA: IFANCA describes Halal certification as the key to international trade 55} Europe: Environmental protection considered as an investment theme 56} UK: A premium Shariahcompliant share-dealing service launched 58} Positive outcome at the 2nd World Halal Forum Europe! 60} Investment opportunities: Health & fruit beverages trend in China & Japan 65} Japan: Potential to be the next world Halal provider? 66} Malaysia hosts 1st World Conference on Riba 69} HIP Expo 2011 – 1st trade show in a virtual environment 70} Europe: Consumer goods industry announces initiatives on climate protection 72} IHI Alliance update: Serving the global community In Motion PLACES + LEISURE 76} A Soiree in Mauritius 78} LandofEnchantment.com showcases New Mexico’s breathtaking beauty Gallery ARTS & SUCH 80} Movie: HAQ – What would you do with power in your hand? 81} Music: New albums by Sami Yusuf & Masikah 82} Fine Art: The works of Ali Nurazmal & Suddin Lappo 86} Photography & Poetry

Conversations 22} MUSTAFA DAOOD OF DEBU Music & more with Debu 48} FUAD ABDULLAH OF VICTORIA CREST Dealing with the manufacturing of Halal sausages

Ed’s Note

Do drop us your comments info@halaljournal.com

New year, new look, new outlook. PA G E

U N I V E R S A L C U R R E N C Y

For some Muslims, the “National Governments” of the Muslim world, should be replaced by Amirate. Well, be careful that we don’t fall into nationalist fallacies. The Amirate must be of Dar al-Islam. “Central bank replaced by Mint”: these two institutions have nothing to do with each other. They are totally different. Instead of replacing, we should think in terms of building or growing from zero. This is more like planting a seed and seeing it grow until it becomes a tree, rather than replacing the fruits of the tree.

Yes, we’ve revamped yet again, not because we’re fickle, but because we are constantly improving and improvising, riding on changing trends with the passing of time. The new and improved The Halal Journal embraces the concepts of Journey and Balance as the secret to achieving a wholesome life, be it at Work or at Play. Do tell us how you feel once you’ve flipped through the pages and reach the end of your tour of this colourful edition. In our cover story, we jump into the entertainment world. Entertainment as we see it today is moving further towards value-based media content. Perhaps because people are now more in tune with their spirituality and morality, and are constantly seeking food for the soul. Read about value-based (particularly Islamic values) media content, in films, comics, and music on p14. In our features are talks about the possibility of co-certifying organic and Halal (p28), and an analytical review on Australia’s efforts in Halal branding (p40). Two articles under the title Universal Currency (from p34) are eyeopeners for those unfamiliar with the re-establishment of the gold dinar and silver dirham (which had officially kicked of in Kelantan, Malaysia) as alternative currency and possible solution to the current state of the global economy. Are you an animal-lover; for cats in particular? Good if you are, because in this edition is a story on cats – a bit of history, animal welfare, and cat facts – and its status in Islam. This story also features a short interview with the Malaysian artist who paints cats, Jaja Yusof. Enjoy the adorable photos from p43. Don’t miss our all-new Conversations pieces from our interviews with the cool musician (who is also a Sufi), Mustafa Daood, from the 12-member band called Debu (p22); and convivial Fuad Abdullah, chairman of Victoria Crest – makers of premium Halal sausages in Malaysia (p48). For a bit of leisure, take a quick ‘trip’ to Mauritius en route our In Motion section on p76 and be enthralled with the stunning works of art by Ali Nurazmal and Suddin Lappo (p82) and captivating photography (p86). Also, be entertained with our choice of film and music from p80. At the very end, your journey with this edition will be enhanced with a collection of insightful quotes, thoughts and wisdom (p88). We wish you a pleasant reading expedition and a blessed New Year!

the Heart of T he Halal Jour nal Halal refers to that which the Creator has made lawful. Its opposite Haram, refers to what is forbidden. The realm of Halal extends beyond the obvious references to food and touches on all matters relating to human life. In the commercial arena, all goods and services, market transactions, currencies and other activities come under the judgments of Halal and Haram.These parameters include protecting the environment, humane treatment for animals, ethical investments, the intrinsic value of currencies, and fairness in all commercial transactions.The global Halal market is now a new economic sector, and we believe it will be one of the great market forces in the coming decades.

THE HAlAl JOuRnAl AWARDS CElEBRATES AnD HOnOuR SuCCESS, InnOvATIOn AnD HARD WORk In THIS ExCITIng EMERgEnT MARkET

AWARDS

Recognising Excellence Nomination Form

Company Name Address

City

Postcode

State

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Contact Person Telephone No.

Designation Facsimile No.

Email Address

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Awards will be presented at The Halal Journal Awards 2011 Gala Dinner on 4th April 2011

Award Categories

(You may nominate under more than one category) • Best Product • Best Islamic Financial Service or Product • Community & Environmental Development • Travel & Hospitality • Best Service Provider • Best Innovation in Halal Industry • Most Creative Marketing Campaign • Outstanding Personal Achievement

Supporting documents

Supporting documents may be submitted in a format of your choice, that being (a) Hard Copy, (b) in CDs, or (c) via Email. Please include in your submission the following: • Company brief: including background, date of incorporation, number of employees, etc • One page write up outlining reasons for deserving nominations • Testimonials from customers/ clients (where available) • Recent press coverage (if available) • Brochures & samples (if applicable) • Website address • Any other supporting materials or documents that you deem fit

Please submit to: Panel of Judges The Halal Journal Awards 2011 c/o KasehDia Sdn Bhd M-2-20, Plaza Damas, 60, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1 Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA T: +603 6203 1025 F: +603 6203 4072 E: info@halaljournal.com W: www.halaljournal.com

Submission Conditions • Decisions made by Panel of Judges are final and no correspondences will be entertained • Materials and information supplied will be treated confidentially and will not be returned • All entries must be received before the closing date of 4th March 2011 • Successful nominations will be duly notified

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WRITER Zaahira Muhammad zaahira@halaljournal.com R E S E A RC H E R S Mohd Amri Sofi Dayana Nordin COnTRIbuTIng WRITERS Abdul Ayan Ventura De Lauretis Umar Ibrahim Vadillo Abdalghany Aoueskhanov

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OUt nOw At A bOOKStORE nEAR yOU!

COrPOrate FOunDER & MAnAgIng DIRECTOR Hajjah Jumaatun Azmi gEnERAL MAnAgER Radha Vengadasalam D I R E C TO R , P u b L I C R E L AT I O n S Andora Fredericks A S S I S TA n T M A n A g E R , E v E n T S & P RO J E C T S Huzaimah Hashim

Top 3 ‘Best Guide in the World’ for 2004 Gourmand Awards

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global browsing news + Good stuff Compiled by Zaahira Muhammad

PhIlIPPInes’ senate of hIGher conscIousness

BY ZaahIra MuhaMMaD

Les Floralies Apothecary Sleep Range les floralies apothecary is a range of unique aromatherapy products which offers five different formulations to cater to today’s hectic lifestyle. these formulations are packaged in colour coded packaging. the sleep range, which is the blue coloured range, was formulated to soothe and comfort. Its blend of neroli (for anxiety, depression and insomnia), lavender (for stress, tension and insomnia) and chamomile (for insomnia, headaches, nervous tension and stress) essential oils promote ultimate relaxation, ideal for usage at home or when travelling. Imagine using these products after a long hard day at work! It definitely made me more relaxed and rested for another day of work. Products in this range include: ••Body Balm (200ml/ 6.3fl.oz) – Use as a daily moisturiser, pre-blended with essential oils to nourish the skin. It is also an ideal alternative to massage oil. Inhale and experience the aromatherapy benefits; it is ideal for dry and damaged skin too. ••Body Wash (360ml/ 12fl.oz) – A unique light lathering, soap-free body wash blended with essential oils to use in the shower or add to a bath. Inhale and experience the aromatherapy benefits. ••Body and Massage Oil (200ml) – A pure natural vegetable oil pre-blended with essential oils, it is ideal for massage or use as a daily treatment to nourish dry and tired skin. Also a wonderful product in a bath to breath in the benefits. ••Mood Candle – A fine quality handmade candle blended with essential oils that can burn for 35 hours. Allow the aroma to fill your room and enjoy. ••Body Bar (135gm/ 4.75oz) – A fine quality pure vegetable triple-milled soap, blended with essential oils to nourish and cleanse. ••Sniff Box™ (8gm/ 0.28oz) - A unique and immediate way to receive aromatherapy benefits at work, home or while travelling. The aroma beads hold essential oil blends. Simply open, and take a few deep breaths. Sleep and Focus are particularly ideal for travelling (jet lag). ••Aroma Oil (15ml/ 0.53fl.oz) – Pre-blended with essential oils, this range’s aroma oil is ideal for use in the Apothecary oil burner. ••Oil Burner – The burner is designed by an aroma therapist for professional or home use. Made of quality stainless steel, it makes a great gift and is available in a gift box too. www.halaljournal.com

In re-filing Senate bill 1991, the senator seeks to establish the general guidelines for the Philippines Halal System and create a regulatory board which will be responsible for managing and implementing programmes in relation to the production, preparation, storage and distribution of Halal-approved food, nonfood merchandise and services. “Most food and non-food products we patronise are manufactured and prepared without the consciousness of other religious belief. Some products that are available in the market are not permissible for consumption for our Muslim brothers,” he said, adding that “they have an Islamic dietary law and they also have a proper method of slaughtering an animal for consumption.” |SOURCE: THE MANILA BULLETIN NEWSPAPER ONLINE, 10 SEPTEMBER 2010

halal InTeGrITY malaYsIa

MANY PAVILION OUTLETS LACK JAKIM’S HALAL CERTIFICATION The director of the Monitoring and enforcement Branch of the JaKIM halal hub Division, amri abdullah, said it was believed operators of food outlets at the Pavilion shopping centre had removed the logos and certificates that were not issued by JaKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) to avoid action from being taken against them during the surprise check The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

global browsing

on food outlets. The inspection, conducted by officials from JaKIM, the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism, and PPIM (Malaysian Muslim Consumers association), was carried out following complaints from members of the public on the abuse of the halal certificate at the food outlets. During the inspection, the food outlet operators said they obtained their Halal logo and certificate through the management of the shopping complex without dealing directly with the issuing authority. |SOURCE: MALAY MAIL ONLINE, 1 SEPTEMBER 2010

malaYSIa

NO LARD IN PRODUCT SAYS QBB PURE GHEE QBB Pure Ghee said that in light of recent media reports regarding QBB Pure Ghee, it irrevocably stated its stand on the matter that its product did not and has never contained

global The Halal Journal welcomes all queries, comments, suggestions and criticisms. write to us at info@halaljournal.com or fax your letters to +603 6203 4072.

PhIlIPPInES

A M ALAYSIA n VISIOn

An integrated Halal chicken abattoir will be built in the near future for easier monitoring of the slaughtering process by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), thus ensuring the Halal status of the poultry. |SOURCE: MALAY MAIL ONLINE, 6 SEPTEMBER 2010

lard or any substance of porcine origin. In a statement released yesterday, it said, “We have no doubt whatsoever, that the product concerned is Halal and is fit for consumption by Muslims. Our product has been certified Halal by the Islamic Coordinating Council of Victoria, which is also recognised by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). Samples of our product have regularly been analysed by independent laboratories to prove its nature and content.” |SOURCE: BRUdIRECT, 4 SEPTEMBER 2010

Reading Selection

|SOURCE: ThE PhILIPPINE STAR, 5 SEPTEMBER 2010

Title: King of the Castle – Choice and Responsibility in the Modern World Author: Gai Eaton Publisher: Islamic Texts Society (1990) Language: English

TraDe & BuSIneSS FrancE

ISBN-13: 978-0946621-217 (Paperback)

This book examines closely many of the unquestioned assumptions by which we live our lives, comparing them with the beliefs that have shaped and guided human life in the past. It begins with a consideration of how secular societies attempt to possess their citizens, body and soul, and how, as a consequence, the necessity of redefining human responsibility becomes an ever more urgent imperative. The book continues with a presentation of the traditional view of man as ‘God’s Viceroy on Earth’, with an eye on its practical implications in a world that has all but forgotten, under the pressure of mass social persuasion, that man must always be free to choose his own ultimate destiny. The author’s thesis is a passionate yet incisive plea for the restoration of the sacred norms of religion, as against the debilitating and falsifying aims of a profane worldview based on no more than recent scientific and technological achievements. charles le Gai Eaton was born in Switzerland and educated at charterhouse at King’s college, cambridge. he worked for many years as a teacher and journalist in jamaica and Egypt (where he embraced Islam in 1951) before joining the British Diplomatic Service. he is now a consultant to the Islamic cultural centre in london. • “This marvellous book...abounds with penetrating insights...The most remarkable quality of the book, however, is its courage.” Fourth world review • “This is a book of the utmost importance to anyone concerned...with the really basic questions of human life.” country life • “This is an urgent piece of writing, a reading of what we are and where we are.” TlS *NOTE: BOOk dESCRIPTION wAS ExTRACTEd fROM ThE ISLAMIC TExTS SOCIETY’S wEBSITE. fOR MORE ISLAMICRELATEd PUBLICATIONS PUBLIShEd BY ThE ISLAMIC TExTS SOCIETY, LOg ON TO www.ITS.ORg.Uk.

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

TANG GETS HALAL CERTIFICATION During the recent conference held at Marco Polo hotel in Davao, Kraft Foods, the second largest global food company, revealed that Tang has gained the halal certification of the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines (IDCP). Tang is already halal-certified by the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand — the only Islamic organisation in Thailand duly authorised to conduct halal certification and accreditation. however, with IDCP’s accreditation, Tang can now pride itself on a seal that is globally-recognised by Halal certification bodies and Muslims alike. This important symbol not only means that Tang does not contain ingredients that are considered unlawful, according to the strict guidelines of the Quran; it also means that Tang is made from ingredients with high quality and safety standards. Tang will incorporate the IDCP halal seal on every package.

HALAL-ONLY OUTLETS EXPANDED French fast food chain, Quick, announced that it would almost triple its line of halal hamburger restaurants because sales had doubled in a trial that sparked a heated debate about the integration of Muslims. The Quick chain of 358 restaurants around France said it would boost its halal-only outlets to 22 after the trial in eight areas with a strong Muslim population also saw a doubling of customers and a rise in the amounts they spent. General Manager Jacques-edouard Charret said “We’re in a very competitive market and we’re the challenger. We are not philanthropy or a charity. Our ambition is to develop Quick’s turnover and create jobs and it’s going well.” Quick came in for criticism earlier this year when its trial, which sold only halal beef and replaced bacon with smoked turkey, hit national headlines. |SOURCE: STRAITS TIMES, 1 SEPTEMBER 2010

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l browsing Sharjah Islamic Bank has announced the launch of the second phase of its online retail banking services - weyy@com - as part of its strategy to enhance its online service offering. auSTralIa

CHOOKS’ FIRST HALAL OUTLET TAKES FRANCHISE AWARD a fast food franchise with a difference has brought success for Chooks’ franchisees, udin and rosana aminudin. The couple opened the brand’s first Halal store in Australia at Mirrabooka and have just won the franchise system’s ‘Single Site Franchisee of the Year’ title for excellent customer service and sales growth. The pair beat 38 other franchisees across the country to take the award. udin aminudin said he and his wife had worked hard on the business and taken a risk establishing the first halal store. “It was exciting to be the first Chooks store to implement the halal method of cooking chicken and we’re proud to have helped others to establish halal stores,” he said. “Customers are really supportive of us and are regular visitors due to the fact we offer Halal products.” There are now three halal outlets in Mirrabooka, Beechboro and Forest lakes. |SOURCE: FRANCHISE.NET.AU, 13 SEPTEMBER 2010

DeVeloPMenT ThaIlanD

THAILAND’S INDUSTRY MINISTRY INCREASING HALAL PRODUCTION, MARKETING STANDARDS FOR EXPORT President of national Food Institute, Petch Chinabutr, said his organisation and related agencies have mapped out a five-year strategic plan (2010-2014) to promote and develop the potential of halal goods and services. The plan comprises raising halal services and production standards, standardising approval processes

of halal products, developing marketing strategies to international level, researching halal science and managing the business to build up strength of the country’s halal industry and trade. Mr. Chinabutr said the plan’s focus is to be applied only on 57 Muslim countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), having a population of around 1.5 billion, or 95 per cent of worldwide Muslim population. |SOURCE: MCOT ONLINE NEWS, 1 SEPTEMBER 2010

TrenDS malaYSIa

FIRMS TOLD TO CAPITALISE ON HALAL GOODS DEMAND IN CHINA Malaysian firms should capitalise on the growing demand for halal products in China, said ramli Bakar, Director of Malaysian Investment Development authority (MIDa) office in Guangzhou, China. “The demand for Halal products here (China) is increasing and huge. There are about 20 million Muslims in China,” he told reporters. ramli said the non-Muslims were also showing interest in halal products as they were hygienic and clean. he said halal products not only consisted of food but also non-food items such as cosmetics. “It is a huge market and we should take advantage of the opportunities in this segment.” He also pointed out that most of the Malaysian investors in China were involved in manufacturing food products, bird’s nests trading as well as in aluminium and metal industry. In an effort to encourage investments in Malaysia, ramli added that MIDa participated in the trade and investment seminars, business

NEW ZEALAND + MALAYSIA • HALAL MEAT AGREEMENT

New Zealand’s meat export market is set to grow after Malaysia agreed to a Halal standards agreement, according to a statement recently. The new agreement, which sets out how New Zealand will meet Malaysia’s Halal requirements, is expected to reopen the market. |SOURCE: BERNAMA, 18 DECEMBER 2010

african reinsurance Corporation (africa re) has launched a new Shariah-compliant subsidiary. The new firm will handle all regions in africa, Middle east and the rest of asia. expositions as well as organising business-matching sessions. he said investors from China were keen on the resource-based industry, manufacturing of rubber products, plastics and metal parts in Malaysia. |SOURCE: THE STAR ONLINE, 9 SEPTEMBER 2010

lIFeSTYle SamI YuSuF In TurKEY To PromoTE nEw alBum

“Turkey is highly important for me. Turkey is a country that rests in my heart, I love the Turkish society. I am an www.SaMIYuSuFoFFICIal.CoM ethnic Azeri so I feel very close to the Turks,” Yusuf said. Sami Yusuf also said that he chose Turkey as the first country in which to promote his third album. Sami Yusuf is a British singer-songwriter. Yusuf ’s music consists mostly of songs relating to Islam and being a muslim in today’s rapidly changing world. |SOURCE: WORLD BULLETIN, 10 DECEMBER 2010

Iran

ISLAMIC NECKTIES, HIJAB-WEARING DOLLS INTRODUCED IN IRAN, WEBSITE REPORTS a series of Islam-centric products were unveiled in Iran recently – sword-shaped tie, hijab-wearing dolls and software packages intended to promote proper wearing of the hijab. The sword-shaped tie is just one of a series of Islam-centric products that have been unveiled, according to a report on YNet. There’s also a hijab-wearing Barbie doll wannabe that goes by the name “Fatima.” And there’s also a new smiley-face in Iran -- instant messaging software called the “Hijab Messenger.” |SOURCE: FOXNEWS.COM, 19 NOVEMBER 2010

unITED STaTES oF amErIca

ARTIST HAND-MAKES PAINTED ISLAMIC AND MIDDLE EASTERN-INSPIRED JEWELLERY “I began working with wood and paint at a very young age. My father is a trained master carpenter, and a world-renowned artisan with wood and Islamic design,” 27-year-old artist and jewellery designer, Taslim van hattum said. “Some of my earliest memories are of being with him in his large workshop and being given wood to carve, paint, stain, and fashion into both furniture and abstract art. as I grew older he slowly trained me to work more consciously with wood and Islamic design. They are global designs inspired by my surroundings. Islamic designs are often used, and Middle Eastern themes definitely run deep in many of the items, but they are re-imagined with a more contemporary sensibility. I have pieces that are inspired by the stones of the old city streets of Jerusalem, the adobe textures in walls of old new Mexican pueblos, and even the reimagining of science fiction-esque space ships drawn out of Islamic shapes.” |SOURCE: ILLUME, 7 SEPTEMBER 2010

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global The Halal Journal welcomes all queries, comments, suggestions and criticisms. write to us at info@halaljournal.com or fax your letters to +603 6203 4072.

BahraIn

TUN MAHATHIR : Global trade should have reverted to the use of Gold dinar followinG the decline in the value of the us dollar

“At one time, USD35 was equal to one ounce of gold. But today, it is worth USD1,400; meaning the US dollar has already depreciated. That’s the problem with fiat currency... it devalues quickly and by very much. Gold never devalues like that. So, when you buy and sell using gold dinar, you get the real value,” he said. “Although there are rich and poor Islamic countries, there must be a balance. We use Islamic finance to invest in the poor Islamic countries and help make them rich,” he said. He said it was important that Islamic system grew by itself and the countries use it to benefit the Islamic countries. “The Islamic financial system will grow when we are successful. Nowadays, we see that non-Muslims are using Islamic banking,” | SOURCE: BERNAMA, 15 DECEMBER 2010

: : RELATED ARTICLE : GOLD DINAR > PAGE 34

Reading Selection Title: En Route to Mecca: Pilgrims’ Voices throughout the Centuries Author: Islamic Art Museum Malaysia Publisher: Islamic Art Museum Malaysia (2009) ISBN-13: 978-9834469-627

accompanying the exhibition ‘En Route to Mecca: Pilgrims’ Voices throughout the Centuries’ is a publication that provides an informative look at this highly significant annual event. nothing embodies the universal nature of Islam better than hajj, with pilgrims converging from every corner of the earth. The aspect of hajj that receives less coverage is how the pilgrims reach their goal. although it is often referred to as the ‘journey of a lifetime’, there is remarkably little attention given to the pilgrims’ means of travel. ‘En Route to Mecca’ focuses on the sense of anticipation and adventure that the faithful have always encountered on their way to fulfilling this Pillar of Islam. reflections of this journey can be seen in pilgrims’ thoughts and actions, as well as in works of art. a museum can offer more than beautiful objects to look at. It can also tell a story, and there are few better stories than those of the men and women through the ages who have completed hajj. *note: This book description was extracted from the Islamic art Museum Malaysia (IaMM)’s websitewww.iamm.org.my). IaMM was established in December 1998 and is South east asia’s largest museum of Islamic art. It houses more than seven thousand artefacts, and has an exceptional library of Islamic-art books. Committed to preserving and propagating knowledge, IaMM considers publications as a vital tool in this quest. By the middle of 2006 the museum had published 16 books, covering a wide range of topics. Most of these publications are catalogues of exhibitions, although books of more general nature are now being produced. The aim is at all times to support the work of the museum and to improve visitors’ enjoyment.

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

AUTHOR SPREADING ISLAMIC VALUES a Bahrain-based children’s author is seeking local support in her campaign to educate youngsters about the values of Islam. Former resident lisha azad returned to Bahrain with her family in May after spending two years living and working in Qatar. While concentrating on getting her young son started at school over the last few months, Ms azad is keen to move on with her love of writing. She is hoping to join forces with publishers, artists and photographers in Bahrain. The published author describes herself as “a moralbased writer on timeless Islamic values”. Ms Azad, who previously lived in Bahrain between 2000 and 2008, believes there is a big gap in the market for books that introduce Islam to children. |SOURCE: GULF DAILY NEWS, 17 NOVEMBER 2010

FInanCe aFrIca

AFRICA RE LAUNCHES SHARIAHCOMPLIANT SUBSIDIARY african reinsurance Corporation (africa re) has launched a new Shariah-compliant subsidiary. The african Takaful reinsurance Company has been necessitated by the increasing demand for Islamic law-based insurance services. The new firm will handle all regions in africa, Middle east and the rest of asia. “The launch of Africa Retakaful as the first operator of its kind in Africa will form a milestone for the industry in the world and will assist in developing the Takaful Insurance business in Africa to more prosperous levels. With an outstanding experience of the traditional reinsurance business, and our unique position as the leader of the African reinsurance industry, we will support this new outfit to be one of the important players in this industry from inception,” said group Ceo of africa re, Mr. Bakary Kamara. |SOURCE: DAILY NATION, 15 SEPTEMBER 2010

unITED KInGDom

HOME FINANCE PARTNERSHIP FOR ISLAMIC BANK OF BRITAIN, LEGAL & GENERAL uK insurance giant, legal & General, has signed a partnership with Islamic Bank of Britain (IBB) to make two Islamic home finance products available to financial intermediaries. The Home Purchase Plan (HPP) is IBB’s flagship Islamic mortgage product and is a mortgage alternative, which offers home finance without the use of interest. The Shariah-compliant product allows customers to purchase their home in partnership with the bank on a leasing (Ijara) and diminishing partnership (Musharakah) agreement. IBB offers full support to those intermediaries interested in developing their Islamic finance which includes a dedicated intermediary team, website and helpline. |SOURCE: CPI FINANCIAL, 14 SEPTEMBER 2010

www.halaljournal.com

The premier global halal indusTry evenT

The 6th World halal Forum 2011

call for papers The World halal Forum is acknoWledged as The ForemosT gaThering oF halal indusTry leaders From all over The World, all converging in kuala lumpur every year To discuss issues WiThin The global halal indusTry. This makes iT an excellenT plaTForm To share ideas, raise concerns and suggesT opporTuniTies so as To charT The FuTure groWTh and developmenT oF The halal indusTry.

We ThereFore inviTe all individuals and corporaTions To conTribuTe To The developmenT oF The global halal markeT by submiTTing proposed papers To be presenTed during The WhF 2011. submission deadline: 15Th march 2011 For more inFo, log on to www.worldhalalForum.org or call the whF Secretariat at +6 03 6203 1025

W W W. W o r l d h a l a l F o r u m . o r g

By the passing time. Indeed man is at a loss. Except for those who believe and do good deeds and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patience.

stay

24 - 26 JanuarY 2011

HALAL INDUSTRY & ITS SERVICES CONFERENCE

Stay Tuned 7 – 9th January 2011 hOrtI EXPO Pragati Maidan Exhibition Ground new Delhi, India Media Today Pvt. ltd. Tel: +91 11 2668 2045 Fax: +91 11 2668 1671 email: hortiexpo@gmail.com Web: www.hortiexpo.com 13 – 16th January 2011 SWISS’ EXPO Palais de Beaulieu Lausanne, Switzerland Beaulieu exploitation Sa Tel: +41 (0) 21 643 21 11 Fax: +41 (0) 21 643 37 11 email: swiss-expo@beaulieusa.ch Web: www.salonagriculture.ch 13 – 19th January 2011 FOOD ShOW Kuwait International Fairs Ground Mishref, Kuwait KIF (Kuwait International Fair) Tel: +(965) (5) 387 100 Fax: +(965) (5) 398 123 email: info@kif.net Web: www.kif.net 16 – 18th January 2011 WIntEr FanCy FOOD ShOW Moscone Convention Center San Francisco, Ca, uSa naSFT (national association for the Speciality Food Trade Inc.) Tel: +1 (212) 482-6440 Fax: +1 (212) 482-6459 email: customerservice@nasft.org Web: www.specialtyfood.com

The aim of the ‘halal Industry and its Services conference’ is to present and exchange the knowledge in a general form without constraining to the halal aspects but also including other aspects of Islamic concern, such as the safety of production and quality control of halal products. Furthermore, this conference will present the dynamics of the halal industry and its services, its emerging trends, and its economic benefits that is the concern of the activists in this industry. This conference will not only provide business opportunities but also broad information to the general public on understanding the meaning and requirements of the halal logo on labels.

> rEaD MOrE... PaGE 66

15 - 17 FeBruarY 2011

HALAL & ISLAMIC PRODUCTS (HIP) EXPO 2011 “hIP Expo’s first edition will take place in a virtual environment,” said mrs. annamaria Tiozzo, hIP Expo President, “to allow one million visitors from all over the world to enter the fair for free. The aim of the expo is to be a window for the Islamic world and to promote business exchanges with and between Islamic countries”. with exceptional media coverage and the support of 50 chambers of commerce, halal certification agencies, and government offices for tourism, trade and investments, hIP Expo’s aim is not only to promote trade between and with Islamic countries, but also to bridge the gap between different behaviours. > rEaD MOrE... PaGE 69

25 - 27 FeBruarY 2011

2ND PENANG INTERNATIONAL HALAL EXPO AND CONFERENCE The Penang State Government, through its dedicated halal agency, PIhh Development Sdn Bhd (also known as halal Penang), is spearheading the promotion and development of the halal industry regionally and globally. PIhh provides total supply chain for industry clusters encompassing manufacturing, logistics, agro-based, life sciences, finance, human capital, tourism and related services. To ensure that the Penang halal industries and businesses are able to tap into the trillion dollar global halal market, PIhh is organising the second Penang International halal Expo and conference (PIhEc 2011) for the local SmEs as well as regional players.

19 – 20th January 2011 SO FrESh Bologna Exhibition Center Bologna, Italy Bologna Fiere Tel: +39 051 282111 Fax: +39 051 6374017 email: marca@bolognafiere.it Web: www.marca.bolognafiere.it 22nD – 23rD January 2011 COSMEtICa hannOVEr Deutsche Messe hannover hannover, Germany KoSMeTIK international Messe Gmbh Tel: +49 7225 916 0 Fax: +49 7225 916 179 email: messe@ki-verlag.de Web: www.ki-online.de 22nD – 26th January 2011 SIrha 2011 Euroexpo Lyon, France SepelCom Tel: +33 (0)4 78 176 176 Fax: +33 (0)4 78 176 352 email: anne-sophie.labruyere@sepelcom.com Web: www.sirha.com 24 – 25th January 2011 BIO aSIa Grand hyatt tokyo tokyo, Japan BIo (Biotechnology Industry organization) Tel: 866 356 5155 Fax: +1 202 962 6666 email: biopartnering@bio.org Web: www.bio.org/bioasia

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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27Th FeBruarY – 3rd MarCh 2011

GULFOOD 2011 Gulfood is the industry meeting place and your biggest sales and sourcing platform of the year. annually held at Dubai world Trade centre, Gulfood hosts an incredible 3,500 exhibitors, 81 international pavilions, and welcomes over 55,000 buyers from 152 countries. Benefit from the region’s premier knowledge exchange at the Gulfood conference, and celebrate excellence at the Gulfood awards and Emirates International Salon culinaire. more on www.gulfood.com. www.halaljournal.com

y tuned 22 oCToBer 2010 - 20 FeBruarY 2011

The Aura of Alif - The Art of Writing in Islam

Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde München Beginning with the inherent aesthetic quality of calligraphy, visitors will be acquainted with the historical, contextual, and symbolic dimensions of writing with regards to religious, poetic and occult texts. Writing surfaces include not only paper and animal hide, but also ceramic, metal, glass, wood and textiles. The objects on display date from the early period of Islam to the present and include examples fashioned for the ruling elite and also pieces more representative of a folk or popular aesthetic date. The dignity of Muslim cultures and their artistic forms of expression are brought to life in the aura of the Alif, the first letter in the Arabic alphabet, symbolic of divine beauty.

28 FeBruarY - 11 MarCh 2011

MALAYSIAN ART PART I: THE REVIVAL a celebraTive show oF anTiquiTy in kuala lumpur From 28 February – 11 march 2011, metro Fine art will be presenting a celebrative show of the antiquity named, malaysian art part i: The revival, featuring the works of yong mun sen, kuo ju ping and Tan choon Ghee. > Read moRe... PaGe 62

flashback 28-31 october 2010

FirsT inTernaTional islamic Tourism conFerence & Travel marT a success The Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), Malaysia, had successfully organised the first International Islamic Tourism Conference & Travel Mart (ITCM) 2010, with its overall theme “harvesting the Potential of Intra-regional Travel & Tourism”.

> Read moRe... PaGe 52

2 november 2010

malaysia hosTs 1sT world conFerence on riba The 1st World Conference on riba held on 1 and 2 november 2010 at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala lumpur, Malaysia, saw the gathering of eminent scholars, business and industry leaders, politicians and government officers, policy makers and regulators, general public and students from all over the world.

> Read moRe... PaGe 66

10-11 november 2010

The 2nd world halal Forum europe: halal producTs and services – GoinG mainsTream

4 December 2010

With around 150 participants from 31 countries, this was one of the smaller events over the WhF’s five-year history, but there seems to be no doubt that it was one of the most significant.

The 1st Global halal Congress concluded successfully in Karachi on 4 December 2010, with participation of over 28 delegates from 17 countries with the Grand Mufti of Bosnia-herzegovina, Dr. Mustafa Ceric, as the guest of honour.

> Read moRe... PaGe 58 : : > Read moRe.... PaGe 73 www.halaljournal.com

pakisTan’s 1sT Global halal conGress – a successFul conclusion

: : > Read moRe.... PaGe 73

> Read moRe... PaGe 68 The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

C ov e r S to ry

enter tain ment n o w! t h e r i S e o f va l u e baSed media Content

“Now that’s what I call

entertainment...”, said one of

the characters in the action-packed Hollywood film, Death Race, after watching a car crashing and being blown into pieces. Another scenario: “That’s very good entertainment”, said a young Muslim girl sitting next to me at a Maher Zain showcase in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, late last year after listening and watching his performance. So, what is entertainment, and what do the Islamic scholars have to say about entertainment and Muslims? Ruzanna Muhammad observes the advent of Islamic values or value-based media content in the entertainment world today... The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

So, here’s the story. When I got this assignment, my first thought was that it could be rather simple to write this piece, but then things got harder. Firstly, when it came to resources: There were at first not many, but after some time, my expanded internet research got me quite a bit of information on entertainment and how Islamic values are now increasingly being disseminated in different scopes of the entertainment world, be it films or music, or books, and even comics!

Plays and theatres, and Poetries back in the elizabethan era were nothing short of moral-based entertainment in terms of content, and PeoPle learned that way aPart from being entertained.

Films Back in the days of yore, entertainment was different. People watched plays and theatres, or sat in circles with poets and other types of entertainers. Medieval royal courts had court jesters and musicians to entertain their guests. Think Mozart, Shakespeare, and other famous composers and playwrights of those days. They were important because people counted on them for entertainment and stimulation. Now, people have it easy. People don’t have to leave their households to be entertained with all the available mediums at hand i.e. TV, radio, computers, and other digital hand devices. Entertainment has become

Of course there is a lot more on the internet that one could find, when it comes to entertainment for Muslims i.e. videos and documentaries shown online on many different aspects of Muslim lifestyle. So, the other hard part was then picking which bits of information I could use for my story: seeing the vast expanse of this subject, the inevitable rise of value-based media content i.e. Islamic values, in mainstream forms of entertainment eventually took shape as a story. In the course of my research for this story, my five senses were highly tuned to anything related The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

to entertainment. But the difficult thing is the mere fact that entertainment is subjective. Because entertainment means all that entertains or is considered entertaining, a lot of things we see, hear, touch, feel or taste can be considered a form of entertainment. For example, there I was seated at a café which naturally had a wide screen TV for its patrons, so that they can draw the crowd when there are football games on, except there wasn’t one then, so instead they had on wrestling. I sat there and noticed that people do watch the shows by WWE which was previously based on wrestling as a sport. But now, WWE (E stands for Entertainment), shows wrestling in a dramatised version of the sport to entertain. Of course there’s also football, a form of recreational activity, which has also become a form of entertainment for spectators. But not wanting to digress, I’ve restricted myself to covering only several channels of entertainment, i.e. films, comics, and music.

walking out from a cinema, you hear comments like, “wow, that was excellent filming!” or “the effects was amazing!” and very rarely, “that was a very meaningful message”. an industry on its own now, and technologies are quickly and constantly being created and updated to enhance people’s experience with whatever form of entertainment they wish to be entertained with. Plays and theatres, and poetries back in the Elizabethan era were nothing short of moralbased entertainment in terms of content, and people learned that way apart from being entertained. As a child in the 80s and early 90s, I remember how TV shows, and songs were laced with moral values, and being in Malaysia where Islam is the core religion, Islamic values were naturally infused in media content, but in mainstream forms that are universally accepted by those of other cultures and religion in the country. And then, the entertainment world in Malaysia changed, perhaps mid-90s onwards, when the local entertainment scene was completely revamped to be more trendy, more current, and naturally more Westernised and ‘secular’. Perhaps because everybody wanted more MTV and Hollywood, so music videos and films began setting that kind of lifestyle trend, and so many more traditional forms of entertainment were forgotten and considered outdated (and worse of all, many youths of today may even have forgotten their roots and culture because of ‘modernised’ entertainment). Now, I am not saying that

entertainment became value-less; a lot still depicted stories of goodness and hope, but these were drowned out by flashy, dazzling graphics or cinematography that viewers soon became lost from the core or the message of the story. And walking out from a cinema, you hear comments like, “Wow, that was excellent filming!” or “The effects was amazing!” and very rarely, “That was a very meaningful message”. However, the table has turned again for the entertainment industry. There is now a growing number of films and TV series infused with spiritual/ religious values, which shows the peoples’ growing spirituality and implies that people are now seeking to achieve a balanced lifestyle i.e. incorporating spiritual practices into their daily dealings in life (i.e. work and personal spaces). In terms of Islamic values in entertainment mediums, this increasing presence probably stemmed from the growing Muslim population, and people’s curiosity about the teachings of Islam (especially since the 9-11 chaos which sparked many heated and sometimes controversial debates between theologians, academicians, and Islamic scholars about Islam). There are many documentaries depicting the lives of Muslims in different parts of the world, or archaeological journeys to tell the story of Islam. In Malaysia, TV series are created targeting young Muslims; The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

for example, one that targets young Muslim women viewers which tells the story of the life of four Muslim young adults and how they deal with day-to-day activities, and many more. The growth of films and TV series specifically targeting the Muslim demographic as well as those of other faiths points to the fact that Islamic values, in addition to spiritual-centric values, are now making waves in the mainstream entertainment industry. On the silver screen, many Islamic-related films have been produced out of Indonesia and Malaysia, for example, to cater to this growing interest in Islamic values. Some of these films include, the famous Indonesian film, Ayat-Ayat Cinta, presented by MD Pictures based on a novel by Habiburrahman El Shirazy; Muallaf, which was directed by Malaysia’s famous director, Yasmin Hamid, which was the last film by this director who passed away last year; and HAQ , a new film that has won the Best Screenplay award at the Malaysian Film Festival 2010 to be released on 27 January 2011 in Malaysian cinemas (read more about this film on page 80), posing the question “What would you do with power in your hand?”. A shocker out of Bollywood was the film, My Name Is Khan, the highest grossing Bollywood film overseas starring the famous Bollywood actor, Shah Rukh Khan. It is a story of a Muslim with Asperger’s Syndrome on a journey to re-gain his lost love because of discrimination after the September 11 incident. According to the director, Karan Johar, the movie conveys all the various opinions, facts and propaganda that come with the global issue of discrimination and intolerance towards a race of people who are The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Of late, there have been a grOwing number Of muslim musicians and bands taking centre stage in the mainstream music industry – perhaps due tO the fact that muslims arOund the wOrld are lOOking fOr music that enhances their spirituality in genres they can relate tO in their current lifestyle.

completely unassociated with the evils of terrorism. ‘Mooz-lum: The Movie’ is another film based on Islamic values set to offer a different perspective on Islam and Muslims than normally portrayed, which will open hearts and minds. To be released on 11 February this year, it is a movie based on the universally accepted values of tolerance, forgiveness and hope, directed by Qasim “Q” Basir, starring Evan Ross, Nia Long, Danny Glover, Roger Guenveur, Summer Bishil and Dorian Missick, among others. Music Muslim scholars of the past and present have long been in heated debates on whether singing and music are permitted in Islam. Some scholars have a predisposition to be against all forms of music, while many others are taking a more positive approach, only considering music with sexual, pagan, disreputable and unethical content as being forbidden. Since Islam

is a religion that promotes a balanced lifestyle, catering to all of the genuine human instincts in moderation, the more positive approach to singing and music seems to make more sense. As Ibn Hazm argues, The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, ‘Deeds will be judged according to intentions, and everyone will get what he intended.’ (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). It can be said that everything comes down to intentions – If a person listens to music with intentions to use it in support of sin, the person is a sinner. On the other hand, if music is coupled with good intentions, it is completely permissible. Islamic music can be defined as wholesome religious music that incorporates Islamic values. Although traditional Muslim devotional recitations and music would include genres like Nasheed1, Qasidah2, Qawwali3 and many more, Islamic values are being fused with contemporary music genres such as hip hop, electronica, pop and even rock to keep up with the constant changes in Muslim lifestyles. Many would disagree with these contemporary genres due to its association with sex, drugs, violence and other unethical content, but these are just stereotypes. Like traditional Islamic music, contemporary Islamic music also aims to spread positive religious messages, hoping to inspire Muslims towards the path of Allah. The only difference is the music genre, and people need to look past that. Then there is music inspired by Sufi philosophy, which most would call Sufi music. Sufism, as defined by classical Sufi scholars to be “a science which objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God”, places high importance

But, wherever they’re Based and whoever amongst gloBal listeners they capture through their music, their coherent goal is to spread the universal values of islam to everyone from all walks of life. on sounds and music for it can be used as a tool to get closer to the Divine. Mercan Dede is among those who stand out in a crowd of Sufi musicians. Also known as DJ Arkın Allen, he is a Turkish composer, ney and bendir player, DJ and producer who fuses traditional Turkish music with electronic sounds, as well as other oriental music – think Turkish Café Del Mar. Goers of his live shows see him with his group of musicians, behind his turntables and electronics, occasionally picking up his ney (wooden flute) to breathe beautiful melodies into his music as whirling dervish dancers perform on stage. Guided by Sufi philosophy, Mercan Dede believes that by putting together digital electronic sounds with sounds of traditional music a universal language can be created. A language that is capable of uniting people from all walks of life, regardless of age, ethnicity and nationality. Of late, there have been a growing number of Muslim musicians and bands taking centre stage in the mainstream music industry – perhaps due to the fact that Muslims around the world are looking for music that enhances their spirituality in genres they can relate to in their current lifestyle. These musicians and bands present their music in different genres i.e. Pop, Hip Hop, Jazz, Country, World Music, Reggae, and Nasheed, such as Yusuf

Islam (famous in the 70s as Cat Stevens, who converted to Islam in 1977), Sami Yusuf (Yusuf Islam’s son), Raihan, Maher Zain, Liza Garza, Native Deen, Zain Bikha, Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Debu (read an interview with the band’s lead vocalist, Mustafa Daood, on page 22), Masikah (read about his new album, Iconoclast, on page 81), Blind Alphabetz, Hamza Robertson, Outlandish, Celt Islam, the list goes on and on. But, wherever they’re based and whoever amongst global listeners they capture through their music, their coherent goal is to spread the universal values of Islam to everyone from all walks of life. Comics Books have, for a long time, served as a tool for leisure and relaxation apart from being an important medium for disseminating knowledge about anything and everything. Books are entertaining because readers are only limited to their imagination depending on the story they read. And from books, and great stories by great authors, many have been transferred onto the silver screen such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, and so many more. Comics are a graphic medium in which images convey a sequential narrative. As an art form, The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

What the Scholars have to say about Entertainment “I believe that there is a big room for entertainment and for playing in a permissible way, and that does not stop you from being a good Muslim, and the role example is the Prophet SAW, and there are lots of examples...” -- Assim Al Hakeem in ‘Islam under microscope’ by Peace TV “Music is permissible under certain conditions. God is not against pleasure and Islam seeks the Golden Means. Yet, it should not take place under immoral circumstances or with dissolute companions.” -- Sheikh Al-Azhar Shaltut “The content of the song should not be against the morals and teachings of Islam or be accompanied by other forbidden things in Islam, like alcohol. Also, the way of singing should be within the confines of Islam, that is, it should not be accompanied by suggestive movements. Exaggeration is never preferable but certainly not in entertainment and the person who knows that entertainment easily excites him or her should keep away from it.” -- Yusuf Al-Qaradawi “When the heart gets stressed, it becomes useless and grows lazy. Satisfying and pacifying the heart induces it again. For example; studying lessons every day exhausts man, but a Friday holiday gives enthusiasm to him again. Praying continuously makes man lazy too; a resting, in such a case, increases that man’s joy and endeavour. Because of this, amusement and having fun help to work more seriously. Only Prophets could bear being serious continuously and sorrowful truths.”-- Al-Ghazali “Indeed Islam permits entertainment because it is a religion of nature and does not suppress or prevent the demands of nature, but determine its limits… In short, requirements of nature is not suppressed in the religion of nature but encouraged within proper limits. Such sport or entertainment that is good for health, that gives strength to body, delight to soul, and expertise in the war field is not only permissible but a requirement in Shariah… But such sports and amusements that comprise Haram (impermissible) acts or that make a man negligent of its religious obligations and human rights or that cause inconvenience to other people or that are useless and played only to pass time are not allowed by Shariah.” -- Mufti Taqi Usmani The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

comics established itself in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, alongside films and animations. Everybody is familiar with, among others, Marvel’s X-Men, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Spiderman, Hulk, and many other characters that have made it to the cinemas; Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes; D.C Thompson & Co. Ltd.’s The Beano and The Dandy; and Lat, The Kampung Boy by Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid (more commonly known as Lat). After the Danish caricature controversy in 2006, a new comic book made a splash in the press. This comic is called THE 99, published by Kuwaitbased Teshkeel Media Group – a company focused on creating, re-engineering and exploiting all forms of children’s media based on or infused with localised culture, beginning with a proprietary superhero concept. THE 99 comic book series is illustrated and scripted by former and current Marvel and DC Comics writers and artists whose credits include X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman, Iron Man, Batman and Power Rangers. THE 99 comics have been endorsed by global leaders and the international media, and are regarded as a valuable initiative to promote positive and entertaining role models for young people. The comics are distributed widely throughout the Middle East, South Asia and Indonesia. What’s special about THE 99? THE 99 are made up of 99 superheroes, created based on the Islamic archetype. Each character embodies one of the 99 attributes of Allah the Almighty. However, according to the creator of THE 99, Dr. Naif AlMutawa, the comic is not about religion, but rather

is about good universal values such as generosity, mercy, wisdom, and many others (that are often not used to describe Islam in the media). He also said “Islamic culture and Islamic heritage have a lot to be proud and joyful about. THE 99 is about bringing those positive elements into global awareness.” THE 99 has now grown from a comic book series into a franchise boasting theme parks, a global animation series coproduced by media giant Endemol, and will be teaming up with cultural icons Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. In conclusion, with a veritable tsunami of entertainment infused with Islamic values being produced across all media forms, Muslims now actually do have a real alternative when it comes to choosing entertainment and need not be content with what comes out of Hollywood. The universality of Islamic values also means that Islamic entertainment can also appeal to an audience beyond its intended target demographic, and thus serve as a bridge to promote a better understanding of Islam to non-Muslims. For let it not be forgotten that music, movies, prose and poetry are all essentially forms of art, which historians study to gain an understanding of the civilisation which produced them. And the various forms of Islamic entertainment being produced now will hopefully enrich not just us, the current generation, spiritually, but for many generations to come as well.

endnotes: 1. a traditional Islamic-oriented music genre, sung a cappella or accompanied only by a daff (frame drum). 2. a form of poetry that presents praise, usually 50 to 3. a form of devotional Sufi music, popular in South asia.

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Your Halal

Choice in Asia 25. - 29.05.2011 IMPACT Exhibition Center Bangkok, Thailand

WORLD OF HALAL covering: Food & Beverage • Logistics • Food Technology & Catering

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Conversations

Kumayl Mustafa Daood words + photos by Ruzanna Muhammad

You can cultivate any type of feelings. Hatred can be cultivated, love can be cultivated...any feelings can be cultivated, depending on what you are playing. When music is played with feeling and expression, then it also reaches to that point... that place in a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being.

Music & more with

DE u The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Debu’s style and sound are a rich and colourful tapestry

of East and West, traditional and modern, acoustic and electric, yielding a unique sound, laced with familiar yet exciting elements. A breath of fresh air wafting through the world music scene, Debu have become increasingly well known over the last five years throughout

Indonesia and have released three albums with songs in Indonesian, Arabic and English. Their poems are the words of the Sufi, both mystical and lyrical, born of a heart intoxicated with love and longing for the Beloved. For Debu, the music is a means for the transmission of a universal message with the hope it may awaken in the hearts of those who listen to it a love and a longing and remind them of their noble origin.

In July, Debu performed at the Rainforest World Music Festival 2010 in Sarawak, Malaysia, after which the band stopped by in Kuala Lumpur to perform at the Samrah Festival held in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Ruzanna Muhammad took the opportunity to speak to the main driving force (the lead vocalist, composer and arranger) of this 12-member group, Kumayl Mustafa Daood, for his perspectives on music… The DaooD broThers. During soundcheck at a show in Kuala Lumpur

Mustafa Daood

“There are Muslims who play music. For example, there are Sufis like us, and we play music, but there are no such things as Sufi music. Similarly, for “Islamic” music, there is no such thing; there’s music, and there are Muslims who play music.”

What does music mean to you? Music is a vehicle for us. For most musicians, that’s kind of the life, whereas for us we have a life and we have a message and music is kind of a vehicle to convey that message. What are your thoughts on the use of the term “Islamic music”? Personally, I don’t agree with that, because there is no such thing as Islamic music. There are Muslims who play music. For example, there are Sufis like us, and we play music, but there are no such things as Sufi music. Similarly, for “Islamic” music, there is no such thing; there’s music, and there are Muslims who play music. Music is music. That’s how I see it. What inspired you to write your music i.e. the lyrics, the composition, the whole musical arrangement? Well, the lyrics are actually all written by my father, Shaykh Fattah, who is also our Sufi Shaykh. So, he The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

writes all the lyrics...usually he gives me all the songs, and I do the composing. Most times, the tunes come based on the message in the lyrics, and how it feels in your heart. It’s like I have a poem, and it makes me feel a certain way, for example love and longing, so the tunes will match that to convey that message. Other times, I come up with tunes, and then match it with the right lyrics to convey the emotions in the tunes. Music is a means that can cultivate feelings in people. You can cultivate any type of feelings. Hatred can be cultivated, love can be cultivated...any feelings can be cultivated, depending on what you are playing. When music is played with feeling and expression, then it also reaches to that point... that place in a person’s being. You can have two people playing exactly the same thing and if one is very expressive and is crying, whereas the other is just boring and dull, the same piece can have different effects on listeners, just by how the music is conveyed and the emotions that come through. So, music is definitely a means that can cultivate different feelings within people. For us, you can use that along with a beautiful message, and that’s just awesome. Also, because the poetry is very beautiful, a lot of times when people read this type of poetry they can think of old times, maybe like Hamza Fansuri – a great Sufi Shaykh, originally from Acheh, who wrote poems in Bahasa Melayu... old, classic Malay literature. When our listeners read our poetry, they often think of old poems because the form used is an old form that most people don’t use anymore. If you’re just singing about someone who lived 600 The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

years ago, people might say: “Oh, this is an old message, it was from a long time ago, that’s how they work...” but if the poetry is written by someone who is alive now, it is different because it gives people the perception of a new message, an actual message, an urgent message that needs to be conveyed now. For us, what it does is (having it written now), it shows that the message (especially about Islam) is the same then and now. It never changes.

So, this lady was worried, at first, that our music would be too religious, and cause people to not be able to chill. But, for Debu, we don’t actually call our music religious music. It’s spiritual music. It has a very, very clear spiritual message that can be sung to anybody, of any age, any religion, any thought...

Your band plays many different musical instruments, from percussions, to strings, to pipes, what are your thoughts on the permissibility of certain instruments as put forth by several scholars? The instrument I play, the oud, is considered not allowed. My opinion is that there are no strong valid Hadiths stating that, and every Hadith has a very specific reason like at one point they talk about a mizmar (which is often translated as ‘seruling’ or the flute). Now, first of all, that’s not what the instrument is, and secondly someone told me this reasoning which made sense to me. Say you’re walking to the mosque for Maghrib prayer, and you cannot postpone it,

“ For us, the song we play, this is all specifically for Allah. So because of this, we do not get heartbroken when our albums or our songs or our band is not successful, because we don’t play for that at all.”

and you see someone outside playing belly dance music, and then you see some people going there to listen to the music instead of the mosque, then of course this is shaytaan. Shaytaan, not in the meaning of Satan, the being who most people name and depict as the red creature with the pitchfork and tail and horns, but shaytaan meaning anything that deflects or deviates you. It’s anything that turns you from what you’re supposed to be doing, and in this example, the music is the shaytaan that deflects you from your Maghrib prayer. So, anything can be shaytaan. Music can be, and even the salah (prayer) can be when people do it not 100 per cent for Allah, which then makes it shirik (i.e. worshipping other than Allah, or associating partners with Him, etc). Sahih Bukhary said: “Indeed actions are based on their intentions”, and for our intention playing the oud is to bring us closer to Allah. I haven’t found any basis as to why the oud is Haram. Usually what’s said, there’s an ayat that’s given, but it’s a mistranslation/ misinterpretation...where

Explaining thE words through mElody. samrah Festival, malaysia

some would say the ayat says such and such and this means something... most times to explain their actions or to clarify their actions, when the ayat actually doesn’t say that. It is people’s interpretation of what the ayat means, which really shouldn’t be the case. Often times, like Imam Al-Ghazali said: “Whoever is not moved by the spring time and its roses, and the oud and its strings, then his make-up is completely corrupt and there is no remedy for him.” How would you categorise your music in the market? I call my music World music or World Beat as the genre, but really anybody can call it whatever they want. Because for me what’s important is that it sounds good, that’s all. You can call it whatever you want and if it doesn’t sound good, then I don’t care what you call it either. Most important for me is that it sounds good, and the only reason we give it a name at all is because when they take the CD or cassette to the shops, you need to place it under some genre. So, we call it World music. But we only call it World music because what we do is that we take instruments from all over the world and mix them all together in our music. So, some people may hear it and think it is Arabic music, and others may hear it and think Turkish music, but the locals when they hear it will say “oh, it’s similar, but it’s not our music”. And really, it’s Debu’s music. That’s all. We’re sort of our own kind of genre. What do you hope to achieve with your music and your band? There are two things: the big picture and the smaller picture (personal). For the The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

big picture, I look at it this way – if we have a goal of the whole world, we get half of our goal, that’s still half of the world. Shaykh Fattah writes poetry in nine different languages, so when writing poetry in nine different languages, we have the top four or five main languages in the world and we sing it. So, we have the world covered. With Mandarin language alone, that already covers a billion people in China, and we haven’t even gone there yet, but we do have poetry and everything in Chinese; same with English, Arabic, Turkish, Farsi, and Spanish, to name a few. So, that’s the bigger picture. We kind of just prepare things, and when something opens up, that’s where we go. For example, Turkey... they called us and said they wanted to release our album in Turkey, and at the time, they didn’t know that we had anything in Turkish, so when they said “can you come to Turkey, we want to hear your music in Turkish, we want to discuss...” So we went to Turkey and brought them five songs already prepared in Turkish, and of course that was surprising for them. Same thing with Farsi...and right now, we’re in the middle of working on our English album which has been requested by Space Tunes (a record company owned by a guy in Syria), who wants to release our album in the Arab world, but wants first to release it in English; he said because when you do it in English, you get the youth listeners. The smaller picture which is really a personal level, we (the band) do not play music to get famous. We don’t play music for anybody else. For us, the song we play, this is all specifically for Allah. So because of this, we do not get heartbroken The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

when our albums or our songs or our band is not successful, because we don’t play for that at all. We do it for Allah, and when we’re out there performing, and we see thousands of people smiling back at us, it’s not them; it’s Allah “smiling” at us. That’s on a much more personal level for us.

Because often, what we see is something called mercy for the entire world, but it is only directed at certain people. But really, to me, if it’s real mercy for everyone, then everybody should be able to feel it, and enjoy it. Because it doesn’t say Rahmatul al-Muslimin, it says mercy for the entire world and not just for Muslims. So it’s for everybody. That’s why for Debu, we can go any place, take our music anywhere. Look, Listen and focus. the multiracial crowds at samrah festival

So basically, our goal is to capture the whole world, but if that doesn’t work out, we won’t get depressed over it because of our personal goal. It won’t bother me if I end up singing on a mountain all by myself, you know. The youth today seem more inclined towards western-style music, like hip-hop, R&B, and so on. How, do you think, you can reach out to this target group with your music especially in conveying the message of Islam to the youth of today? The thing about the way we’ve done it is that we’re able to reach out to the masses regardless of race, culture or religion. For example, the lady who invited me to Malaysia was a little concerned that our music might come across as too religious with the repetitions of the words “Allah”, or “Alhamdulillah” and so on. For us, it’s not a problem at all. You have to realise that people, when they go on vacation, want to just chill. So, this lady was worried, at first, that our music would be too religious, and cause people to not be able to chill. But, for Debu, we don’t actually call our music religious music. It’s spiritual music. It has a very, very clear spiritual message that can be sung to anybody, of any age, any religion, any thought...so anybody. It can be accepted by anybody because it’s a very beautiful message and it’s for everybody. To me, this is the true message of Rahmatul al-Amin, or mercy for the entire world. Because often, what we see is something called mercy for the entire world, but it is only directed at certain people. But really, to me, if it’s real mercy for everyone, then everybody should be able to feel it, and enjoy it. Because it

doesn’t say Rahmatul alMuslimin, it says mercy for the entire world and not just for Muslims. So it’s for everybody. That’s why for Debu, we can go any place, take our music anywhere. What are the kinds of challenges you face in promoting your music? Many. One of them is to be accepted in the mainstream music industry, because we’re not doing mainstream music; we’re definitely not mainstream in people’s mindset of what mainstream is, as in we’re not doing mainstream message in their minds. In my mind, it is the most mainstream message, but in most other people’s minds, they may think it has to be secular, almost. But even then, we just chill. We make music, trying to do the best we can; we do our own video clips, trying to do the best we can with those; and we just try to have a good time in the process. In Indonesia, we’ve kind of passed the mainstream barrier and we’ve pretty much established our presence here. For example, we’ve performed alongside the famous Indonesian rock band, Slank, several times, and we’ve collaborated with them. So in Indonesia, other musicians there are already familiar with us, and the locals are familiar with us, so we can collaborate with most musicians there. So, whether our music is accepted or not, it’s not something we get depressed about. So far, our music has always been accepted everywhere we go, and we’ve always been more than grateful for that. But if it’s not someday, well, then that is a test that we’re given. That’s how we look at things.

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Reflections

Words by Ventura de Lauretis

Organic &Halal Should the two become one? Co-Certifying

Search the web for Halal and Organic foodstuff and you’ll find many discussions and requests for articles on the connection between Halal and Organic. After reading some of these discussions, it became very difficult to figure out the significance of these words. Someone once said, “If it’s not Organic, it’s not Halal”. While others have said, “Halal food is Organic,” and vice versa; “All Organic is Halal”. Getting an understanding of the relation between Organic and Halal becomes rather confusing, due to the differing opinions. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

rom my experience working in both fields, I will try to give the most accurate answer to the question of how Halal and Organic are connected and can work in tandem with regards to standards and certification, while at the same time taking into consideration my friends’ advice, who insist on an answer that is short, clear and without much use of technical terms. In my opinion, it is of the utmost importance for one to first understand the definition of Halal and Organic before first asking the question of how they connect.

What is Organic and what is Halal?

rganic foods are products that have been manufactured in the manner of organic farming; without the use of chemicals or synthetic ingredients. The term “organic farming” was coined in 1939 by Lord Northbourne (the fourth Baron Northbourne of Kent, England), a keen agronomist of Oxford University, in his influential book titled “Look to the Land”, which was published in 1940 in England. The term referred to his concepts that were related to managing a farm as an organic whole, which describe a holistic, ecologically-balanced approach to farming. This was in contrast to what he called “chemical farming”, which relied on “imported fertility” and “cannot be self-sufficient nor an organic whole”. Today, products can be certified organic, but in doing so, they must be grown and manufactured in a manner that adheres to organic standards set by the country they are sold in. Halal is an Arabic word which means permissible and lawful as prescribed by Allah in the holy Quran, and is used to describe objects and actions. It is a concept that is not solely confined to food, drinks and other products, but it encompasses daily activities as well. Halal foods are foods that are lawful for Muslim consumption by the decree of the Shariah (Islamic law) in reference to the Quran. Haram, which is the opposite of Halal, was made clear in several verses of the Quran. Those deemed Haram for Muslim consumption was evidently stated in the Quran as follows: 1) Carrion 2) Blood 3) The flesh of swine 4) An animal slaughtered in any other name than Allah’s 5) An animal which has been: • Killed by strangulation; • Killed by blows; • Has died of a fall; and/ or • Killed due to goring or devoured by a beast of prey 6) Alcohol

Certification standards: Organic vs. Halal

Both standards are based on similar objectives such as animal welfare and environmental protection among other things, but in any case it is necessary

to do a correct interpretation of the principles on Halal and Organic certification. On the internet, I realised that it is a completely different situation, and all expressions used to connect Halal and Organic such as “All Organic is Halal” in the websites I read are great misrepresentations of the real scenario. The reality is not all that is Organic can be Halal, and similarly, not all Halal food and drink can be Organic. For example, pork and other prohibited foods of animal origin, as well as alcohol may be Organic but clearly not Halal; and Halal foods that are processed with use of synthetic materials cannot be Organic because the production does not comply with Organic requirements. This evidently rules out the statements: “All Organic is Halal” and “Halal food is Organic”. The ambiguity in the statement “If it’s not Organic, it’s not Halal” must first be clarified before it is proven right or wrong. But at any rate, the reasoning carries the same weight as what was discussed in the previous paragraph, and will still lead to the statement being ruled out as wrong and a misinterpretation of concepts. This is simply because what is Halal may not be Organic and what is Organic may not be Halal with regards to production methods and raw materials used during production of goods. So, what are the solutions for this kind of problem? How can a product be both Organic and Halal? First, foods must be certified Organic in compliance

Certification standards: Organic vs. Halal Organic Based on eu regulation 834/2007, the products of hunting or wild animals, and Genetically Modified organisms (GMo) shall not be considered as organic. regardless of the rules and regulations, it is possible to certify cosmetic and clothing as organic if they are recognised through accepted private standards by various control bodies. These standards are performed by non-profit associations which are in agreement with control bodies to check some production outside of international standard (ISo).

Halal halal standard is created from the guidelines provided in the Quran and also with reference to the Sunnah. The standards/ guidelines are focused around avoiding the critical control points based on what is deemed as haram in the Quran. Therefore, some food and non-food products cannot be certified halal.

Note: Halal certification today is only based on standards/ guidelines established by Halal certifiers which could be a company, agency or mosques and Islamic associations in reference to the Shariah; and in some cases with different interpretations of Islamic law. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

“If during the Organic certification procedure the Control Body checks even the Halal requirements based on a Halal Standard, it is then possible for a company to obtain double certification, i.e. Organic and Halal.”

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

with the state’s organic standards. After that, the Organic certified foods must then be Halal certified. So this food product is now both Organic and Halal certified. With this in mind, the correct expression that can be used to link Organic with Halal is “All Organic foods can be Halal, except those prohibited by the Shariah”. This is the correct slogan. In relation to certifying cosmetics and clothing items as Organic and Halal, there are less complications because in both cases, Organic and Halal requirements come from private standards and there are neither any kind of standardisation in the certification system nor are there any rules or regulations yet. Simply put, it is possible to unify the requirements in a unique standard that covers both Organic and Halal.

Certification Systems

n order to clearly see the difference between these two standards, one must know the certification system. Based on the above, it is clear that if consumers want Halal food products to have Organic status, first those products must be under control from an accredited and authorised control body, which will certify that those food products are in agreement with Organic rules and regulation. Each control body has an internal Certification Committee which will judge the operator activity based on documents and inspection reports. At the end of this procedure, the committee issues the Organic conformity certification and transaction certificates or labelling authorisation. If during the Organic certification procedure the control body was to check the Halal requirements based on a Halal Standard, it is then possible for a company to obtain double certification, i.e. Organic and Halal. Before applying this proposed system of certification, some problems must be resolved. First, which Halal standard is to be used? Secondly, who from within the Organic Certification Committee can evaluate Halal requirements? Thirdly, during the inspection activity, who has enough knowledge to check the Halal compliance aspect? The first question is difficult to answer, but a good solution can be offered by choosing one of the more reliable Halal standards or to combine the best different standards actually in use, or better yet, if there is already a unified Halal standard such as the one being worked on by the International Halal Integrity Alliance. It is a disputable strategy, but until a unified international Halal standard is developed, the only possible way is to pick the best, strictest Halal standards currently being used in different parts of the world. And this is in hope that a unified Halal standard will be developed soon, as it will definitely facilitate this proposal of certifying Organic and Halal together. To answer the second question, there are two possible ways: 1) to have Muslim religious members or Halal experts within the Organic Certification

Certification System Organic SyStem

Halal SyStem

use of the word ‘organic’ isn’t free. organic is ruled in agreement with rules and regulations established in a particular country. In europe, there is specific regulation (834/2007) common to all member states of the european union, and in other countries there are other laws that regulate the use of the term ‘organic’.

use of the word ‘halal’ is free, but is strictly confined to definitions set by the Shariah, although there may be various national guidelines for halal in different countries, such as in Bosniaherzegovina, Malaysia, and Brunei, to name a few. however, the definition of what is deemed halal may vary; for example, depending on existing Islamic Schools of Thought such as hanafi, Shafi’i, hanbali, and Maliki.

Control of organic food is performed by the appointed control bodies in a particular country. For example, organic certifiers can verify that a company complies with the set local organic rules and regulations. and then, the control body must be accredited on the basis of the International Standard (ISo 45011). It means that the activities of a control body are controlled by a national accreditation Body. So there is a dual level system of control. Furthermore, in european organic food certification, the activities of a control body are also monitored by competent authorities, named from each eu member country.

In halal certification, there is no standardised certification because there is no international standard or second level of control from an accreditation body. This means that the halal certifying companies or halal agencies work on the basis of different private standards without any agreement between them, and without an institution beyond that to monitor their activities. There are exceptions for some countries where the legislature of halal matters support a reliable system of certification.

The control bodies that work on organic certification cannot give any kind of advice to the organic operators, and is forbidden in organic certification by law.

a conflict of interest between certifier and the certified operator may also occur when halal certified companies offer advice to other companies on how to obtain halal certification.

In each country in the european union, the rules and regulation established require an organic food product to be identified with a single common logo.

each of these certifying companies also has their own logo to identify halal products which they have certified.

This system guarantees that there are several controls on organic certification, a unique logo to identify organic products, while eliminating absolutely any conflict of interest between certified operators and certifiers. In this way, a reliable organic food certification is guaranteed for consumers

In this situation, the reliability of halal certification is not assured and the consumers are completely unprotected from halal certification frauds.

Committee who can evaluate both Organic and Halal requirements from a company’s documents and inspection reports; 2) to set up a parallel Halal Certification Committee that only consists of Muslim religious members and experts that evaluate only Halal requirements. Suggestions made as answers to the second question can be applied to answer the third question. The inspection activity can be performed by a Muslim inspector trained in both standards (Organic and Halal) or two inspectors – one trained in Organic requirements and the other in Halal standard. With this system of certification, what are the possible positive objectives that can be achieved? Personally, with my suggestions and recommendations thus far, I think I may have solved several problems with Halal certification, as follows: • If a Halal standard is linked with an Organic standardised certification system, this will indirectly give a kind of standardisation for the Halal certification system; • There will be the possibility of monitoring the traceability of Halal products from the producers/ suppliers of raw materials to the consumers, and so on; • Conflict of interest between certifier and operators can be eliminated. The direct consequence to the above could be: • gain consumers’ trust in the integrity and quality of Halal products; • accurate identification of those Organic products, even in the presence of double logos as it is impossible to unify Organic and Halal logos if the Organic certification requirements do not also implement Halal requirements. What is certain is that when Halal consumers see an Organic logo linked with a Halal logo, then they are really guaranteed of a high quality level of Halal food production.

*about the author: Dr. Ventura De lauretis was the person responsible of Suolo e Salute S.r.l. foreign offices and the developer of various standards of certification. With this task, Dr. Ventura began cooperation with the egyptian halal Food association (hFa) three years ago where he developed the hFa halal standard and the system of halal Certification. Inside of the hFa, he is responsible of the training committee and also a member of the standard developing committee. he is currently establishing a new control body for Valletta (Malta) named omnia Check, which will be in charge of performing inspection activities in the name of hFa at its foreign offices. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH POWER IN YOUR HAND?

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“I am not a Muslim but I am very proud of your decision to accept “honest” money.”

Christofer Chalukidi from Greece on Kelantans’s decision to use Gold money - PG 38

universal currency

The Halal Journal presents the real deal in universal currency where we shall observe the thinking, the struggles and efforts of its advocates in offering the global population with alternative monetary system that is just, balanced and timeless. If it is fated that Islamic Finance shall embrace gold and silver money, we shall see changing patterns within the global economic climate, where hopefully it shall bring good changes for the world. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Seeing gold & silver...

Story

World ISlamIc mInt: rolE, PUrPoSE, oBJEctIVES “When we started e-dinar, hardly anybody demanded the coins in redemption of their accounts. 99 per cent of customers demanded redemption in bullion. this gradually changed as the physical coins gained acceptability on the ground. consequently e-dinar has been changing the stock to meet demand.”

are starting with something small, you cannot he long vision of the Gold Dinar is compromise the meaning of what is Halal and the full implementation of Mu’amalat what is Haram. Therefore if you do something according to the Amal of Madina alWords by and you want to differentiate it by calling it Umar Ibrahim Vadillo Munawwara. Fiat currencies are not Islamic, it must be Islamic, rather than “almost our way. They are part of banking, they originate Islamic” or “our intention is Islamic”. This is not from banking and we continue to use them as a result acceptable. If we feel that we still need banks in of the elimination of freedom represented by the crowning of capitalism in our constitutions through three main the initial stages, then we use them, but we should call them “Haram Banks”. Then we are clear. Islam is not negotiable. elements: Central Bank, National Debt and Legal Tender. Now we can progress. Consider the Idea of Replacing. Constitutions are part of the New World Order For some Muslims, the “national governments of the Muslim envisioned by humanists of the 18th century. Historically, world, should be replaced by Amirates”. Well, be careful that constitutionalism was anti-Caliphate and therefore antiwe don’t fall into nationalist fallacies. The Amirate must be Islam. Needless to say, Islamic constitutions are like of Dar al-Islam. Or “central bank replaced by Mint”. But Islamic banks, a complete absurdity. That the majority these two institutions have nothing to do with each other. of the ‘ulema (Islamic scholars) today take this status quo They are totally different. Therefore, instead of replacing, we for granted does not cloud the purity of our objectives, should think in terms of building or growing from zero. This it only shows that we are living in dark days. is more like planting a seed and seeing When I started this movement of it grow until it becomes a tree, rather the Dinar there was nobody who knew than replacing the fruits of the tree. or cared about the Dinar, now there I decided to start with the are millions. When the light comes, Dinar. This is the seed. The first thing the darkness disappears. For defending is to get gold and mint the coins. There the return of the Dinar I was called you have the first Mint. We call it Islamic naive, utopian and all kinds of other Mint. We had several Mints. Then things. Many of those people have now we decided to create World Islamic joined me, others are now silent. I Mint (WIM) as a guarantor of the say: fiat currencies are Haram, central standards. The standards of Madinah: the banks are Haram, Islamic banking is mithqal (a unit of weight in the Islamic Haram, national debt is Haram, legal world, usually taken as equivalent to 4.25 tender is Haram, and Constitutions grams, used especially to weigh precious that enshrine those elements are metals) and 7/10 of the mithqal. Then Haram. And Allah knows best. it came to the question of the alloys. The Many still disagree with me on Dinar of Madinah was not 999.9 because those grounds (above) and therefore they did not have the metallurgic capabilities of today. The what follows is irrelevant for them. My concern is not what is intention though was to create a pure gold coin, but they Haram, but what is Halal. In search of the Halal, we return couldn’t as we can today. So, the ‘amal was a coin mixed again and again to the practice of Madina. It is impossible with silver (they could not separate silver from gold in those to understand the ‘amal of Madina if what is in your mind days), but the intention was a pure coin. Should we make is the present ‘amal of capitalism. To understand, you have a 24 carat coin or a 22 carat, as we eventually decided? to divorce yourself from the present way of doing things and A 24 carat coin is too soft and wears out rapidly when you have to walk the streets of Madina, only then you might understand. The second element to understand is “what comes circulated. Wearing out is critical because if it falls bellow certain weight it is no longer a Dinar. The average life of a before what”, that is, the order of priorities and for that you 22k gold coin in circulation is about 15 years; the average life need to think like an architect. You need to sense what the of a 24k gold coin in circulation is about three years. The primordial core is and what is secondary. That is what led me to write about the ‘Core Mechanism of Islamic Trading: Dinar conclusion is obvious. If you mixed pure gold with 10 per cent silver, the coin doubles in strength; if you mix it with and Dirham, Markets and Qirad’. It is all in black and white. 10 per cent copper its strength is 20 times bigger. WIM When you intend to replace a system such as capitalism decided to make the standard 22k gold coin with a mix with something entirely new such as Mu’amalat, you need to of silver and copper (50/50). That is ijtihad (the process understand priorities, but also boundaries. Even though you

Therefore if you do something and you want to differentiate it by calling it Islamic, it must be Islamic, rather than “almost Islamic” or “our intention is Islamic. This is not acceptable.”.

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the legal sources, the Quran and the Sunnah). There is no place for ijtihad regarding the weight; the weight is the mithqal. But what is the mithqal? WIM says 4.25 grams. Since we could not measure 72 grains of barley accurately, we took our weight from non-circulating original Dinars that are still preserved in museums. We took the best coins and average their weights. The result: 4.25 grams. Coins are required to be identifiable and as much as possible they should not be counterfeited easily. The first line of defence against counterfeiting is quality. We need to mint at the best possible quality, so the number of possible counterfeiters is diminished. Secondly, you introduce security features. They are of two kinds: visible to the naked eye and non-visible. Cost is important, so you need to introduce them according to necessities with the hope of being ahead of counterfeiters. This concern is fundamental for the Mint. It is a responsibility. The good news is that there are security features that are impossible to counterfeit. WIM has an implementation plan to introduce them gradually without incurring an excessive cost on the final user. Some of the security features are expensive to implement in relatively small quantities. Bear all those elements into account and you can have a hundred different dinars with different “flavours”. What you cannot expect is people, especially shops, with a list of one hundred different standards and one hundred different prices. Imagine how to deal with mutual exchange of coins. T h e S Ta n Da r D S a n D f e aT u r e S o f T h e g o l D D I n a r a n D S I lv e r D I r h a M

he WIM has a single global standard and all the coins have the same design and security features. WIM has just recently made the first change in standards, and the Kelantan Dinar has all those features, including new security features. all of the WIM coins will follow this standard by January 2011. The old WIM coins will be re-minted into the new standards or will be taken out of circulation. The network of WIM shops with the sticker “We accept Dinar and Dirham” will only accept the new standard coins. e-Dinar will only accept and use the new WIM standards from January 2011. WIM will therefore have a single global standard. all the other coins are seen as gold material. Imam Malik in the Muwatta speaks of coins that are “popular” and coins that are “not popular”. acceptance is the ultimate argument. nobody can be The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

forced to accept coins that they do not want and do not trust. Coins will have the value that people decide to give them. and nobody can change that, and nobody should change that. There is a necessity to unify the issuing of coins and their pricing. That is precisely the job of WIM; we coordinate between all the mints that subscribe to our principles. WIM establishes what we call ‘recommended retail Price’, which means that all the coins have the same ‘recommended’ price worldwide. The advantage is that we can inter-exchange the coins one to one without an exchange fee. This radically increases the acceptability and functionality of our regulated coins. now, the issuing entities must all act under authority. Because of the security features you need to limit the number of minting houses. WIM accredits Mints if they fulfil minimum conditions of quality and can technically introduce the security features. We are in negotiation with a number of them.. The PrICIng of The CoInS

eople are the ultimate market makers. The WIM and the issuing Mints can only make claims in regards to the quality of the coins they produce, nothing more and nothing less. Pricing is to do with what you have in front of you. Imam Malik differentiates three types of gold and silver objects: nuggets (material), coin, and jewellery. Material and jewellery are exchanged without measure. That is to say, the value of a piece of jewellery does not depend on its weight. The same applies to material. only coins (of the same standard) depend on weight. What makes the coin a coin is its ability to function as a means of payment. Thus there is a difference between coin and bullion. There is also a difference in price. We are at a moment in history when we are just starting to use gold and silver coins as means of payment; therefore it is logical to conclude that the value of the coins will depend on their increasing ability to serve as means of payment. The job of WIM is to increase those functionalities. The job of the people is to price them according to whether that ability is reasonably performed or not. The WIM might, and will, strive with its standards to improve functionality, but the ultimate price is only established by the users.

T h e va l u e o f e l e c T ro n i c Pay m e n T s , e - D i n a r

ayment systems in general also have to follow islamic law. The basic legal structure of payment systems is the Wakala. This is the model. electronic payment system refers not to electronic currency, but electronic means of communicating with the Wakil. The means of payment are the physical coins. The expression “backed-by-gold” could be misleading, if it is not understood that the payment is made with physical coins that must be present. if we call e-Dinar the unit of payment, it must be understood that the payment is made with physical dinars. The e-Dinar unit cannot circulate independent of the physical coin. if you think about the e-Dinar project as a building, then these are the steps. first the question of the repository: a) a central repository with a central database b) multiple repositories with a central database c) infinite repositories with a central database essentially, the idea is to disperse the stock and avoid as much as possible, central repositories. each step requires a process. at the beginning, you build the payment system on a singular repository. That is the easiest. The decentralisation of the repositories has an impact on transfer fees, since it becomes unnecessary to transport gold if you live near a repository. The second issue is the type of accounts: a) Bullion b) Bullion and coins c) only coins and only bullion The idea is that you progressively eliminate the bullion and transform it into coins, as the demand for coins increases. When we started e-Dinar, hardly anybody demanded the coins in redemption of their accounts. 99 per cent of customers demanded redemption in bullion. This gradually changed as the physical coins gained acceptability on the ground. consequently e-Dinar has been changing the stock to meet demand. since the introduction of the new Wim standards and the stickers, Wim demanded e-Dinar to move to the next stage and from January 2011, e-Dinar will have “only coins” accounts and “only bullion” accounts. The new accounts will be in display by november this year and will be in full function during December, according to the statement from the e-Dinar chairman, Dr. habib Dahinden. With the new accounts available in January 2011, all e-Dinar units are exchangeable with dinar coins only, one to one. fees are applicable depending on location of

the repository (thus decentralisation), but only in case of redemption and thus the logic of multiple repositories. it follows that the price of the e-Dinar is identical to the dinar. and it follows that the use of e-Dinar through a smart card or mobile telephony bears the same value as a physical dinar, only, the coin is now safe-kept in the nearest repository. There is a fee for the acceptance of the e-Dinar unit, which is borne by the shop/receiver under the terms and conditions of the agreement, but this fee is ridiculously small: one per cent or maximum 0.015 e-Dinar (for e-Dinar transactions), maximum 0.5 e-Dirham (for e-Dirham transactions), whichever the lowest. r e s e rv e r e s P o n s i B i l i T y

he best reserve system is to hold the dinar in your pocket. Given the fact that some users demand to hold accounts with a Wakil, in order to facilitate their payments, we therefore need a payment system. repositories are best and most useful the nearer they are to the user. and therefore a payment system should try to come as close as possible to the user. When you deposit your money with a Wakil you must trust him. if you do not, do not do it. The trustworthiness of the Wakil is based on his reputation as granted by the community and by his performance. rasulullah, salallahu alaihi wa salam, was well known amongst his people as al-amin (the trustworthy one). at the moment, e-Dinar is an internet-based electronic payment and exchange system that facilitates transactions which are 100 per cent backed by physical gold and silver. from January 2011 you will see something like this: e-Dinar is an internet-based electronic payment and exchange system that facilitates transactions which are 100 per cent backed by physical dinar and dirham. and you will also see a differentiation between bullion accounts and coin accounts. The issue has been explained earlier. The Wim has a responsibility to inspect e-Dinar systems and to award them with being a Wim payment system. if you notice, Wim has not yet given its Wim logo to e-Dinar; it will only happen after January 2011. allah is our lord. he is the master of everything in the heavens and the earth. he is our Protector and our Guardian. his people are known to him and they are measured by their actions. rasulullah, sallalahu alaihi wa salam, is our model; we follow his steps and those of his companions. There is a clear sign for the people who follow him, and that is victory, for victory is the sign of the selected who abide to the commands and fulfil them. and victory belongs to allah.

At the moment, e-Dinar is an internet-based electronic payment and exchange system that facilitates transactions which are 100 per cent backed by physical gold and silver.

**about the author: Born in 1964, Dr. umar Ibrahim Vadillo studied agronomy at the university of Madrid after attending the augustinian College in navarre. he embraced Islam while still in university. There followed a long period of study applying the commercial parameters defined in Islam’s founding legal document Imam Malik’s al Muwatta, to modern financial practice. This led to his studies on Zakat, which implied the necessary use of the Islamic Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham. he has lectured extensively in various universities, notably in Morocco, Malaysia and Indonesia. Pioneer in the return of Gold Dinar, his promotion of an Islamic real wealth currency was adopted by Dr. necmettin erbakan, former Turkish Prime Minister until deposed, as well as the late King hassan II of Morocco who undertook to restore Zakat to its correct legal position just before his death. Dr. umar’s study of Dinar-based finance was used as a working paper by Tun Dr. Mahathir, former Prime Minister of Malaysia. he has written extensively on the origins of paper money, the Islamic position on paper money, as well as Finance and economics. among his books are “The Fatwa on Paper Money”, “The return of the Gold Dinar” and “The esoteric Deviation in Islam”, published by Madinah Press. he currently resides in Kuala lumpur, Malaysia, and is founder of: World Islamic Trade organization (WITo); World Islamic Mint (WIM); online payment system “e-Dinar”. **note: opinions expressed by the author may not necessarily reflect that of this publication. readers are invited to write their views on this subject, or any others featured in this issue to info@halaljournal.com. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Kelantan

Story

Embracing Shariah currency

“I am not a Muslim but I am very proud of your he historic launch of the Gold decision to accept “honest” money. The best of Dinar and Silver Dirham, also Words by luck to you and remember that each minted precious Abdalghany known as “Shariah Currency”, Aoueskhanov metal coin is one step further away from the on 12 august 2010 (2 Ramadhan tyranny of the modern banking system. I applaud 1431H) by the Kelantan Sultanate in Malaysia your decision to promote the protection of “the little was indeed historic. On that day, the people person”, gold and silver are freedom and you are promoting of Kelantan embraced Sunna Money by free choice. the pure freedom from the chains that bind the world. Thank you introduction of bi-metallic currency in this northfor starting the revolution towards true economic freedom. eastern Malaysian state was a resounding success as it Thank you from Greece, proved once again that when people are given freedom Christofer Chalukidi” to choose their money, they choose gold and silver. the dinars and dirhams of Kelantan were sold out akala Induk nusantara (WIn), the only accredited quickly: the first batch worth RM2 million was sold out before minter and distributor of dinars and dirhams by the end of Ramadhan prompting Kelantan Golden trade, the World Islamic Mint (WIM) in Indonesia, has the state company in charge of minting and distributing started to phase out the existing coins in circulation, which were the coins, to restrict the selling of silver dirhams to only minted according to the old standard of WIM, and replaced those who wanted to pay Zakat with it. Payment of Zakat them with the new standard coins. “Within the first half of next with gold and silver coins, not promissory notes, is the year, we’ll complete the transition to the new standard that will restoration of the third pillar of the Deen and fulfilment give our customers added value coins not only due to improved of the most important obligation after Solat (prayers). quality and enhanced counterfeit level, but most importantly, after Ramadhan, the Kelantan government increased 1:1 ratio exchange with other coins in the region,” said Zaim the budget for the second batch to RM4 million and it Saidi, Director of WIn and the leader of the biggest dinar too was sold out completely. the third batch worth RM6 movement in the world. WIn is already using WIM stickers million is now in the process of being minted and will stating “We accept Dinar and Dirham” within its network arrive in Kuala lumpur, Malaysia, in a matter of days. of shops and traders, called “Jawara”. the Islamic coins of the Kelantan Muslim communities in europe, australia Sultanate were minted according to and the United States are starting to distribute the latest international standard of WIM coins within their communities. this the World Islamic Mint (WIM). year saw the launch of the much-awaited the news of the launch of project, Dinar People – a new online Shariah Currency in Kelantan marketplace and directory where Dinar users on 12 august broke out all over and supporters can meet like-minded people the world, and almost all major from around the world. this network serves international media and news as a real-time virtual open marketplace where agencies highlighted the event. Most anybody can communicate, interact and significantly, Kelantan’s brave call for initiate commerce with other members. freedom resonated among all those the government of Pakistan plans to who wanted to throw off the evil hold its first international forum on Gold chains of Usury. Muamalah Council Dinar next year. and in June 2011, there Malaysia’s news centre received will be the 2nd World Conference on emails from numerous individuals, Riba, to be hosted by nigeria, the country where the Gold Muslims and otherwise, from around the globe congratulating Dinar movement promises to explode next (the 1st World the government and people of Kelantan and expressing their Conference on Riba was held in Kuala lumpur, Malaysia, excitement and solidarity. these are just a few of those letters: on 1-2 november 2010. Read about it on page 66). Going back to the Malaysian state of Kelantan, more than “I am a Christian, but I share your enthusiasm 1,500 shops and business outlets are already accepting Shariah for your people ridding themselves of the control of Currency, and, according to the CeO of Kelantan Golden corrupt, interest-stealing, money-debasing bankers. trade (KGt), Umar Ibrahim Vadillo, next year, it is expected Good luck in your endeavours. that 20,000 shops in the state of Kelantan alone will be accepting God bless, the Islamic medium of exchange. Customers can identify these David Rogers (Canada)” shops by the sticker “We accept Dinar and Dirham” issued

This year saw the launch of the much-awaited project, Dinar People – a new online market place and directory where Dinar users and supporters can meet like-minded people from around the world.

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Shaykh abdalhasib Castineira, former Imam of the Great Mosque of Granada (Spain) and Shariah Counselor of WIM, receiving a gift

universally by the WIM, World Islamic Mint. The list of shops and Wakalas (agencies appointed by Kelantan Government to sell the coins) can be viewed on KGT’s website: www.dinarkel.com.

Dato nik aziz handing a present to the chairman of world islamic mint, hj abu Bakr rieger (Germany)

n 2011, the government of Kelantan will introduce Wadiah institutions that will provide safe-keeping service and also act as Wakala to facilitate payment operations upon instruction of its clients. The Kelantan Wadiahs are fully developed and endorsed by WIM. Along with Wadiahs, Malaysians will be introduced to an SMS service that will allow them to know the real-time price of dinar and dirham daily by automatic SMS update; subscription to this service must be renewed annually. These will be the first localised Wadiahs in modern history that are 100 per cent Shariah-compliant (e-Dinar being the first international Wadiah) and

Kelantan’s gold dinar and silver dirham

Kelantan’s model will be replicated throughout Malaysia and the world, creating a multitude of local repositories plugged in the single data base, e-Dinar. Early 2011, the Gold Dinar Cooperative will be set up with headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The cooperative will register Halal money users nationwide and mobilise them into a social movement for economic freedom. Under the cooperative, there will be conducted activities such as training programmes, seminars, publications, and information bureau. The registration has already started, and enquiries can be made to zahimi@al-qafilahinternational.com. Since 12 August 2010, the silver dirham appreciated vis-à-vis the Ringgit by 45 per cent and the gold dinar by 10 per cent in November 2010. Anybody interested to obtain Kelantan dinars and dirhams can do so at Nubex Sdn Bhd (www.nubex.com.my), the official distributor for Kelantan Golden Trade in Kuala Lumpur. The price of dinar and dirham can be viewed 24 hours live at the official websites of the World Islamic Mint: www.islamicmint.com (in USD and EUR) or www.islamicmint.com.my (in MYR).

*about the author: an economist by training, abdalghany is a free-lance researcher and writer for various Malaysian nGos and media publications with the scope of interests ranging from consumerism and health care to economics and geopolitics, writing articles in both, russian and english. Vast work experience and extensive research led abdalghany to the conclusion: paper money is the biggest injustice of modern times. In the past seven years, he was actively involved in a number of projects related to the restoration of Islamic currency – Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham. he was instrumental in the organisation of the launch of the Islamic currency in the state of Kelantan on 12 august 2010. he is currently the editor of the website and newsletter of Muamalah Council Malaysia – a non-profit organisation dedicated to disseminating the knowledge on sound money to Malaysian public.

More than 1,500 shops and business outlets in the state of Kelantan accept the Shariah Currency as of now. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Reflections

Words by Abdul Ayan

Aussie Halal branding mission

– Analysis & reflections on the Australian Halal branding efforts (Part 1)

How did the Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) Halal brand come to be and what are its claims? Apparently, there are serious problems with the very conception, use and rendering of the MLA brand. This first part (out of two) examines if MLA’s claim that it is a Halal brand is legitimate, and explores fundamental questions of how the brand is constituted, and given identity, legitimacy and credibility.

On 9 October 2008, Meat and Livestock australia (MLa) announced that its “unique [Halal] brand that was developed last year… for use in the Middle East red meat market has now gone global”. MLa is a producer owned organisation for red meat and livestock industry. according to its website, it provides marketing and research services to the entire red meat industry in australia, including livestock producers. It works closely with the Federal Government in most areas of its activities, particularly in Halal meat exports. together with twelve or so “Islamic societies” that comprise all Halal certifiers in australia, it is also a member Halal Consultative Committee under the chairmanship and guidance of the Federal Government represented by the australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (aQIS). aQIS is the government authority that regulates and oversees all food exports from australia.

The Power of Brand and its compatibility with Halal Branding can be a powerful tool for the sale and marketing of goods and services. The Mla brand is no ordinary brand; it is ambitious in scope and unique in its identity as well as in how that identity is constituted. If it is designed, developed and marketed properly, a halal brand can be a very powerful brand in that it can potentially offer a corporation’s products immediate access to a huge market of approximately 1.8 billion Muslim consumers worldwide. however, brand and halal are not, in all cases and in all circumstances, a natural fit nor are they always compatible. The condition of compatibility can only be attained in australia and other non-Muslim countries to the extent that products or services bearing the halal brand satisfy halal compliance requirements embedded in the Shariah (Islamic law) and validated by a competent halal authority. even then, it is not free from being contested and its credibility questioned. Combining Halal and Brand: a Cautionary Note What is striking about Mla’s adoption and utilisation of a halal brand is that it is the first time that halal and brand have been combined in australia to form a composite concept and the first time it has been used as a validating instrument. The only other entity that has utilised and applied the concept of a global halal brand is the Sultanate of Brunei. We will not consider the Brunei brand in this article as I have dealt with it exclusively in a forthcoming article. here we need only point out that its outcome to-date remains uncertain. It is also important to point out that although they share a common bond as brands they represent different brand models. The Brunei brand has a different identity and a much broader scope and objectives than the Mla brand. Its foundation as a halal brand however appears to be sound. The relationship of halal and brand has never before been explored nor used as composite term conceptually or in practice in australia. What is interesting therefore is the boldness and confidence with which Mla has applied the composite term as a purely marketing tool. Is that confidence well placed or misplaced? Is there compelling research or knowledge that informs the validation of the brand project? The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

“It is inconceivable that MLA adopted the Halal meat brand without endorsement by a Muslim entity or entities with the appropriate authority. It would be folly to have done otherwise.” or is it just that it seemed to be such a good marketing idea at the time? Because of the almost total absence of information from the Mla, a certain level of speculation cannot be avoided. Reflections on How the Halal Brand Came to Be It is inconceivable that Mla adopted the halal meat brand without endorsement by a Muslim entity or entities with the appropriate authority. It would be folly to have done otherwise. This, however, cannot be discounted; in part, because of the obscure way the Mla halal brand has come about, and in part, because of the absence of any reference to an authorising or accrediting entity. Barring that, there are only two possible sources from which endorsement could have been obtained for a project of this kind: halal certifier(s) in australia or overseas halal authorities. There is no reason to presume and certainly no indication in Mla publicly released documents that overseas halal authorities’ approval was either sought or obtained individually or collectively. In light of this, the most likely scenario is that Mla had instead sought and obtained endorsement from the majority or all of the twelve societies that comprise the halal certifying bodies in australia. If the majority of the societies approved it, it would be the first time a collective decision of this nature and scope has ever been made by certifiers in australia or elsewhere. The question which immediately arises is: do these societies individually or collectively have the authority to validate the Mla brand? If the societies had approved it, it cannot be discounted that they could have done so under pressure.

The stark difference between Halal approved companies and the MLA is that the former have products to be certified Halal and premises to be registered as Halal establishments where production take place; the latter has neither.

=/ Validity of Approval of the MLA Halal Brand If the societies had endorsed the brand at all, it could have occurred in the context of the only forum which brings together the government, the Islamic societies and the Mla – i.e. the halal Consultative Committee – under the auspices of aQIS, which aQIS itself created, and which it regularly convenes and chairs its meetings. on the face of it, this forum is certainly not the appropriate forum to make this determination. The presence and participation of both Mla and the government in decision-making gives rise to serious issues of conflict of interest which would potentially nullify any decision regarding this matter in this forum or in any other forum where they are present. This points to broader problems inherent in the formulation, construction, and rationalisation of the said forum and the certifier’s membership in it. It is important to establish the locus of this decisionmaking, because it does not appear that endorsement of the brand by this means is soundly based as it is doubtful that it is within the competence of the societies individually or collectively to grant it. and if it is the case that this determination was made in the said forum, it is simply wrong to do so, on the grounds of propriety alone. Underlying Weaknesses in Construction one of the most distinguishing characteristics of Mla is that it does not itself produce, manufacture and/ or export halal meat, whereas many of its members do. This obvious difference explains a great deal why granting halal approval of members is not, with proper guidance, difficult to obtain whereas halal approval of the Mla brand is problematic, not least because there is no single identifiable entity or precedent to rely on to have the brand approved as halal. The stark difference between halal approved companies and the Mla is that the former have products to be certified halal and premises to be registered as halal establishments

where production take place; the latter has neither. This distinction is highly significant. The mistakes by the Mla are largely a consequence of its failure to fully grasp or take sufficient account of this distinction. This does not mean as a matter of principle that there is no basis for an Mla brand to gain halal status and become halal compliant, only that it has not done so in the appropriate manner. Beyond that it depends on whether the relevant competent halal authority, on considering Mla application, is satisfied that it meets prescribed halal standard(s). In the first instance consideration by a competent authority in this regard is not so much about certifying a halal product or registering a halal establishment, but about approving a halal symbol and the uses that are made of that symbol in applying it to halal products and services. a company that produces halal meat obtains two types of approval. Firstly, the premises where halal is produced are registered - separately if they are at different locations - as halal establishments; and secondly, the slaughter of the animals, the preparation of the meat and processes associated with its production are approved as halal by halal certifiers

“In this regard is not so much about certifying a Halal product or registering a Halal establishment, but about approving a Halal symbol and the uses that are made of that symbol in applying it to Halal products and services.” The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

that are characterised as but are not in most cases Islamic Societies. This is done after a comprehensive program had been approved as part of a first step by a company to apply and register for halal status for its products. There are further processes downstream. even in terms of normal processes of halal certification, Mla approach is highly irregular and certainly not in accord with basic halal norms and practices. Weaknesses in Certification Structures There are no uniform standards or criteria which overseas national halal authorities rely on to accredit halal certifiers. looking at the types of organisations that have been accredited over the years, no pattern emerges which gives an indication of how it is done or what criteria are applied. There is distinct lack of transparency to risk an opinion and a high probability there is little or no common ground on accreditation. Most halal authorities claim that being an Islamic society is a key condition for accreditation. on closer examination one finds that most are nominally Islamic societies and that they are in fact owned by individuals or groups, albeit Muslim. Some overseas authorities accredit a relatively small number (four or five in the case of Saudi arabia), others the majority (eleven to twelve) of the current halal certifiers (aQIS notice May 2008May 2009) – see Table 1. and even though there is no specific accreditation granted by the majority of Muslim countries, that which is granted by a few major halal importing countries namely, Saudi arabia, uae, Indonesia and Malaysia, is generally used as an instrument to cover most if not all countries.

“To act outside the parameters of product-based certification is to exercise powers they do not have now and have never had in the past.” The bases of these anomalies are unclear. There is a widespread belief in the Muslim community that the determination of which “societies”, groups or individuals are accredited and on what criteria lacks integrity. as a result, many of those chosen are professionally illequipped to cater for complex, modern business needs. Their failure to identify and address the Mla brand issue is a case in point. There are deep structural problems in current arrangements for halal certification. The need to remedy them is therefore an urgent one. Be that it may, the important point is that the authority given to Islamic societies to certify is strictly limited to individual products, such as meat, on the basis of regulatory requirements of each halal importing country that had accredited them for this purpose. To act outside the parameters of product-based certification is to exercise powers they do not have now and have never had in the past. overseas halal authorities not only confer local certifiers with the authority to certify, they can also withdraw or cancel that authority without reference to or consultation with any other authority. Limits of Certifiers’ Role in Brand construction If it is the case that Mla relied on halal certifiers in australia to endorse its halal brand concept, it is hard to imagine how this could have come about. It is one thing for an approved Islamic society to certify halal products for export purposes, it is quite another for it to endorse a brand - its formation development and use as a halal brand. To do so would be to confuse product certification with the approval of a halal brand and its practical uses and applications. It should be clear that in endorsing the brand the societies would have in effect assumed a role they had not hitherto performed and for which presumably they have no authority. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Table 1: The number of Halal certifiers in Australia & major accrediting countries (based on AQIS Meat Notice No: 2008/ 04; valid May 2008 – May 2009)*

Saudi Arabia UAE Indonesia Malaysia Singapore

NSW

Queensland Australia

South

Victoria Australia

West

Total

2 2 2 2 3

0 0 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 2 2 2 2

1 2 4 5 5

5 7 10 11 12

* The number of certifiers varies from time to time

one probable explanation is that Mla has not sufficiently explored the basic issues that a halal brand would raise: for example what its claims are to being a halal brand as well as the criteria on which they are based and their credibility. achieving credibility presupposes among other things that the brand has satisfied prescribed norms and standards based on the Shariah that would enable it to claim halal status. It also brings to the fore questions such as how the brand is evaluated to uphold its halal claims in the first instance and how it validates its halal practices on a continual basis. If these are the fundamental questions which need to be addressed then it is obvious that the notion of a Mla halal brand in its current formulation, and the uses made of it as a marketing tool are highly questionable to say the least. The Process of Certification of Products for Export halal certification for exports is based on separate approval of each product or category of products by a competent certifier after it had undergone a monitoring and supervision process and had satisfied halal program requirements. The whole process culminates in the issuance of a halal certificate. This certificate in effect validates halal exports from australia and halal meat sales in importing countries. It accompanies the halal product to its export destination without which the product would not be accepted as halal by the importing country. The new Mla-devised brand is a different instrument from halal certification. at one level it sets aside and completely dispenses with the underlying processes necessary for halal certification, except for those which its members obtain. Paradoxically, at another level, it presents itself as an instrument that gathers all certification and approval process, and expresses them in a composite symbol encapsulated in and represented by the Mla halal brand. In other words it is far more comprehensive in its reach and scope than simply the conventional halal certificate.

*To be continued... Part 2 will explain how the Mla halal Brand concept differs from the certification of halal products and services. read also the author’s guided conclusion and suggestions on how Mla could have avoided the problems associated with its formulation and construction of its halal brand project. More importantly, the second part in our Mar/apr 2011 edition offers an alternative way to construct a sound and legitimate halal brand. **about the author: abdul ayan has lectured in Modern Middle east and arabic and Islamic cultures at the university of Melbourne and rMIT university. he has established and managed a number of Islamic welfare organisations in australia. Involved in the development of halal in australia for nearly two decades, he held three international conferences in Melbourne in 1995, 1996 and 1999. Formerly advisor to the State Government of Victoria on improving export performance from 2001-2007, he is now a consultant on halal trade with the Middle east and Muslim countries. he is also a consultant on halal matters to the office of Muslim World league in australia, and is now writing a book on halal for business, which includes a critique of current halal practices.

P e t f o r m y m i n d, b o dy a n d s o u l

“They (cats) are not najis, rather they are of those who go around amongst you.” (narrated by al-tirmidhi, 92; al-nasaa’i, 68; abu dawood, 75; ibn maajah, 367. Classed as sahih by al-albaani. ibn Hajar narrated in al-talkhees that al-bukhaari classed it as sahih).

Words by Zaahira Muham

mad

Cats – let’s talk about cats. Cats to me are one of the most adorable creatures the almighty has created. Cats are not just physically adorable but they’re also very curious creatures, and because of that, they’re extremely funny! you have to see for yourself if you don’t believe me. i can just sit and watch my cats all day long!

In ancIent egypt, cats were worshipped as deities, their eyes shined with a mysterious light that humans find intriguing. nowadays, cats enjoy a mortal reputation in most cultures, charming us more as pets than rulers. in islam, cats are regarded as animals which need to be treated good just as the Prophet muhammad (p.b.u.h) did with his. the Prophet (p.b.u.h) was very appreciative of cats, and was kind and tender towards cats. He even had a cat of his own named muezza, which he loved dearly. He was so attached

to muezza that when he gave sermons, he even let muezza sit on his lap! He even did ablutions with the same water that his cat drank. (Read the story about the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and Muezza, on page 44). islam teaches its ummah to treat cats (and other animals) well. mistreating of cats (and other animals (including pigs and dogs) are considered a sin amongst the most severe in islam. a muslim is responsible for the care of animals so much so that an ill-treated animal will testify against the one who abused it on the day of Judgment.

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

“All human problems – physical, mental or spiritual – are of our creation and our wounds self-inflicted. By no stretch of imagination can we blame animals for any of our troubles and make them suffer for it.” - Animal Welfare in Islam (Al-Hafiz Basheer Ahmad Masri, 2007) Although in Islam, one could gain Heaven or Hell Attributable to one’s treatment of animals, people nowadays still go against the teachings of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) by poisoning and torturing cats (and other animals) – all for their own sick satisfaction or because they dislike them. Islam is a religion that treats

Allah’s Apostle said, “A woman was tortured and was put in Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of hunger.” its ummah or living beings fairly, so, punishment for such acts are severe. Both Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported a hadith regarding a woman who locked up a cat, refusing to feed it and not releasing it so that it could feed itself. Prophet Muhammad

(p.b.u.h.) said that her punishment on the Day of Judgment will ultimately be torture and Hell. Allah’s Apostle said, “A woman was tortured and was put in Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of hunger.” Allah’s Apostle further said, “(Allah knows better) Allah said (to the woman), ‘You neither fed it nor watered when you locked it up, nor did you set it free to eat the insects of the earth.’” (Hadith – Bukhari 3:553, Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar [Also in Muslim, Narrated Abu Huraira]) It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace

Muezza, the Prophet’s cat

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Cat in arabic Calligraphy from : http://reocities.com/Paris/leftBank/7001/index.html

t was the time of azan. Muhammad Abdullah the Last Prophet, the leader of the Muslims, heard the call of prayer. He rose to his feet while answering the muezzin, and looked for his robe. There was his robe, a bit shabby yet clean. And there was Muezza, his tabby cat, snoozing on the sleeve of his robe, in the tranquillity of a cat’s dream. Looking at Muezza in a calm deep sleep, one would wonder what a cat dreams about. Is it about chasing mice, or being chased by giant mice? Muezza wasn’t smiling but seemed so. Most cats are like that. And that makes one amused looking at that adorable face. It’s a soothing feeling. Peace be upon you Muezza. Muhammad (p.b.u.h) smiled, this is a problem, he thought. He needed the robe, the jamaah is waiting for him at the mosque, but he didn’t want to wake Muezza. There’s only one way. He looked for a pair of scissors. Muhammad (p.b.u.h) slowly cut off the sleeve of his robe. Slowly and gently, while making sure Muezza isn’t disturbed by his action. Muhammad slowly picked up his robe and wore it. He looked at Muezza who was still snoozing and he smiled. Here is a brave fighter, a simple man, the Last Messenger in a robe with one sleeve. But its alright, as long as Muezza enjoys sleeping on the sleeve.

and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A woman entered Hell because of a cat which she tied up and did not feed, nor did she let it loose to feed upon the vermin of the earth.” The vermin of the earth means insects and mice, etc. This hadith does not denounce the woman for keeping a cat, but it demonstrates that the woman’s sin was in not feeding it or allowing it to eat from the vermin of the earth. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3140; Muslim, 2242.) With regard to cats not being najis, this is known from the hadith of Kabshah binti Ka’b ibn Maalik, who said that Abu Qutaadah – her husband’s father – entered upon her and she poured water for him to do wudhu’, and a cat came to drink from it, so he tipped the vessel for it to drink. Kabshah said: “He saw me looking at him and said, ‘Do you find it strange, O daughter of my brother?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “They (cats) are not najis, rather they are of those who go around amongst you.”’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 92; al-Nasaa’i, 68; Abu Dawood, 75; Ibn Maajah, 367. Classed as sahih by alAlbaani. Ibn Hajar narrated in al-Talkhees that alBukhaari classed it as sahih). As a Muslim, my profound love of cats makes me appreciate the Almighty’s creations. Alhamdulillah. I find that cats are great as pets mainly because of these factors: Cats take care of themselves. Cats groom themselves a lot. Did you notice how often your cats groom themselves? Cats

will take at least a few minutes each time to lick a paw and wipe their faces, ears, and so on. Therefore, bathing your cat once a month is sufficient. Even if you don’t bathe your cat, your cat won’t get as dirty as they don’t roll around in the ditch. If left outdoors long enough, cats can hunt for their own food and are unlikely to go hungry. Cats are fun and funny. Their curiosity makes them hilarious! They poke their noses into anything and everything from bags, to cars, to have a look, or rather, a sniff. My cats, climb almost everywhere, both high and low places. Sometimes they climb up trees, gutters and even roofs! They especially love to poke their noses in plastic bags when I come home from grocery shopping. Talk about curiosity! Apart from poking their noses everywhere, cats also like to play and amuse us in the process. They like to chew tails, chase threads, strings or papers, and run after a ball and even your feet when you walk! Cats make good friends. Cats seem to have that sixth sense that tells them when something is wrong in their owner’s

Therefore, bathing your cat once a month is sufficient. Even if you don’t bathe your cat, your cat won’t get as dirty as they don’t roll around in the ditch

Cats in Art

Jaja Yusof shares why she paints cats

You’re known as the artist who paints cats. Why cats? I used to paint everything when I first started; I drew butterflies, flowers, just to find my trademark. And then I did ceramic and ceramic painting. One day, my father, Yusof Gajah, went to Jogjakarta and bought a book about an Indonesian artist named Erica. She’s quite a well-known female Indonesian artist who paints naive art. That’s when my dad suggested that I paint like that and so I started. And once I’d started, I decided to paint something I love. And I realised that I really love cats, and cats have always been around me ever since I was little, so I paint cats. I believe that if I do something I love, I will be happy. I’ve been painting cats ever since. As time progresses, I became Jaja Yusof, the artist who paints cats. Some say Islamic art shouldn’t have figures of humans or animals. What are your views on that? For me, painting is a skill I have that was given to me by Allah. This is my talent, and I paint to support my living and sustenance by using the talent and creativity that was given to me by Allah. I believe people don’t worship my paintings; they’re mostly for decorative purposes. But I have to admit that there are people who say that it’s not good to The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Cats in Art

produce these kinds of paintings, but for me, so long as you don’t use figurative paintings for the purpose of worship, it is alright. This is just my opinion. I’m just doing something I love doing and so far there are people who appreciate my work, Alhamdulillah. Why naive art? One, my dad paints naive art. So like him, I am drawn to paint naive art. It’s also because naive art are usually colourful, looks playful and cheeky. I’m not so good in painting portraits so naive art is more me. Painting is not mathematics, we have to relax and enjoy when we produce them, and for those who buy them, they can be therapeutic too. Does your work reflect on your emotions when you’re painting? Most of the time I am happy when I paint; there were a few times when I painted when I was angry, but my anger died down after seeing the beautiful vibrant colours, and my mood changed from angry to happy. It is great because painting is therapeutic for me, and I hope the outcome will be therapeutic for my buyers too.

life. At least my cats are like that. When I’m feeling down, annoyed or frustrated, at least one out of all my cats will jump on my lap, wrap itself around my leg, or nuzzle my chin. I’ve experienced this many times with my cats and it’s amazing to have that comfort and support system especially when you’re feeling down. Cats honour their owners by sometimes bringing their kill home. My cat, Popsy, brings her victims to my porch as trophies of her hunts offering them to me – perhaps to share them with me? Popsy is also very caring and street smart. Many times she would wait across the street for me or any of my family members and watch with her watchful eyes, when we hang out at Devi’s Corner Restaurant, just across the street from my house, as though guarding us. That’s how cats can get when they are that close to their owners. Because of the same closeness, sometimes, when The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

How did she leave? She did something out of the ordinary... she kept pawing at the front door asking to be let out, and when she was finally let out of the house, she never came back.

did something out of the ordinary... she kept pawing at the front door asking to be let out, and when she was finally let out of the house, she never came back. It was a very sad affair for all of us at home, but Milo left behind two cute little kittens that look just like her, but of different colour.

Cats don’t cost much to maintain. Cat food are a cat knows it’s dying, it will usually reasonably priced, run away so it doesn’t die just don’t feed your cats near its owners and upset food that are too expensive them. That’s how good a if you’re on a tight budget. friend a cat can be to us. But I believe that too cheap My sister’s cat, Milo, did a food is also not good. So just that. Milo was ill, and feed them the reasonably was diagnosed with an priced ones unless you have incurable disease because a higher budget. Because she was too old (the vet even cats exist to be what they told us she did not have are, all you need for a cat long to live). But, she never are just occasional visits failed to be a great friend to the vet for neutering or although she was ill. She still shots, feeding bowls, kitty played, and cuddled, and litters and perhaps a collar. looking back, it was almost Cats are hygienic creatures; as though she wanted to therefore, grooming costs make sure she said her are not needed. Strings and goodbyes to everyone in toilet paper rolls make great the house before leaving toys for cats to play with, so us. How did she leave? She no real toys needed either.

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Conversations

Victoria Crest

Dealing with manufacturing of Halal sausages Victoria Crest is a Malaysian majority-owned and incorporated company which manufactures premium Halal foods such as sausages, burger patties and traditional meat pies. The company and brand emerged when the founders, a group of widely travelled Malaysians as well as “Malaysian-ised” foreigners, were craving for authentic, high-end, traditional and authentic western meat products and realised a lack of quality Halal European meat products available in the Malaysian market. With their diverse experience in food production, finance, business and management, the group came up with Victoria Crest, with endeavours to produce the best possible quality Halal meat products at affordable prices. The Halal Journal speaks to Victoria Crest chairman, Fuad Abdullah, to get an inside scoop into why Victoria Crest decided to be a part of the Halal industry, the challenges faced and how they were overcome, as well as its way forward.

When did Victoria Crest first receive the Halal certification for its products, and who certified its products? Being based in Malaysia we recognised the significance of having a Halal certificate from JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia). JAKIM’s Halal certification in our view is an accreditation which carries weight within Malaysia and is respected throughout all Islamic countries. The certification was a stringent process, nonetheless we are very proud to have obtained it in April 2010. How and why did Victoria Crest decide to have the Halal certification mark and did it impact the business in any way? Our business strategy has three channels: 1. Commercial, i.e. hotels; 2. Retail, i.e. supermarkets; and 3. Export market. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

The ‘catch 22’ in order for us to approach the hotels and to reassure the domestic market was that we needed a Halal certificate from JAKIM. When we first started producing back in late 2009 and early 2010, all our raw materials used in the factory were already certified Halal by JAKIM or previously HDC, and if they were imported items, they were certified Halal by their respective Islamic councils in the source country. However, this does not automatically grant us JAKIMcertified Halal status. Apart from the food source, there are other critical processes such as food preparation, health and safety, pest control, quality assurance as well as storage and transportation. These are also important facets towards being JAKIM-certified and these are the values that Victoria Crest wants to promote and be associated with.

How are Victoria Crest’s products different from other processed meat products out there in the market, both locally and internationally? Is it the technology used? Is it the ingredients? Good question, but first let me share with you the global sausage picture. Whether it’s a bratwurst in Germany, a lap cheong in Asia, or a merguez from North Africa, there are few foods as universally popular as the sausage. Sausage is a type of comfort food and can be eaten for breakfast with eggs, as a snack with a hot dog bun, or at a more premium level, sausages served with pureed potatoes and red onion juice. And despite the alleged health issues surrounding sausages, nearly three billion sausages are consumed in a year in the UK alone. The key differentials for all sausage manufacturers

are the ingredients and the process used. Currently in Malaysia, the Halal sausage market is European oriented and predominantly German style sausages, which are either skinless or use collagen casings, the majority in the market being pre-cooked. There is also the issue of the mechanically retrieved/ removed meat (MRM), and the quality of other meat used in the production of most commercial sausages. Based on a case study in the UK, a low-end market sausage has 50 per cent meat and premiums ones 70 per cent, whereas the rest are fillers such as soya, water, rusk, and so on, depending on the quality. It is this addition of cereals such as rusk that gives British sausages their distinctive texture and flavour. European sausages have higher meat content with their own density and bite. Both have their place depending on how and when they are served. The problem in the production of both types of products as with many other items produced in the meat sector is the loosely stipulated use of the word meat – i.e. chicken meat also constitutes gizzards and bits of

leftover chicken once the prime cuts are removed as does MRM. Despite the war on salt by the health tsars, salt is a crucial part of the sausage process. Even the word “sausage” is from the Latin “salsus”, meaning salted. It serves three purposes: helping to preserve the meat, flavour it and also to break down the proteins that helps bind the meat when it’s cooking. Taking into account all the above information I have provided, Victoria Crest’s sausages differ from existing sausages in the market as follows: • All our products only use 100 per cent chicken breast, 100 per cent imported New Zealand boneless lamb shoulder, and 100 per cent imported Australian beef rump or topside. • We are nitrite free, opting for quality input, stringent manufacturing standards and our products are frozen products. • We use certified Halal lamb natural casings. • Reduced salt as our meat is of high quality. • Our sausages are between 93 to 98 per cent fat-free. Our factory was also built with our long term objective, which was to build a factory that meets European food manufacturing standards. What were the challenges faced being Halal and how did Victoria Crest curb

Having been accredited by JAKIM does provide us with confidence to go into the market, but more importantly, it gives all Malaysians the reassurance that our products meet high standards in terms of quality. the challenges faced? On the challenges faced being Halal, I cannot speak for other types of Halal food processing manufacturers, but one of the challenges we faced in the Halal sausage world was the perception of Halal sausages not only in Malaysia, but globally as well – they are considered as sausages with extremely processed texture, have strange colour and are not real traditional sausage. There is a strong consumer feedback that states Halal sausages are not as tasty and are considered cheaper than their non-Halal counterparts, and that is a consensus and mindset we wish to change. I believe that our other mission besides delivering quality product is also, and without sounding arrogant, to re-educate consumers that Malaysians can have premium western flavoured Halal sausages, burger patties and meat pies, which can compete globally in

terms of taste and quality. I think there is a need for change in this industry as Malaysian consumers have become more sophisticated. In obtaining Halal certification from JAKIM recently, do you feel that Victoria Crest can gain more confidence on its products and has it changed anything in terms of perception, brand acceptance, marketing, sales...? Yes, and as mentioned previously, having been accredited by JAKIM does provide us with confidence to go into the market, but more importantly, it gives all Malaysians the assurance that our products meet high standards in terms of quality. We also took considerable time to design our retail packaging to reflect a premium product, which is “Buatan Malaysia” or “Made in Malaysia”, and JAKIM-certified Halal. Victoria Crest has grand aspirations and we intend to compete globally without compromising our values. Where are your target markets? Our primary target is the Malaysian public through retail, hotels and

restaurants (namely the food service sector). In the longer term, we would like to have footprints in ASEAN, Middle East, Hong Kong and China, before we head towards Europe. What are Victoria Crest’s plans now? Our immediate plan is to continue to grow in both our domestic commercial and retail markets until we are ready to export. We are in the midst of getting HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and ISO 22000 accreditations, and we are also approaching the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to apply for the VHM (Veterinary Health Mark) certification, which will allow us to distribute to East Malaysia and to pave the way for the respective export countries’ own Veterinary departments. Do you have anything else to add? Please have a look at our corporate website www. victoria-crest.com and get our products in local supermarkets and taste them for yourself. I can talk all day about Victoria Crest; however the test is in the taste, as people say. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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islamic e-book for those on the go In present day, we often rely on technology. even when we’re seeking knowledge, we rely on technology. the use of computers and e-book readers are fast becoming a trend where everywhere you turn, you’ll see people using just about any kind of digital devices from portable computers to mp3 players to portable game consoles (such as sony’s PsP)! we are in the digital era, and dissemination of Islamic knowledge is not far from current trends. For example, we see different types of e-book readers in the market but there is an www.halaljournal.com

Islamic e-book called ealim el1000, especially targeted for the fast-paced muslims who are, more and more, seeking convenient products. manufactured by the world’s leader in Islamic digital products, enmac engineering limited, ealim el1000 have great features such as the complete holy Quran in six beautiful arabic fonts; translations or interpretations namely by abdullah Yusuf ali, muhammad (marmaduke) Pickthall, and Dr. muhammad mohsin Khan, in 24 languages (albanian, azerbaijani, Bosnian, Dutch, english,

Finnish, French, German, hausa, Indonesian, Italian, latin, malaysian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, russian, spanish, swahili, tamil, thai, transliteration, turkish, urdu); and recitations of the Quran by sheikh abdul rahman al-sudais, sheikh meshari bin rashid al-afasi, sheikh saad al-Ghamidi, sheikh ali bin abdul rahman al-hudhaify, and sheikh muhammad ayoub. It also provides important and valuable Islamic information such as Prayer times and Qibla Directions for major cities of the world. this lightweight, useful

gadget is definitely a musthave for people who seek Islamic knowledge and who are always on the go, as it is complete with a rich Islamic library including tafsir, hadith, history, supplications, Dhikr and other Islamic books. this genius invention also comes with built-in image viewer and plays media Player-supported file formats – .mp3 and .avi (audio and video files). Isn’t it something? For more information, log on to www.enmac.com or get your own now from www.mphonline.com at only rm1,200! The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

happenIngs

First International Islamic Tourism Conference & Travel Mart a success The Islamic Tourism centre (ITc), malaysia, had successfully organised the first International Islamic Tourism conference & Travel mart (ITcm) 2010, with its overall theme “harvesting the Potential of Intra-regional Travel & Tourism”. held on 28-31 october 2010 at the Putra world Trade centre (PwTc) in Kuala lumpur, malaysia, the event was endorsed by the ministry of Tourism, malaysia, and Tourism malaysia. The ITcm 2010 was also supported by the Bumiputra Travel and Tour agents association of malaysia (BumITra), and malaysian association of hotels (mah). The ITcm 2010 was divided into two sections: the International Islamic Tourism conference (28-29 october), and the International Islamic Travel mart (28-31 october).

The Conference

The International Islamic Tourism conference was declared open by the Deputy minister in the Prime minister’s Department, YB Senator Datuk Dr. mashitah Ibrahim, on behalf of the minister in the Prime minister’s Department, YB Senator major General (rtd) Dato’ Seri jamil Khir Baharom. also present were YB Dato’ Dr. james Dawos mamit (Deputy minister of Tourism, malaysia) and Dato’ Dr. ong hong Peng (Secretary General of ministry of Tourism, malaysia). The conference kicked off with a Keynote address by the hon. Tun musa hitam, former Deputy Prime minister and chairman of the world Islamic Economic Forum (wIEF) Foundation, followed by a mini event on the soft launch of the International halal SmE report Directory 2011/12 and the signing of memorandum of understanding between halal media and watch Tower & Friends. a welcome Dinner was organised as a closing to the first day, with the acting Director General of Tourism malaysia as host, for the conference participants, speakers and moderators, as well as buyers and exhibitors. Day Two featured three panel sessions, followed by the conference winding-up & Summary session as a conclusion to the two-day conference. The conference received a total of more than 150 participants from 16 countries, such as Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Iran, jordan, malaysia, Saudi arabia, The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Singapore, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the united arab Emirates (uaE), uzbekistan, and Yemen. a majority of the participants were tour operators, hoteliers, national Tourist organisations (nTos), Tourism Boards, ministries of Tourism, non-governmental organisations (nGos), media, and higher learning institutions. 70 organisations participated in this conference that featured a dynamic mix of speakers and moderators chosen for their expertise and experience in various sectors of the industry. The conference provided insights and current industry information and resources for the participants. amongst the topics deliberated on were: 1. Tapping Islamic Tourism Potentials 2. an overview of the Global Islamic Tourism heritage 3. lost opportunities – upgrading media content on Islamic Tourism websites 4. Promotion of Islamic Tourism – The airlines’ Perspectives 5. Promotion of Islamic Tourism – The Travel agents’ Perspective 6. halal Tourism – The way Forward 7. Strategising halal Tourism marketing and Promotion 8. role of new media and Social networking in Facilitating Islamic Travel and Tourism 9. Development of muslim Tour Packages – Ensuring Services and Enforcing code of Ethics 10. oIc member countries – new Destination for Islamic Travel & Tourism: how to Tap the Growing market In support of green environment, ITc has made the presentation materials accessible for download on the ITcm website for registered participants. All in all, the conference received good feedback particularly on the choice of topics, which encompass many essential and geographically diverse issues relating to Islamic Tourism. The involvement of local and international speakers from various backgrounds sharing their experience and thoughts on specific topics were also one of the contributing factors that made the conference a very reliable forum for those in the travel and tourism industry, especially those who wish to have better understanding on Islamic Tourism. www.halaljournal.com

happenIngs

The Travel Mart

The International Islamic Travel mart was held concurrently with the conference and received good response with 90 booths taken up by a total of 53 local and international organisations. International exhibitors include Yemen Tourism, uzbekistan airways, Beyaz Tours Travel agency (Turkey), and aswaq magazine (a magazine that caters to the middle Eastern readers). local exhibitors include several State Tourism Boards, travel agencies, hotels & resorts, airlines, banks, restaurants, media and magazine companies, as well as healthcare providers. The first two days of the exhibition were open only for trade visitors. Tourism malaysia extended its support to the event by bringing in international buyers and media from countries such as Brunei Darussalam, china, India, Iran, Saudi arabia, Singapore, South africa and Thailand. The remaining two days were open for the public for retail sales and enquiries. It was estimated that between 2,000 to 3,000 people turned up at the travel mart during the last two days.

In Closing...

Interest on the subject of Islamic Tourism (or halal tourism) is increasing as many countries, both Islamic and non-Islamic, have begun to realise the growing potentials of the Islamic market, and this was translated into the topics chosen for the conference which were based on the relevance to the development of Islamic Tourism as a new niche market. The ITcm 2010 provided a unique platform for those in the travel and trade business from both muslim and non-muslim nations to meet, discuss, understand, and exchange views on the subject as well as on the suitable and sustainable strategies to develop and promote tourism products that are available in their respective countries. www.halaljournal.com

The organisers hope that through this first event, people will be better informed and educated on the real definition of Islamic Tourism, which many have been mistaken to being limited to only Umrah and Hajj. It is also hoped that the travel and tour operators from both the muslim and non-muslim nations could network and work together by being good business partners to better serve and facilitate the needs of the growing numbers of muslim tourists in accordance to the Islamic faith and code of ethics. Plans to organise the second ITcm, which will be held on 20-23 october 2011 at the Putra world Trade centre (PwTc), Kuala lumpur, malaysia, are already underway. Stay tuned at www.itc.gov.my! The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

HAppeNINGS

USA: IFANCA Describes Halal Certification as the Key to International Trade at Global Halal Congress (GHC) 2010 ®

Dr. Chaudry received a token of appreciation as speaker at GHC 2010

according to the consultancy group, a.T. Kearney, companies that develop “halal brands” will be at the forefront of the uSD2 trillion global halal economy. halal, indeed, is the latest global “it” market. Dr. muhammad munir chaudry, President of Islamic Food and nutrition council of america (IFanca®), was a panellist at the Global halal congress (Ghc) held in Pakistan on 4 December 2010 (read more on page xx). he spoke on “Benefits of halal certification” as part of the inaugural panel. The Ghc is an international conference that aims to provide up-todate information about the Pakistani halal market. Its first conference theme is “halal and Islamic Business”; a theme designed to introduce Pakistan as a major supplier of halal products to leading halal industry experts and international halal certifiers. The Ghc plans to enable Pakistani business professionals –– to identify potential investment and trading opportunities in the global halal market. Dr. Chaudry is a pioneer in the field of Halal certification. Under his guidance, IFANCA has risen to become a world leader with more than The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

30,000 certified products for 2,500 companies. a food industry veteran, he is also the author of several papers and co-author of “halal Food Production”, the single most widely used text on halal certification. Speaking to an audience of exporters and businessmen, Dr. chaudry emphasised how integral halal certification was to any business interested in the halal export market. citing malaysia as an example, he noted that its exports of

halal food products to the oIc countries had increased to about uSD640 million in 2007. he added that, according to malaysian government projections, malaysia’s exports were expected to rise to uSD900 million by the end of 2010. Similarly, he said, Singapore’s total food exports to the Middle East hovered at USD211 million in 2009. halal certification applications in Singapore had almost tripled from 600 applications to

Citing Malaysia as an example, he noted that its exports of Halal food products to the OIC countries had increased to about USD640 million in 2007.

From left: Dr. Mian Nadeem Riaz (Professor, Texas A&M University, USA), Dr. Muhammad Munir Chaudry, and Darhim Hashim (CEO, International Halal Integrity Alliance) www.halaljournal.com

HAPPEnInGS

“The American Muslim market alone is estimated to be USD170 billion. The American Muslim food market is valued at USD20 billion,” more than 1,600, from the years 2000 to 2005, according to Singapore sources. IFanca certifies food and pharmaceutical ingredients for use globally. Its clients include multinationals such as Pepsico, nestlé, Pfizer, merck, Kraft, conagra Foods, mead johnson nutrition, International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), Firmenich, abbott labs and unilever among others. IFanca also works with small and mid-sized companies, cooperatives and start-ups, in a variety of industries. Speaking of the potential for imports to the uS, he observed that in 2009, uS food imports were valued at uSD76,839.4 million. “The american muslim market alone is estimated to be uSD170 billion. The american muslim food market is valued at uSD20 billion,” he added. IFanca halal certified products can be found in mega-chains ranging from albertsons to walmart, on multi-level distribution networks, and even online. Dr. Chaudry also mentioned the heightened focus on Halal lifestyle products especially personal care and beauty products. IFanca’s crescent ‘m’ symbol signifies that certified products are free from haram ingredients and permissible to muslims. Dr. chaudry reiterated that halal certification by an internationally recognised, experienced third party source such as IFanca, was key to fuelling business growth in international markets. www.halaljournal.com

Europe: Environmental protection considered as an investment theme In a new EDHEC-Risk Institute Publication, entitled “Adoption of Green Investing by Institutional Investors: A European Survey”, EDHECRisk review the concept of green investing and report the results of a European survey on investment management professionals. one of the key results of the survey is that green investing is a significant movement in which survey respondents are heavily involved in. In fact, nearly 90 per cent of respondents consider environmental protection an investment theme and the same percentage plans to do more green investing in the future. The results of the survey show that the most popular green theme is climate change: 81.5 per cent of the respondents who take green investing into account are concerned with climate change. Other environmental themes such as water management, antipollution measures, and improvement of processes are also frequently taken into account by the majority of respondents. The survey also found that investors define green investing in different ways. EDhEc-risk focus first on the definitions and concept of sustainable development, and the results show that these may not be entirely clear for respondents. Another widely-used term for making extrafinancial information an integral part of investment decision making is socially

Survey results show that the main obstacle to green investing is the lack of credible standards for defining and assessing green investments.

EDHEC-Risk focus first on the definitions and concept of sustainable development, and the results show that these may not be entirely clear for respondents. responsible investment (SRI). For a clear majority (61.9 per cent), sustainable development and socially responsible investment are two identical concepts. Such disagreement on basic definitions may further compound the fundamental difficulty of using extrafinancial information in the investment process. Survey results show that the main obstacle to green investing is the lack of credible standards for defining and assessing green investments. 50 per cent of respondents report that this is the biggest obstacle to their adopting green investing criteria. The main conclusion to this survey is that before the green investment segment can sustain further growth, work towards a sound conceptual underpinning of the green investing approach will have to be done. Furthermore, investors should always have rigorous and welldefined investment processes and analyses, besides their good intentions to be responsible to the planet and to society. a copy of “adoption of Green Investing by Institutional

Investors: a European Survey” can be downloaded from www. edhec-risk.com. This study will be featured at the Green Investing conference, which will be held at the nice campus of EDhEc Business School on 10 December 2010. EDhEc-risk Institute is part of EDhEc Business School, one of Europe’s leading business schools and a member of the select group of academic institutions worldwide to have earned the triple crown of international accreditations (aacSB, EQuIS, association of mBas). Established in 2001, EDhEc-risk Institute has become the premier European centre for financial research and its applications to the industry. In partnership with large financial institutions, its team of 56 permanent professors, engineers and support staff implements six research programmes and eleven research chairs focusing on asset allocation and risk management in the traditional and alternative investment universes. The results of the research programmes and chairs are disseminated through the three EDhEc-risk Institute locations in london, nice and Singapore. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

hAppeningS

UK: A premium Shariah-compliant share-dealing service launched

EVENT: PARIS HALAL EXPO 2011 DATE: 29 – 30 MARCH 2011 VENUE: HALL 3 – PORTE DE VERSAILLES PARIS, FRANCE

The Paris halal Expo 2011 is confirming its leadership in Europe as the only trade event entirely dedicated to the halal market. It will be held on 29 and 30 march and will house around 250 halal exhibitors from all over the world. The 2011 Paris halal Expo will reflect the evolution of the market in France and in Europe, meaning the emergence of a new generation of young Muslim consumers, looking for modern, occidental, but Halal certified foods and drinks. The other new factor is the rapidly increasing catering sector of the halal market, The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

representing one fourth of the global halal market this year in France. The Exhibition

will also introduce what is considered by most European Muslims as new – Halal Cosmetics.

To be held concurrently, debates and conferences will also animate the two days of the exhibition. like in previous years, the Paris halal Expo will set up a halal Supermarket in the heart of the exhibition, showing the latest innovations of the market. log on to www.parishalalexpo. com for further information as well as the list of exhibitors today!

umEX Securities and Finance ltd launched a Shariah-compliant uK share dealing service that went live on 6 December 2010. The service enables investors to buy and sell shares through a share dealing service designed to offer not just a Shariah-compliant mechanism for trading but also provides registered investors with a screening service, highlighting the Shariah-compliant companies listed on the london Stock Exchange and aIm. Investors are able to register for this service on the umEX Securities website www.umexsecurities.com. The umEX Securities service offers sharedealing clients a comprehensive package to ensure that investors are able to place orders confident in the knowledge that their share-dealing account and the stocks they are trading are Shariah- compliant. according to mahesh jayanarayan, cEo of umEX capital markets Group “The UMEX Securities service has been designed not just for Islamic investors, but also for private investors looking for ethical investments or for those simply wishing to move away from the banking sector.” Sheikh hussain hamid hassan, chairman of the Shariah committee of Dubai Islamic Bank, a prominent Shariah scholar and chairman of Shariah Supervisory Board of umEX capital markets Group, said, “Restricted access to capital markets, for the SME sector in particular, means inefficient and less sustainable economic backstay – the recent global crisis is testimony to that. UMEX is indeed a much needed and timely initiative.” The umEX Securities share-dealing service, administered by The Share centre, offers both a telephone and online access to clients’ share-dealing accounts. Established in 1991, The Share centre now serves over 220,000 customers, and services include buying and selling a wide range of investments and a comprehensive share administration and safe custody service. The private client share-dealing service follows the recently launched umEX Trader, a share trading platform for financial institutions to trade Shariah-compliant stocks listed on main markets around the world. www.halaljournal.com

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HAPPEnings

Positive outcome at the 2nd World Halal Forum Europe! The 2nd World halal Forum europe: halal producTs and services – GoinG mainsTream

By Abdalhamid Evans, WHF Europe Project Director

“It was an excellent programme, full of lively debate and an excellent insight to the growing Halal market.” “I found the experience fascinating. Every presentation and discussion was of interest.” “An inspiring event, to say the least.” These were just some of the comments heard at the close of the recent world halal Forum (whF) Europe, held at the Earl’s court conference centre in london on 10-11 november.

with around 150 participants from 31 countries, this was one of the smaller events over the whF’s five-year history, but there seems to be no doubt that it was one of the most significant. with Europe’s halal sector growing in size and importance, especially in the recessionary climate, this event managed to bring an impressive group of international experts to an informed and engaged audience to discuss the most relevant issues. The United Kingdom is home to one of the most well-established Muslim communities in Europe, and one that has very strong, albeit differing, opinions about Halal food. So the whF Europe had to cover local concerns as well as some wider European issues, along with other matters that are of concern to the general western halal markets. The Forum presentations and panels covered a wide range of topics: certification, consumer protection, labelling laws, issues facing manufacturers, investment potential, travel and hospitality, cloning and genetic modification, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, rising consumer power and the use of digital media. But the two dominant themes throughout the conference were focused around a) stunning, and b) the need for accreditation agencies in the non-muslim world. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

The question of stunning was one of the recurrent themes throughout the two-day event. one of the highlights of the event was the presentation on the opening morning from Philip Pfeffer, a partner at the law firm chadbourne and Parke, who presented a strong legal argument against amendment 205, the proposed Eu legislation that would require all products derived from “unstunned” slaughter to be labelled as such. By enforcing this (in the name of consumer information) only on non-stunned products, and not, for example, requiring all meat products to state what form of slaughter has been used, this legislation is unnecessarily discriminatory, stigmatises religious practice and implies that it is unethical. It also creates unnecessary barriers to trade, and runs contrary to World Trade Organization guidelines on this subject. The participants of the whF Europe overwhelmingly opposed amendment 205, and a resolution to this affect was drafted and forwarded to the Eu parliament. The other major theme throughout the whF Europe concerned the creation of halal accreditation agencies, particularly in muslimminority countries. In muslim majority countries, www.halaljournal.com

happenings

Perhaps the strongest lasting impression that one takes away from the WHF Europe is the palpable sense of higher purpose that is shared by the overwhelming majority of the participants, for whom these issues are less about business and more about serving a higher mission in life. the development of halal standards, conducting halal audits and certification issuance is controlled by the State. In other non-muslim countries, such as australia and new Zealand, where halal exports play such an important role in the economy, the government plays an important regulatory role, and the halal compliance issues are also monitored and regulated by the State. In most non-Muslim Western countries, Halal compliance issues are not regulated at all. Halal standards are unclear, and the audit and certification processes are not transparent, and the business practices that accompany them are often similarly opaque, and conflicts of interest are commonplace. under these circumstances, the need for national regulatory bodies is becoming increasingly apparent. These bodies would need to be responsible for the development of clear and workable halal standards and best practice guidelines, liaise with governmental bodies on health and safety issues, as well as human resource development, SmE initiatives www.halaljournal.com

and export promotions. They would need to monitor the certification process, encourage independent third-party audits and transparent business practices for the certification bodies, and protect the interests of the halal consumers. There is little doubt that this represents a challenging task for the leading Islamic organisations in their respective countries. While the State controlled health and safety issues in the food industry are highly evolved and well-regulated, the Halal sector operates as an unregulated activity, often divorced from the health and safety norms of the food industry, focussing specifically on methods of slaughter and ignoring the wider â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thoyibâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; aspects of quality assurance. all of these important issues came under the spotlight at the whF Europe in london, with a global accreditation landscape presented by Darhim hashim, cEo of the International halal Integrity (IhI) alliance. Dr Shuja Shafi, Deputy Secretary-General of the muslim council of Britain

(mcB), presented the case for the uK; and there were representatives from the uSa, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bosnia and herzegovina, australia and many more, to discuss this central issue. while there is no doubt that the development of halal accreditation bodies is a long-term project, it is encouraging to see that this issue is emerging with increasing clarity, and has been taken up by such bodies as the mcB and the Islamic Society of north america (ISna) where it is seen as one of the responsibilities of leadership. The whF Europe ended with a significant four-way signing ceremony between the mcB, ISna, IhI alliance and the american halal association to collaborate on the development of accreditation bodies in the uSa and uK. This is an encouraging first step on what is likely to be a long and challenging road,

but the recognition of the shared vision and benefits of mutual collaboration and a commitment to work together towards a common goal was a fitting end to a rewarding two days of presentations and discussions. with two strong actionoriented results from this whF Europe, there is every indication that the world halal Forum is itself evolving into an arena where decisions can be made that can have a positive effect in the halal market. Perhaps the strongest lasting impression that one takes away from the whF Europe is the palpable sense of higher purpose that is shared by the overwhelming majority of the participants, for whom these issues are less about business and more about serving a higher mission in life. long may it continue. *note: The detailed report is available for download on www.worldhalalforum.org. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

HAppENINgS

New Halal SME Report Directory set to offer full view of Halal market economy The International halal SmE report & Directory (halal SmE), the first-of-itskind business directory targeted specifically for the global Halal industry, made its debut on 28 october at the International Islamic Tourism conference & Travel mart (ITcm) 2010. witnessed by the hon. Tun musa hitam, chairman of world Islamic Economic Forum (wIEF) Foundation and former Deputy Prime minister of malaysia, h media’s managing Director, Kamarul aznam Kamaruzaman, together with watch Tower & Friends Sdn Bhd (wTF) chief operating officer, hazel hassan hisham, unveiled the halal SmE report Directory at a memorandum of understanding (mou) signing and soft launch ceremony at the Putra world Trade centre in Kuala lumpur. offering not just cogent industry reports and key sectoral analysis and interviews, the report Directory will also feature over 1,500 premium halalcertified companies from around the world. at the event, h media (a niche media house dedicated to serving development within the global halal market) and wTF (a developer for mobile and web applications focused on developing the software platform that will allow content creators to use augmented reality) inked an mou to: • Develop an online and mobile version of The International halal SmE report & Directory, incorporating the use of augmented reality (ar); • Develop a tablet version of The International halal SmE report & Directory 2011, which will be made available in various platforms including ioS, android, Blackberry and any other platform as requested by h media; and The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Investment Opportunities

Health and fruit beverages trend in China and Japan Health and nutrition trends driving demand for fruit juices in the soft drinks market

Offering not just cogent industry reports and key sectoral analysis and interviews, the Report Directory will also feature over 1,500 premium Halal-certified companies from around the world. • Make use of all the latest technological advances in the fields of ar, and to promote halal within an exclusive and coexistential relationship. “With our endeavour to become the definitive guide for the global Halal marketplace, we are developing this Report Directory as a product that will feature SMEs in a 360º perspective, including on print, online, mobile and broadcast,” said Kamarul aznam. “with this publication, we are essentially offering businesses an opportunity to further add value to their halal certification and logo.” Five key halal segments will be featured within the report Directory, including agriculture, manufacturing,

Tourism, Services and Finance. a total of 10,000 copies will be printed by april 2011, in time for the 8th mIhaS (International halal Showcase) – the world’s largest halal marketplace. This is in addition to the planned distribution by major halal certification bodies in at least 10 countries worldwide, plus retail and newsstand, premier halal industry events and trade shows, as well as government agencies and embassies. Several certification bodies have so far indicated keen interest including from Iran, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil and Indonesia. In addition to listing of local and international halal businesses, the halal SmE report Directory will also incorporate over 30 choice reports documenting the industry’s most significant developments throughout the year, featuring industrial, geographical and sectoral reports across the entire halal value chain covering primary and secondary sub-sectors of halal. manufacturers or traders looking to tap the lucrative global halal market can register online for free at www.halalsme.com.

Rapid urbanisation in China has not only led to improved lifestyles but also sparked a trend of health consciousness; the Chinese are increasingly making food and beverage choices reflecting their concerns over health and nutrition. Whereas, in Japan, large level of product innovation in response to fast evolving trends is the key driver of the Japanese soft drinks market, where the demand for fruit flavoured drinks and product launches that appeal to older population are key to capture a higher percentage of Japan’s market share. These are growing trends in the Asian region reported by Datamonitor; Halal and health beverage manufacturers should not miss out on this opportunity. China: Health and nutrition trends driving demand for fruit juices in the soft drinks market as per Datamonitor’s newly launched report, ‘Product Insights: Soft Drinks in china’, china ranked third globally, in terms of new product launches in the soft drinks market. In 2009, over 300 new soft drinks were launched in china and more than half of these were juices. Functional drinks, concentrates and bottled water were the other categories which had a high contribution to the overall new soft drink launches in the country. Datamonitor estimates that the chinese soft drinks will grow by 14 per cent (caGr) during the next five years till 2014. with several food scandals surfacing in the recent years, the chinese consumers have become more cautious of the food and beverage choices they make. Besides, the outbreak of epidemic diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome www.halaljournal.com

happenings

(SARS) has also compelled the Chinese authorities to encourage consumption of fruits and fruit-based beverages among Chinese consumers to improve their overall immunity. Saritha Pingali, Datamonitor consumer markets analyst and author of the report, said: “The immense growth in juices category during the year is attributable to a large extent to the growing health consciousness among consumers and the various government initiatives taken in the recent years to encourage juice drinking habit”. apart from the health trend, consumers’ choice is being influenced by growing presence of international brands like Danone, Pepsico, and coco-cola in china. nevertheless, the chinese prefer their soft drinks in local flavours and those that contain traditional chinese herbs like green tea, jujube, chrysanthemum, and lotus root. Indeed, several newly launched products that claimed to contain traditional chinese herbs were positioned as either ‘good for you’ or ‘better for you’. ms. Pingali added, “This is influencing the global players in the country to customise and localise their flavours to suit the chinese preferences. For instance, Pepsico’s current beverage offerings in china include Tropicana Guo Bin Fen juices and cao Ben le drinks, which are inspired by traditional chinese medicine”.

www.halaljournal.com

although the market is dominated by large international soft drinks manufacturers such as Danone, Pepsico, coca cola and nestlé, majority of the new soft drink launches in 2009 were contributed by the domestic players. It is expected that in order to expand their presence and gain acceptance in the untapped local markets of china, the global players would focus on intense localisation of their products. ms. Pingali concluded: “among all, the 100 per cent fruit juice segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate over the forecast period. This indicates that health and nutrition will continue to influence the future of soft drinks market in china”.

Japan: Soft drinks companies need to change their appeal to gain larger market share according to Datamonitor’s Product launch analytics, japan held the second position in new product launches in the global soft drinks market, ranking next only to the uS. It is a global trend setter in terms of new product development and a powerhouse for original product concepts. The Japanese soft drinks market is a hub for innovation using new flavours and ingredients. Trends tend to evolve much faster in japan than in other countries and manufacturers need constant innovations which entice the japanese consumer into buying. “Experimentation, with new flavours as well

The health consciousness trend is proving to be another major factor influencing new product development in Japan. This trend is the reason behind the surge of products asserting health claims such as ‘high vitamins’, ‘high calcium’ and ‘high polyphenols’. as unique ingredients which have specific health benefits, is a common trend in Japan,” observes Gaurav marchanda, Datamonitor analyst and author of the report, ‘Product Insights: Soft Drinks in japan’. major carbonated drinks manufacturers are using unconventional flavours in new products to revive consumers’ interest in carbonated soft drinks. using fruit flavours in soft drink products has been another evolving trend across the market. Gaurav observes, “Fruit flavours such as apple, orange, grapefruit, peach, grape and pineapple were prominently used in the juices category and the flavoured carbonate segments.” one of the key drivers of product trends in the japanese soft drinks market is the rapidly ageing population in the country. “Given the distinct demographic situation in japan, manufacturers are more focused on new product launches which appeal to the older age segment”, says Gaurav. This has led soft drink manufacturers to launch a number of products with traditional Japanese flavours such as green tea, which is highly preferred by the older age group. Various age-related

disorders have promoted the use of ingredients like antioxidant vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, co-enzyme Q10 and glucosamine in soft drinks. This trend has also lead to a rise in products claiming to have anti-ageing properties. The health consciousness trend is proving to be another major factor influencing new product development in Japan. This trend is the reason behind the surge of products asserting health claims such as ‘high vitamins’, ‘high calcium’ and ‘high polyphenols’. as per Gaurav’s observation, “The overall trend towards health consciousness offers high potential for further growth in the japanese soft drinks market”. Despite its large size and maturity, the japanese soft drinks market is expected to maintain a steady growth rate, mostly driven by product innovations and evolving product concepts which keep the japanese consumer engaged and interested. as new trends surface in the market, the manufacturers can be expected to continue to improve their product lines to gain a larger share in the vastly lucrative japanese soft drinks market. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

hAPPenInGS

A celebrative show of antiquity in Kuala Lumpur EVENT: MALAYSIAN ART PART I: THE REVIVAL, FEATURING THE WORKS OF YONG MUN SEN, KUO JU PING & TAN CHOON GHEE DATE: 28 FEBRUARY - 11 MARCH 2011 VENUE: METRO FINE ART GALLERY, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

From 28 February to 11 March 2011, Metro Fine Art will be presenting a celebrative show of antiquity named, Malaysian Art Part I: The Revival, featuring the works of Yong Mun Sen, Kuo Ju Ping and Tan Choon Ghee. The Artists to be featured... Kuo Ju Ping Born in Fukien, china, in 1908, Kuo ju Ping migrated to Penang whilst a teenager, studying at chung ling high School and nanyang academy of Fine arts in Singapore. he worked for his father upon graduation and during this period, he indulged his love of art in between business dealings, which included giving art tuition at many Penang high schools and outdoor sketching trips with fellow artists and students. Kuo was also a make-up artist at local drama societies. Kuo sketched in charcoal, pencil or marker pen, but primarily painted in oil and watercolour with realistic and impressionistic influences. The cow and buffalo were his favourite subjects and have reappeared in his oils. Kuoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works portray rural scenes, fishermen dwellings, cityscape, temples/ mosques, figures and animal studies. he captured the moment by simplification and distortion, through careful brushstrokes. composition-wise, his works are classical, where what is not seen is felt. Kuo died of a stroke in march 1966, at 58 years of age. Kuoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works were signed in chinese or with a seal. however, many were left unsigned and it was long after his death that his works became of value. In the late 80s, his watercolours could be The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Kuo Ju Ping (B. 1908), Untitled, undated, stamp (lower right), pastel on paper www.halaljournal.com

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Kuo Ju Ping (B. 1908), Untitled, undated, oil on board

Tan Choon Ghee (B. 1908), Untitled, 1962, english signature (both lower left), watercolor on paper

Tan Choon Ghee (B. 1908), Untitled, 1964, chinese and english signature, stamp (all lower right), watercolor on paper

Yong Mun Sen (B. 1886), Untitled, 1953, english signature (both lower left), watercolor on paper

Modern Malaysian art is forging into its next evolution. Most importantly, it is the story behind Malaysia’s artistic history that stands champion, rather than the sum of its entire beloved works and those that have yet to make their mark. bought for rm200 and oils slightly higher. From 1990 onwards, the price for his works picked up and climbed steeply. In 1994, his work www.halaljournal.com

was accepted for christie’s International auction of S.E. asian Pictures. his works are housed in many private and public collections, and his paintings are represented at the Penang State art Gallery, national art Gallery (Kuala lumpur), Singapore art museum and Fukuoka art museum (japan). Tan Choon Ghee “one has to have courage above talent”, said Tan choon Ghee. Tan grew up on Penang Island, in the Presgrave Street area. he started painting at 13, and enrolled at nanyang academy of Fine arts in Singapore. his

resume included being an art teacher at many schools and chief designer at TV malaysia based in Singapore. Tan has revealed that one has to be part and parcel of a moment to absorb its moods. Focusing on the older part of Penang, he ships us into the very thread of Penang life: the narrow alleyways at the Penang weld Quay waterfront, the grandeur of chinese temples and mosques, food hawker stalls and spaces where delinquents lingered. he would frequent the locale like armenian Street heritage houses, the alleys of Toh aka lane and love lane, and cannon Square. Tan relied on his eyes

and his trusty pair of legs to capture the architectural diversity in Penang. his brushstrokes play with light, local colours and decisive lines. his range of hues expressed his mastery of the brush. Spatial voids in his works showed his inclusion of the chinese brush aesthetic. he disfavoured definition and rather used fluidity to leave more for the imagination. Yong Mun Sen Born in 1896 in Kuching, Yong mun Sen’s life mission as an artist blossomed when he had a chance encounter with a japanese artist who was painting at his family’s plantation where he worked in The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Yong Mun Sen (B. 1886), The Woman, 1940, unsigned, oil on board

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1910. a neighbouring Dutchman who presented Yong with a set of watercolours allowed him to experiment. To supplement his income, he worked at a bookshop, opened up a photographic studio in Penang and most importantly, he became a self-taught artist. It was at these venues, that he found the opportunity to showcase his works to the public. his legacy lies in his predomination over his watercolours. with a mix of western impressionism and the chinese calligraphy aesthetic, he garnered fans as far as the uS, australia and the uK. Yong would often set up his easel and camp stool with brush at hand swiftly when a scene commences to speak to his soul. It was his identification in their struggles that make subjects like fishermen in seaside villages, farmers in the paddy fields and labourers in plantations take centre stage in his work. his transmission provides the viewer with an immaculate escape; a breath of fresh air

or to remind us to break away from the hectic pace of life. Yong also sketched in pencil and charcoal and painted in oils. although being touted as the first known painter and artist in malaysian modern art, Yong’s life in his later years were burdened with poverty, illness, depression and despair. he died in 1962 from stomach cancer. The Show... If you find these artists’ works interesting, do visit them from 28 February to 11 march 2011 at metro Fine art, Ground Floor, legend hotel, 100, jalan Putra, 50350 Kuala lumpur, malaysia, and experience a journey through antiquity at this not-tobe-missed show, malaysian art Part I: The revival, Featuring the works of Yong mun Sen, Kuo ju Ping and Tan choon Ghee. Opening hours: 11.30am – 5pm (Mon-Fri) 11am – 4pm (Sat) Closed on Sundays and on public holidays

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HIAB training

HIAB Halal training in action

Japan: Potential to be the next world Halal provider? The japan halal association (jha) has recently become officially a non-profit organisation (nPo). The approval from osaka city was announced on 13 December 2010. The association is a halal certification body whose staff has been trained by jaKIm (Department of Islamic Development malaysia) and International halal Integrity (IhI) alliance to adopt the international halal standards. It is today the only association with the expertise in halal certification in japan. japan counts about 100,000 muslims who have difficulty finding halal food in japan. www.halaljournal.com

Not only is the Halal concept unknown to the society, but there is also a big lack of knowledge about the religion itself. In the past few years, the Muslim population, especially among Japanese nationals, has been increasing dramatically, as well as Muslim expatriates who are working or studying in Japan. Thus, the need for halal food has increased in parallel. however, japan hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet developed the platform for halal standards to meet this increasing demand and provide halal food on the

Japan counts about 100,000 Muslims who have difficulty finding Halal food in Japan. market. Therefore, JHA was established to answer to this increasing demand by providing its expertise and advice about Halal standards and train local food companies prior to granting them certification, which will allow them to supply halal food not only on the Japanese market but also overseas where demand is also increasing at a fast pace. The halal standards is not

limited only to food chain suppliers but can be developed in tourism, cosmetics, logistics, trading and drug industries. jha aims at working closely with the japanese government to contribute to the national interests. With its manufacturing capabilities and technology, as well as increasing trends in innovative and healthy products, Japan will soon be the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top quality Halal provider. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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EVENT: HALAL INDUSTRY & ITS SERVICES CONFERENCE DATE: 24 - 26 JANUARY 2011 VENUE: HOLIDAY INN HOTEL AL-SALMIYAH, KUWAIT

The ancient name of ‘halal Food’ became part of the ‘halal industry and its services’ that focuses on producing and marketing ‘halal Products’ and ‘halal Services’, which covers a wide range and variety of food products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, skin and body care products. The global Halal industry and its services is a component of the global economy, with a 2011 estimated market size as posted by many economists of about USD640 billion, serving about 1.57 billion Muslim consumers around the world. Therefore, many multinational companies are coming to understand the potentials and the importance of the halal industry and its services. The main organisers of the ‘halal Industry and its Services conference’ are the ministry of awqaf and Islamic affairs of Kuwait, Kuwait Institute for Scientific research, and Gcc Standardization organization. This conference has been cooperating with specialised organisations in this area, such as Kuwait awqaf Public Foundation, the Public authority for Industry in Kuwait, halal Industry Development corporation of malaysia, International halal Integrity alliance, and the awareness organisation and muslim consumer advocacy (aSIDcom, France). The primary objectives of this conference are: • To provide accurate and up to date information on the halal Industry and its services. • To identify the legitimacy of the use of all types stunning and mechanical slaughtering and the use of najs (non-pure) and haram (unlawful) materials in the halal industry. • To acquaint participants with the techno-economic aspects of the halal industry and its The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

services, and to highlight on its proper financing policies. • To propose recommendations that will align the halal Industry and services according to Islamic teachings, and help to formulate international halal standards. most important topics to be discussed: • Halal industry and its services: Introduction and terminology. • The chemical status of the components of foods, food additives, medicines and cosmetics. • Halal international specifications and their application in the Islamic world. • Discussion of the legality for the use of Stunning (electric shock, and concussion), and the concept of Istihala. • Halal industry and its services: Its leaders, obstacles and solutions. • Analytical results by modern techniques: what do they tell us, and how can they be religiously interpreted. • Economical, commercial, and educational aspects of the halal industry and its services. • A number of viable recommendations aimed to promote the legitimacy concept and safety of the halal industry and its services. Arabic and English will be the official languages used throughout the conference. Instantaneous interpreting for both languages will be available. There will also be an exhibition accompanying the conference to display halal products, services, and the industry. For more information, log on to http://q8halal.com/ q8halal/orga.html or contact Dr. hani mansour al-mazeedi at mazeedi@hotmail.com.

Malaysia hosts 1st World Conference on Riba “Eminent thought-leaders in Islamic banking and finance to have an in-depth and comprehensive deliberation on riba from all perspectives” The 1st world conference on riba held on 1 and 2 november 2010 at the Putra world Trade centre (PwTc) in Kuala lumpur, malaysia, saw the gathering of eminent scholars, business and industry leaders, politicians and government officers, policy makers and regulators, general public and students from all over the world. The two-day conference kicked off at the PwTc’s Tun hussein onn hall with a keynote address delivered by the former Prime minister of malaysia, Tun Dr. mahathir mohamad. Tun Dr. mahathir brought up the grave state the global economy is in: “The uS Dollars depreciation created problems for other countries. To overcome this loss of competitiveness, many countries devalued their currencies. This has precipitated a currency war which threatens to worsen the global crisis. I have already touched on sub-prime loans, currency trading and hedge funds and the effect on the economies of the countries of the world. one of the many drawbacks of the globalised world is the tendency of disasters in one corner of it to rapidly spread globally.”

“Bailouts and economic stimulus packages but minus debt relieves seem not a truly economic solution but rather a political one, that is likely to continue to pull down the global economy,”

“It is for this reason that the international community must participate in resolving problems affecting any part of the world. Choosing a few likeminded and easily manipulated countries to work out a solution for the present global economic crisis will not yield the kind of global solution that is needed. As a result, we are likely to see a prolonged economic crisis, which will recur because the solutions are going to be for the good of a privileged few only.” Tun Dr. mahathir ended his keynote address affirming that the present global economic crisis is not getting better, but is actually getting worse. conference chairman, Professor Dr. ahamed Kameel mydin meera, said it is more important now than before to discuss the issue of riba amid signals of another financial crisis brewing. Despite constant reports on the economic recovery, he said, many economists believed that the world is up for another crisis as unemployment rates remain a prickly issue in most developed countries. “Bailouts and economic stimulus packages but minus debt relieves seem not a truly economic solution but rather a political one, that is likely to continue to pull down the global economy,” he added. From an economic standpoint it is “worrisome” as a lot of countries do not have the financial strength to dish out stimulus packages as it has done previously. Prof. Dr. ahamed added that the collapse came about due to the failure of the real economy to service www.halaljournal.com

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“Nonetheless, the present Islamic banking and finance does still have a flaw in itself, i.e. its money is not anchored to the real economy, much the same as in the conventional system.

the mounting debt. “In conventional monetary system, money is almost synonym with debt. The destruction and shrinkage of money supply is, therefore, what the credit crunch is all about and accordingly, the ‘refusal’ of banks to lend money. And the bailouts simply replace the money that had earlier been destroyed.” he went on to say, “we www.halaljournal.com

need to recognise that at the root of the entire monetary fiasco is the characteristic of the monetary system where fiat money is mostly issued in the form of debt with compounded interest or riba imposed on it. This places an exponentially growing debt burden on the real productive economy.” according to Prof. Dr. ahamed, since Islamic finance is an asset-based rather than a debt-based system, the lack

of debt and the direct link to real assets that provide it with stability and guard it against the many malaise associated with indebtedness. “nonetheless, the present Islamic banking and finance does still have a flaw in itself, i.e. its money is not anchored to the real economy, much the same as in the conventional system. There will be an indepth deliberation on whether the Islamic monetary and economic system is a solution to the current economic crisis during this conference.” according to the organising committee chairman, Shirazdeen adam Shah, the conference is about looking into Islamic finance as one of the solutions for the problem and not as the onlY solution. “There will be a comprehensive discussion on riba, not only from the Islamic perspective but also from the Christian point-of-view as the distinguished speakers are from varied backgrounds.” They include renowned British writer-scholar, rodney Shakespeare, who delivered a talk on ‘Global Economic crisis: causes and responses from a christian Perspective’ and leader of the Islamic Party of Britain, David musa Pidcock who presented on ‘riba and the new Global order.’ Some of the speakers who also presented on this issue were: chief minister of Perak, YaB Datuk Seri Zambry abdul Kadir; rector of Kolej universiti Islam

Selangor, Professor Dato’ Dr aziuddin ahmad; associate Professor Dr Yassin Dutton from the university of cape Town; and the chairman of ansar co-operative housing ltd Toronto, Pervez nasim. Shiraz added that the findings from the conference would be compiled into a book for the benefit of all and for further deliberations. There was an overwhelming response for the conference, with participants from all over the world including the united States, nigeria, the united Kingdom, canada, jordan, Indonesia and Singapore among the 200 who attended. The conference was organised by Thinkers Trends resources, while the co-organiser is International Islamic university malaysia’s Kulliyyah of Economics and management Sciences. The conference reached the following resolution:: 1. riba is an enormously important issue affecting humankind today. The struggle against riba is necessary to establish just, stable and sustainable economic systems that contributes towards peace and prosperity of the humankind. 2. The issue of riba needs to be continuously deliberated upon, and call for papers for the second conference has been announced. 3. a network of nGos, religious organisations, academic institutions, government institutions and individuals with common interest must be established to address and find solutions to the issue of riba. 4. Systematic and effective ways must be established to educate the public, from the primary level, on the issue of riba. 5. People should be given the freedom to choose their medium of exchange. more information can be obtained www.worldribaconference.org. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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Group photo of International Delegates during the visit to Islamic Chamber of Commerce.

Pakistan’s 1st Global Halal Congress – A successful conclusion The 1st Global halal congress concluded successfully in Karachi on 4 December 2010, with participation of over 28 delegates from 17 countries with the Grand mufti of Bosnia-herzegovina, Dr. mustafa ceric, as the guest of honour. The chief Guest, Dr. Fehmida mirza, Speaker national assembly, Government of Pakistan, said that Trade Development authority of Pakistan (TDaP) is drafting up a halal certification Bill with an aim to give a better exposure to Pakistan’s exports to fulfil the requirements for the consumers of halal products and services. That is comprised of one fourth of the world’s total population. “once the drafting of the said Bill in consultation with all stakeholders get completed by TDaP, it would be tabled before the national assembly to make it into law,” she said. She further said the world had undergone tremendous changes and there was rapid increase in demand for consumer goods and hoped that promotion of Halal certified foods and services would open up new vistas for Pakistan’s exports. She also praised the efforts of halal Development council (hDc), a Pakistani The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

nGo dedicated to the development of the halal Economy. She said that hDc was also planning to organise Pakistan’s 1st Global halal Expo in lahore in 2011 and said that she hoped TDaP would extend the same support to hDc to make halal Expo a success for Pakistan. In his keynote address, the Grand mufti of Bosniaherzegovina, Dr. mustafa ceric, called upon the muslim ummah to spread peace and harmony in the world with the halal movement with the message to use and consume whatever is halal and Thoyib. he also said

that there is great demand of halal food in Europe where large populations belong to muslim emigrants. he also advised muslims to make halal food and other services attractive for consumers just as the haram products are made attractive for consumers to capture the markets. Dr. Ceric recommended that Halal food should be made tasty, pleasant and nice looking with no chemicals to attract consumers the world over, adding that his country is indebted to Pakistanis for their whole-hearted support

to Bosnia-herzegovina during the Bosnian war in 1992. mr. nisar Khoro, Speaker Sindh assembly and acting Governor of Sindh, said that the halal congress was a good platform to explore the hidden and open commercial opportunities among muslim and non-muslim worlds. he congratulated the organiser for holding such an important event in Pakistan inviting delegates from all over the world. mr. humayun aziz Kurd, the Federal minister for livestock, Government of Pakistan, said that the government fully supports

From left to right (top): Mr. D.M. Qureshi, Chairman, halal Development Council, Mr. Vernon osborne, Director, STrC-research limited, uK, Dr. Saber Khan, Director, ethnic Focus (research & Intelligence), uK, Mr. Tariq Iqbal Puri, Chief executive, Trade Development authority of Pakistan (TDaP), Mr. humayun aziz Kurd, Federal Minister for livestock, Government of Pakistan, Mr. nisar Khoro, Speaker Sindh assembly and acting Governor Sindh, honorable Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker national assembly, Government of Pakistan, his eminence Dr. Mustufa Ceric, The Grand Mufti of Bosnia & herzegovina, Mr. asad Sajjad, Secretary General / Ceo, halal Development Council (hDC), honorable YB haji abdul Malik Kassim, Minister of Penang State Government, Malaysia, Mr. Saeed navlakhi, Theological Director, Sanha, South africa, Mr. Darhim hashim, Ceo, IhI alliance, Malaysia, Dr. S. Zenaida laidan, regional Director, Department of Science & Technology, Philippines.

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He also advised Muslims to make Halal food and other services attractive for consumers just as the Haram products are made attractive for consumers to capture the markets. the cause of halal movement and entering into the trillion dollar world halal market. he said that in order to promote exports of halal meat and poultry, his ministry has initiated rs 1.5 billion project to enhance livestock production in Pakistan and to encourage the export of halal meat, the government has declared machinery for slaughter houses as duty free. The chief Executive of TDaP, mr. Tariq Iqbal Puri, said that TDaP is fully determined to make Pakistan a halal hub in the region and one day the country would be able to establish halal Pakistan as a brand in the world halal economy. He said that there are vast opportunities in Halal markets and the exporters should strive hard to fetch their due share. he said that the bill in this regard, to be tabled in the national assembly, would be prepared by TDaP and it would be called the Bill of halal certification. mr. asad Sajjad, Secretary General/ cEo of halal Development council (hDc), in his welcome address, said, halal is a trillion dollar market globally, and the “halal Brand” is recognised as a symbol of ‘Good Quality Product, so non-muslims also buy products with the halal logo. he said that hDc was registered as an nGo to facilitate the suppliers and exporters by providing platforms for halal awareness, compliance, Standards, certification, Branding, marketing, research, halal industrial development; and after successfully organising the region’s biggest halal congress, hDc will continue its efforts to create awareness in Pakistan regarding the Power of halal brand and awareness in the world about www.halaljournal.com

Pakistan’s potential to supply halal certified products to the world. he said that the next Global halal congress and Expo would be held in lahore next year. mir hazar Khan Bijarani, minister of Industries & Production, Government of Pakistan, spoke at the concluding session of the congress. he congratulated the halal Development council and TDaP who jointly organised the biggest halal conference of this region and opened the doors for Pakistan to enter the trillion dollar global halal market. mr Bijarani thanked the foreign delegates for attending the 1st Global halal congress and distributed mementos to all who were present. The participants unanimously agreed upon the following resolution presented at the end of the congress: 1. To increase awareness among the industry about the benefits of halal branding and compliance through certification in order to compete in the global market. 2. The Government of Pakistan to set up a programme to accredit halal certification bodies. 3. The Government of Pakistan to implement stricter food import requirements to ensure halal compliance. 4. To give more focus on value-added products through research and development, engagement with the industry and support from the Government of Pakistan. 5. To coordinate with the Financial Services industry to increase awareness on the availability of Islamic financial products. 6. The relevant government agencies support innovation in halal lifestyle areas such as recreational, beauty, wellness and pharmaceutical products. 7. The Government of Pakistan engages its relevant agencies to facilitate participation of the private sector in halal product export promotion activities.

EVENT: HALAL & ISLAMIC PRODUCTS (HIP) EXPO 2011 DATE: 15 - 17 FEBRUARY 2011 VENUE: WWW.HIPEXPO.COM

“HIP Expo’s first edition will take place in a virtual environment,” said mrs. annamaria Tiozzo, hIP Expo President, “to allow one million visitors from all over the world to enter the fair for free. The aim of the expo is to be a window for the Islamic world and to promote business exchanges with and between Islamic countries”. hIP Expo will be a social, innovative and green endeavour, by creating a virtual, interactive 3D expo, hosted on the amazing technology platform created by hyperfair (an Italian company incubated in the prestigious Politecnico di milano university). with exceptional media coverage and the support of 50 chambers of commerce, halal certification agencies, and Government offices for tourism, trade and investments, hIP Expo’s aim is not only to promote trade between and with Islamic countries, but also to bridge the gap between different behaviours. The virtual fair will give a sort of big picture on preferences and needs of the global Islamic consumers. The fair is divided into seven pavilions: halal food and feed; cosmetics and pharmaceuticals; Islamic fashion and luxury; Islamic finance; Islamic tourism; Islamic services; and the youth pavilion. A cross between a trade fair and an advertising campaign, the virtual peculiarity of this trade fair makes it accessible to all companies. annamaria Tiozzo, hIP Expo President, said, “making a virtual trade fair is giving us the chance to attract both traders and consumers. This event is not aimed to substitute the real trade show, but to give halal products and services a worldwide reach”. hIP Expo will allow a million people from all over the world to enter the expo for free (alternatively they can choose to pay for trade entrance) from

wherever they are so long as there is internet connection. Visitors to the trade fair must connect to hIP Expo website (www.hipexpo.com) during the dates of the expo (from 8 am to 8 pm Greenwich time) where visitors will be able to perform all the activities of a ‘real’ event. Thanks to their avatar (virtual identity), visitors and exhibitors will be able to interact with each other via chat and video chat e.g. exchange business cards, open catalogues, handle 3D products, get virtual gadgets, and so on.

“Making a virtual trade fair is giving us the chance to attract both traders and consumers. This event is not aimed to substitute the real trade show, but to give Halal products and services a worldwide reach”. Visitors will also be able to attend webinars, workshops, new product presentations, fashion shows and much more. once the visit is over, visitors and exhibitors can easily collect all the information they are interested in (contacts, catalogues, advertising, conversations). After the expo, company details will be published free-of-charge in the 2011-2012 Edition of the prestigious Halal SME Report & Directory (read more on page 60), which will be distributed in malaysia and 10 other countries. additionally, a charity campaign will be conducted at every hIP Expo annually; for this 2011 edition, it will be in favour of the Pakistan population, which was impacted by severe natural disaster. log on to www.hipexpo. com for more information or contact info@hipexpo.com or annamaria@hipexpo.com. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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Europe: Consumer goods industry announces initiatives on climate protection Retailers and manufacturers to halt deforestation practices and phase out climate damaging refrigerants In a new EDhEc-risk Institute Publication, entitled “adoption of Green Investing by Institutional Investors: a European Survey”, EDhEcrisk review the concept of green investing and report the results of a European survey on investment management professionals. One of the key results of the survey is that green investing is a significant movement in which survey respondents are heavily involved in. In fact, nearly 90 per cent of respondents consider environmental protection an investment theme and the same percentage plans to do more green investing in the future. The results of the survey show that the most popular green theme is climate change: 81.5 per cent of the respondents who take green investing into account are concerned with climate change. other environmental

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themes such as water management, anti-pollution measures, and improvement of processes are also frequently taken into account by the majority of respondents. The survey also found that investors define green investing in different ways. EDhEc-risk focus first on the definitions and concept of sustainable development, and the results show that these may not be entirely clear for respondents. Another widely-used term for making extrafinancial information an integral part of investment decision making is socially responsible investment (SRI). For a clear majority (61.9 per cent), sustainable development and socially responsible investment are two identical concepts. Such disagreement on basic definitions may further compound the fundamental difficulty of using extra-

financial information in the investment process. Survey results show that the main obstacle to green investing is the lack of credible standards for defining and assessing green investments. 50 per cent of respondents report that this is the biggest obstacle to their adopting green investing criteria. The main conclusion to this survey is that before the green investment segment can sustain further growth, work towards a sound conceptual underpinning of the green investing approach will have to be done. Furthermore, investors should always have rigorous and well-defined investment processes and analyses, besides their good intentions to be responsible to the planet and to society. a copy of “adoption of Green Investing by Institutional Investors: a European Survey”

can be downloaded from www. edhec-risk.com. This study will be featured at the Green Investing conference, which will be held at the nice campus of EDhEc Business School on 10 December 2010. EDhEc-risk Institute is part of EDhEc Business School, one of Europe’s leading business schools and a member of the select group of academic institutions worldwide to have earned the triple crown of international accreditations (aacSB, EQuIS, association of mBas). Established in 2001, EDhEc-risk Institute has become the premier European centre for financial research and its applications to the industry. In partnership with large financial institutions, its team of 56 permanent professors, engineers and support staff implements six research programmes and eleven research chairs focusing on asset allocation and risk management in the traditional and alternative investment universes. The results of the research programmes and chairs are disseminated through the three EDhEc-risk Institute locations in london, nice and Singapore.

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HaPPEnIngs EVENT: 2ND PENANG INTERNATIONAL HALAL EXPO AND CONFERENCE (PIHEC) DATE: 25 - 27 FEBRUARY 2011 VENUE: EXPO: PENANG INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ARENA, MALAYSIA | CONFERENCE: EASTIN HOTEL, PENANG, MALAYSIA

2nd PIHEC ready to set sail The Penang State Government, through its dedicated halal agency, PIhh Development Sdn Bhd (also known as halal Penang), is spearheading the promotion and development of the halal industry regionally and globally. PIHH provides total supply chain for industry clusters encompassing manufacturing, logistics, agro-based, life sciences, finance, human capital, tourism and related services. To ensure that the Penang halal industries and businesses are able to tap into the trillion dollar global halal market, PIhh is organising the second Penang International halal Expo and conference (PIhEc 2011) for the local SmEs as well as regional players. The Expo... The three-day expo is scheduled from 25-27 February 2011, and aims to showcase 150 exhibitors, as a concerted effort to energise trade amongst the muslims and non-muslims both locally and internationally. The expo will provide the ultimate platform for companies producing halal-certified products and services to conduct permissive faceto-face marketing activities directly to the end consumers and trade buyers. PIhEc 2011 will also provide a learning platform for local entrepreneurs to learn about the market, as well as procedures and assistance from the state and federal governments. Therefore, companies producing halal- certified products and services are encouraged to participate in this incentive-driven consumer exhibition, especially those interested in gauging the Penang halal market. The Conference... a one-day conference will be www.halaljournal.com

PIHH provides total supply chain for industry clusters encompassing manufacturing, logistics, agrobased, life sciences, finance, human capital, tourism and related services. held in conjunction with the expo on 26 February 2011 at Eastin hotel in Penang, malaysia. The conference provides a platform for scientists, researchers, scholars, academicians, and the industry players to meet, discuss and exchange ideas on new research findings, emerging technologies, trends, issues and challenges within the global halal industry. Themed ‘creating opportunities Through halal research’, the conference will comprise of two parallel tracts namely ‘halal r&D and commercialisation’,

and ‘halal Science, Innovation and Shariah’. ‘halal r&D and commercialisation’ will feature the role of R&D as the backbone of the Halal industry that can enable the industry to climb up the value ladder, and how r&D can be an investment opportunity for investors to leverage on in terms of products, processes, innovations, and improvements. meanwhile, the ‘halal Science, Innovation and Shariah’ tract will feature the latest updates, developments, and

research findings in Halal Science and R&D in accordance with Shariah requirements. The conference’s speakers will consist of successful researchers and experts from malaysia, Thailand and Pakistan, amongst others, and should be attended by, but not limited to, those from universities and research institutes, halal companies (mncs/ SmEs), government departments/ agencies, trade associations, Islamic associations, science community, as well as the business community. For more information log on to www.halalpenang.com. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

happenings

Serving the global community The International Halal Integrity Alliance ( IhI allIancE ) is an international, non-profit initiative created to present the international halal industry players with one definitive voice. The IhI allIancE’s mission is to strengthen the halal market and uphold the integrity of halal for the benefit of all.

01 3rd BIM P-EAGA HA LAL INDU STRY WORKSHOP IN CAGAYAN DE ORO

The International halal Integrity alliance (IhI alliance) and German Society for Technical cooperation (GTZ) recently organised the third leg of the BImP-EaGa halal Industry workshop. It was held for two days on 5 and 6 october 2010 at harbor lights hotel in cagayan de oro, the northern area of the autonomous region of muslim mindanao, Philippines. The workshop was hosted by the Philippine’s Department of agriculture regional Field unit 9 and 10, through the agribusiness & marketing assistance Division (amaD) and livestock Division of the agency, as part of its effort in promoting the growth of the country’s Halal The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

industry. The regional Director of Philippines Department of agriculture, lealyn ramos; PhilippinesBImP-EaGa natural resources Development cluster head of Delegation, oscar Parawan, and Executive Director of the Philippines national commission on muslim Filipinos, Datu Tahir Sinsuat lidasan, were present. leading the speakers’ delegation from IhI alliance was Dino Khalid, Senior manager for Standards and Systems Development, together with mariam abdul latif (IhI alliance’s advisor for halal Integrity), mohd roslan mohd Saludin (Secretary of the Shariah advisory council of QSr Brands, owner of KFc holdings (malaysia) Bhd), and associate Professor Dr. Irwandi jaswir from the International Islamic

university of malaysia (IIum). Philippines in recent years have been taking more initiatives in developing the country’s Halal industry following the lead of many of its counterparts in South East Asia. recently, under the new administration, the national commission on muslim Filipinos (ncmF) has been officially tasked to develop the country’s

capacity for halal industry in technical, regulatory and monitoring functions as well as promotional activities. B I M P - E AG A HA L AL I N D U STRY WO R K SHO P C O N C LU D E D I N KOTA K I NA BA LU

october 2010 saw the BImP-EaGa halal Industry workshop make its last stop in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in

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happenings

malaysia, after three successful events in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and the Philippines. The fourth of the workshop series, aimed to develop BIMP-EAGA’s regional capacity for Halal poultry production to become globally competitive, was held at the hyatt regency Kinabalu on 18 and 19 october 2010 with a packed house of participants ranging from local abattoir owners, businessmen and representatives from government agencies. jointly organised by the ministry of agriculture and Food Industry Sabah, the first day of the workshop was packed with presentations from some of the most prominent figures in the local halal industry including mariam abdul latif, IhI alliance’s advisor for halal Integrity; Professor Dr. Zulkifli Idrus, Director of the research management centre, university Putra malaysia; mohd roslan mohd Saludin, Secretary of the Shariah advisory council of QSr Brands, owner of KFc holdings (malaysia) Bhd; and Dr. nor azman ngah, a qualified DVm (Doctor of Veterinary medicine) and General manager of halal Industry Development corporation (hDc) halal Park management. 03

on the second day of the workshop, participants were given a guided tour of a local halal poultry producing plant located just on the outskirts of the city, to witness closely the Halal production line of the plant, which is also one of the main suppliers for KFC Malaysia. 1ST TE C HN IC A L ME E TIN G FO R MU SL I M FRIE N DLY HO SP ITAL I TY SE RVIC E S GU IDE L I N E

The halal Industry research centre of International Islamic university malaysia (IIum) recently hosted IhI alliance’s 1st technical committee meeting for muslim-Friendly hospitality Services Guideline in Kuala lumpur, malaysia. chaired by Dr. noriah ramli of IIum, the meeting gathered representatives from the Department of Islamic Development malaysia (jaKIm), halal Industry Development corporation (hDc), Faculty of hotel and Tourism of mara university of Technology, and ministry of higher Education malaysia. International participation came from the Department of Tourism of the Philippines and The halal journal award winner, crescentrating, a muslim-friendly travel services provider from Singapore.

The development of the draft standard aims to provide requirements and procedures in managing public facilities, Muslim tour packages and spa and wellness/ beauty centres that cater to Muslim tourists in compliance with the principles of Shariah. The half-day meeting discussed in-depth, among others, on critical areas of the standards development i.e. definition, principles, components, process flow, framework and timeline of the module. I HI A L L I A N C E AT THE WO R L D HA L A L FO RU M E U RO P E 2 0 1 0

The world halal Forum (whF) Europe 2010 marked a new dawn for the global halal industry with a four-way agreement signed between IhI alliance, the Islamic Society of north america (ISna), the american halal association (aha) and the muslim council of Britain (mcB) to collaborate on harmonising Halal standards and formation of a network of national Halal accreditation bodies. mcB’s Deputy Secretary General, Dr Shuja Shafi; Executive Director of ISna Development Foundation,

ahmed El-hattab; President of the aha, ahmad adam; and cEo of IhI alliance, Darhim hashim, signed the agreement on the second day of the Forum during the final session before a crowd of Europe’s most prominent halal industry players, decision makers, and scholars. whF Europe 2010, united Kingdom’s first major halal event, was held in london on 10-11 november 2010 with the theme ‘halal Products and Services – Going mainstream’. hosted by IhI alliance, this year’s regional edition drew a wide range of expertise of speakers, panellists and participants from businesses and organisations across Europe, australia, South East asia and north america (read more on page 58). on the first day of the Forum, four members of IhI alliance, All Things Halal of United Kingdom, Halal Audit Company of Holland, Halal Italia of Italy, and Halal Institute of Spain received their certificate of Associate Member after months of stringent reviews and evaluation in their first phase of the IHI Alliance Accreditation Programme. Darhim presented the certificates after the keynote address by the Special advisor to the muslim council of Britain, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, who also witnessed the ceremony.

01 Q&A session at the third leg of the BIMP-EAGA Halal Industry Workshop in Cagayan de Oro, Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Philippines 02 Group photo on the first day of BIMP-EAGA Halal Industry Workshop in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah – the last of the four events conducted in the sub-regional economic region 03 Participants at the 1st MuslimFriendly Hospitality Services Guideline module hosted by the Halal Industry Research Centre of International Islamic University of Malaysia www.halaljournal.com

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

hAppeninGs

I HI ALLIANCE AT I N-COSM ETICS A SIA , BANGKOK

In-cosmetics asia, the region’s most popular event for cosmetics and personal care, ended with a new record number of 4,961 visitors with large international participation from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore and South Korea. held on 2-4 november in Bangkok, Thailand, the halal market for cosmetics was presented under the segment of marketing Trends to give the latest developments in the market with practical advice on how companies can capitalise on them. Speaking for the first time at the event was cEo of IhI alliance, Darhim hashim, who presented a paper entitled

‘halal cosmetics: Embracing universal Values’. his paper examined the challenges and opportunities in the emerging market of halal cosmetics and personal care with highlights on issues involving compliance with standards, new global trends amongst Muslim communities and manufacturing restrictions for those eyeing this niche market. another interesting look at the halal cosmetics market came from john Goodman of ogilvy & mather, who attributed the potential success of any cosmetics brand in venturing into the market to their fundamental understanding of the underlying ideas and Islamic values at the heart of a modern muslim lifestyle.

IhI Around the Globe 11-12 January 2011 3rd AGRIFOOD SAFETY CONFERENCE 2011 Event profile: Slated to be held at Legend Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, this two-day conference aims to facilitate food safety capacity building and tackle some of the pressing issues currently faced by the food industry. Interesting topics to be covered include harmonisation of food safety and quality standards, emerging trends and challenges in food safety standards, penetrating into international shores through safety standards, branding of food safety standards, crisis management, as well as food packaging and labelling issues. IHI Alliance CEO, Darhim Hashim, is scheduled to speak at this conference. 8 – 10 February 2011 FOOD & HOSPITALITY EXPO 2011, BAHRAIN, KUWAIT Event profile: Each year, Food & Hospitality Expo, Bahrain, has been held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and fully supported by Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The Expo is the country’s premier business to business networking opportunity for all professionals, globally bringing together food producers, distributors, refrigeration experts, packaging experts, kitchen and food manufacturing equipment producers, kitchen and food manufacturing equipment producers, caterers, hoteliers, hygiene experts, chefs and business owners from the industry.

17 – 20 February 2011 2ND HALAL FOOD EXHIBITION, TEHRAN, IRAN Event profile: Organised by Modiran Company, Iran’s 2nd Halal Food Exhibition will be taking place at Tehran Permanent Fair Ground in Tehran. This annual show is expected to showcase all the food products and household consumable goods in Iran with the gathering of manufacturers, trade consulates, importers, trade associations, distributors, trade consultants, wholesalers, hoteliers, exporters, restaurateurs, retailers, departmental stores, traders, investors, ministries, fund managers, government institutions, agents, embassies and the media, all under one roof. 27 February – 2 March 2011 GULFOOD DUBAI Event profile: The most eagerly anticipated event in the calendar of the region, Gulfood is the industry meeting place and has been the biggest sales and sourcing platform for the food and beverage industry with a track record of hosting an incredible 3,500 exhibitors, 81 international pavilions, and welcomes over 55,000 buyers from 152 countries. Benefit from the region’s premier knowledge exchange at the Gulfood Conference, and celebrate excellence at the Gulfood Awards and Emirates International Salon Culinaire.

04 New associate members of IHI Alliance received their certificate at the launch of WHF Europe 2010. Witnessing the ceremony were Sir Iqbal Sacranie, of Muslim Council of Britain (third from the right), and Hajjah Jumaatun Azmi, Founder of the WHF 05 The signing ceremony of a four-way agreement between IHI Alliance, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the American Halal Association (AHA) and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) at the second World Halal Forum (WHF) Europe in London The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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Happenings

Malaysia: First-of-its-kind seminar on guidelines for Halal restaurants

KasehDia in partnership with International halal Integrity alliance (IhI alliance) and the Department of Islamic Development malaysia (jaKIm) kicked off a series of seminars specifically targeted at restaurant owners, with the maiden one-day seminar held in Putrajaya, malaysia, on 20 December 2010 to a fully packed hall. The ‘Seminar Panduan restoran halal’ was held in response to the growing interest amongst restaurateurs and foodservice operators in obtaining halal certification through jaKIm but uncertain of the processes and requirements. Having identified the challenges in obtaining Halal certification and leveraging on JAKIM’s keen interest in ensuring a high number of JAKIMcertified restaurants, KasehDia in collaboration with JAKIM aims to bridge the gap in providing consultancy to the industry. This partnership, together with IhI alliance as the global halal authority provides the opportunity to take this idea to other parts of the world where KasehDia is able to work with existing bodies according to local regulations to ensure halal integrity is maintained www.halaljournal.com

at all levels of the value chain. “For the past five years, we have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and give the global Halal industry a shape, value and identity. I think we have achieved that. The next step is to tackle issues on the grassroots level, and for Malaysia, the issues lie in the technical component. As such, we are collaborating with JAKIM to close this gap and bring better understanding of the processes within Halal certification through this series of seminars,” said hajjah jumaatun azmi, Founder and managing Director of KasehDia Sdn Bhd. This first standalone ‘Seminar Panduan Restoran Halal’ was a special programme on Halal awareness for the foodservice industry, and stemmed from KasehDia’s renowned ‘Halal Guide Series’, which is a multi-faceted international initiative that started with the publication of the world’s first series of ‘halal Food Guides’ that reviews and lists restaurants and eateries that fall under three main categories:

jaKIm halal certified, other certification Bodies halal certified, and muslim-owned. The ‘halal Food Guides’ has since grown organically to include the coveted ‘halal restaurant awards’ which is a recognition for those already halal certified in the foodservice industry, and now includes an educational facet with the first series of ‘halal Guides Seminars’ in malaysia. apart from propagating the importance of the malaysian halal logo, the seminar also introduced the ‘Halal 2.0 Operations Guide – For Foodservices’. Developed for reference and use during the seminar, it is a first of its kind, stepby-step guide benefiting

anyone who is in the Halal foodservice industry. using creative communication methods to facilitate industry understanding and further strengthen industry participation in malaysia, this guidebook aims to educate on the concepts of Halal and teach the reader on ways to implement Halal throughout their foodservice operations. This first standalone ‘Seminar Panduan restoran halal’ was preceded by the first seminar held as part of jaKIm’s 1malaysia 1halal campaign in Paroi, negeri Sembilan, malaysia. These seminars are planned to be held alongside jaKIm’s 1malaysia 1halal roadshows, as well as held independently nationwide starting with Putrajaya. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

in Motion p l a c e s

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By Zaahira Muhammad

A Soiree in

MauriTiuS

s one of the most stunning islands in the world, mauritius offers a great deal of tourist attractions for one to visit which includes beaches, wildlife parks/ reserves, religious spots, and historical sites. a trip to mauritius is sure to be relaxing, insightful, and funfilled! here are some travel tips, suggestions of places to visit, and what you need to know about mauritius before you head out for a meaningful soiree in mauritius.

The capital

Port louis, the capital of mauritius, is also one of the major tourist attractions in mauritius. apart from being the headquarters of administration, the city is home to a large number of interesting tourist spots which include the Government house, the municipal Theatre, the Supreme court and the natural history museum. There are also cathedrals and mosques to visit, as well as the mask museum which displays a collection of masks collected from all over the world. The jummah mosque has been around since the 1850s and is considered one of the oldest mosques in mauritius where tourists can admire the mosqueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful elements of moorish and mughal architecture.

Stunning beaches

when it comes to beaches, mauritius is the place to be, where the white sandy beaches and blue waters are a The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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In Motion p l a c e s

sight for sore eyes. Famous beaches of mauritius includes Grand Baie Beach, Belle mare Beach, mont choisy Beach, Pereybere Beach, Tamarin Beach, Flic-en Flac Beach and the list just goes on! Fun beach activities like boating, sailing, swimming, fishing and water skiing are available to be enjoyed and these beaches are also ideal for sunbathing and relaxing.

Journey back into time

There are many tourist spots which are known for their recreational value, be it historic or wildlife. historical sites of mauritius include Balaclava and Dutch ruins at Vieux Grand Port which offers travellers medieval history of mauritius. European settlements and monuments of the same period can be seen here as well. a visit to the naval museum in mahebourg reveals the

richness of the historical past of mahebourg which is named after one of the foremost figures in the history of mauritius. Triolet Shivala, the biggest hindu temple of the islands was built in Triolet in 1819. The temple is dedicated to the Gods Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu, muruga, Brahma and Ganesha. This place is also the longest village on the island. other noted pilgrimage sites include the Pere laval shrine and lake Bassin.

Wildlife attractions mauritius does not only offer beautiful historical sites, wildlife destinations can also be found here on this amazing island! major wildlife parks, like la Vanille crocodiles Park, Domaine du chasseur, Black river Gorges national Park and Ile aux aigrettes, which attract a lot of tourists should not be missed!

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Travel Tips

Always: • Keep an eye on all personal belongings at all times. • Be careful when withdrawing money from cash point. • Avoid wearing expensive jewellery. • Do not leave anything inside your car (should you decide to rent a car). • Use only recognised operators and suppliers for trips or purchases. • Keep your passports, plane tickets, jewellery of value and large sums of money in safe custody. • For sea excursions, do not rent boats with inadequate security standards. • During individual sea trips, always notify the person responsible for the boat house. • Do not go swimming in areas where it’s forbidden. • What to wear: When visiting Mauritius, casual clothing and beach wear is recommended. During winter (June, July and August), light woollen clothing are recommended for cool evenings.

Fast Facts

Survival guide

Language: Most people in Mauritius are bilingual and are equally fluent in English and French. Creole and French are the main languages in the everyday environment and several oriental languages are also spoken. Culture: Mauritius is a blend of diverse cultures and religions where the population consists of Hindus, Creole, Chinese, Muslims and Europeans. Climate: The temperature on the coastal areas varies between 22°C in winter and 34°C in summer. The sea temperature varies between 22°C and 27°C. In the central part of the island, the maximum daytime temperature varies from about 19°C in August to about 26°C in February. The western and northern regions are warmer and relatively drier than the East and South. Currency: The monetary unit is the Mauritian Rupee (Rs.)

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Useful tips when travelling in Mauritius

which is divided into 100 cents (cs). At the latest exchange rate, one Euro is worth around Rs. 30. Credit Cards: Credit cards are normally accepted by banks and most hotels, restaurants and tourist shops. Electricity: 220 volts Health: No vaccinations are required. However, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travellers over 1 year of age who arrive from areas where yellow fever cases are reported. Medical Services: Free public medical facilities are widely available. Private clinics provide medical services for a fee. Security: A tourist police service has been set up to ensure security in tourist zones. An anti-terrorist law has also been proclaimed. A specific law relating to all tourist activities and corrupt practices has also been voted.

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LandofEnchantment.com showcases New Mexico’s beauty On 16 December 2010, long-time photographer and 20+ years New Mexico resident Seth Jacob launched the website: www.landofenchantment.com. The site features stunning photography of the state of New Mexico.

over the past three years, jacob has travelled extensively taking photographs and capturing the essence of new mexico. “New Mexico is still a place many have not discovered,” Jacob explained. “The purpose of the site is to share the beauty and magic of the Land of Enchantment.” Features of the site include a photo gallery where people can purchase photographic prints, an e-card section where people can send land of enchantment e-postcards, and a ‘Sustainable new mexico’ directory featuring organisations committed to the sustainability of new mexico’s natural environment and cultural heritage. additionally, jacob has created a ‘journey across new mexico’ computer screensaver with over 200 images, which is available for purchase on the site. Future sections of landofEnchantment.com will include information on new mexico’s history and detailed information on the towns and cities of new mexico. “I’m hoping this site will serve as a catalyst for both residents and visitors to “Discover” New Mexico for themselves and become enchanted with our state,” he added. Image : Deborah Finnell The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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With power in your hands,

what would you do?

Film Title: haQ Genre: action-Fantasy Produced by: Kasehdia Pictures and Blackbox Pictures Directors: jumaatun azmi and cl hor Producer: jumaatun azmi co-Producer: nanu Baharudin Script: Kasehdia Scriptworks Original Concept: Brian Iskandar Zulkarim Directors of Photography: hoo Ee oo and Siew ming chai Guest Artist: Sean Ghazi Music Arrangement: Farul Farid Screenplay Editor: nur Bahariah hussein Acting Coach: Fatimah abu Bakar Main Cast: Zul huzaimy, adi Putra, nanu Baharudin, raja Farah, Fatimah abu Bakar, Zulkifli Ismail, ammar adli bin mohamed norin, and amirul adli bin mohamed norin Festivals & Awards: Best Screenplay at 23rd Malaysian Film Festival 2010

onsumed by hatred, man often takes the wrong path, away from God, and into evil ways to fulfil the insatiable need for destruction nurtured by hate. human values are dishonoured and brotherhood forgotten. this is the message intended by haQ , a film about the struggle of morality and the battle of inner values in the hands of two brothers with extraordinary powers, which will be shown in malaysian cinemas starting 27 january 2011. The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

haQ is the action-packed story of two brothers gifted with special powers, one good and the other evil, who must either overcome or succumb to their own demons when they finally confront each other. haq (Zul huzaimy), the more caring and responsible of the two, was born with a gift of special powers, like his father. It is a gift nurtured and treasured by his family, used only when required. But when haq fails to prevent his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death in a road tragedy, he denies his gift and tries to bury it. www.halaljournal.com

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Bad (adi Putra), who is greedy, impatient and ambitious, grew up as haq’s neighbour, coveting haq’s special powers. when Bad’s father dies, his family is adopted by haq’s; making the two young men brothers. This makes Bad hate haq even more and he runs away. The years pass. haq has turned into a businessman surpassed by none and loved by all. his tranquil life with his father is disrupted by the sudden appearance of a vengeful Bad, who has mysteriously acquired special powers of his own. Bad, motivated by greed, lust and hate, uses his abilities to amass wealth and power through murder, betrayal,

seduction and treachery. Bad uses his wiles to hurt the people closest to haq. haq has to rely on his suppressed powers to counter the damage caused by Bad. Bad succeeds in luring haq into a situation where haq has no choice but to confront Bad in a spectacular final showdown that pits each man against the other in a battle of super power and might. will the reluctant haq succeed in realising the potential of his gift and protecting his loved ones or will the hatred burning inside Bad consume everything in his path? For both men, the power is in their hands, the choice is theirs.

S u C H

Sami Yusuf ’s new album:

Wherever You Are Genre: Spiritique Hometown: london, united Kingdom rECorD LaBEL: etM internAtionAl

Sami YuSuf is back with a new album, ‘Wherever You are’. This new album comprises of 11 beautifully written, composed and produced songs by Sami Yusuf himself with the exception of three songs. in ‘Wherever You are’, Sami focuses on promoting peace and tolerance through his soulful lyrics and sounds. While his previous albums were targeted to the Muslim market, Sami aims to attract audience and fans around the world regardless of their religion, nationality or race through ‘Wherever You Are’. Tracks ‘Without You’ and ‘in Every Tear, He is There’ was written by uK singer-songwriter and producer, ConnEr rEEvES, who has worked with legendary artists such as Tina Turner, rod Stewart and Joss Stone. ‘Give The Young a Chance’, a song about demonisation of youths today and the challenges they face, was written by ian BroWn the iconic rock legend. Turkish megastar, SEzEn aKSu, wrote the Turkish lyrics for Sami’s ‘Without You’; and the SouTH afriCan CHoir, best known for their performance in the animated film Lion King, also contributed in making this album a success. Get a copy today from WWW.SamiYuSufoffiCiaL.Com!

Masikah

Iconoclast Genre: A’cappella / Hip Hop / rap Hometown: nortHWeSt, london and South east, uK rECorD LaBEL: CreSCent Moon MediA

masikah’s music is a sound born out of his love for his belief and the provocation and unprecedented experiences and tribulations of his life with what he has seen and felt growing up in northwest London. His songs are about growing up around violence, love, hardships, racial injustice and problems in a turbulent society, and sometimes his journey of life and being a muslim. Masikah’s work is known for advocating global, economic, social, and racial equAlitY And freedoM as well as his graphic descriptions of road life, conflicts concerning Muslims and the beauty of his deen. many fans, critics, and industry insiders rank him as a very powerful, talented, insightful and inspiring lyrical artist. masikah is currently signed to CrESCEnT moon mEDia (a label set up by mecca2medina) and has performed in nasheed and charity events over the uK. He’s done tours with mECCa2 mEDina, HaSan SaLaam, and miSS unDaSTooD - a female muslim mC from uSa. He recently finished a tour held by radical middle Way called “The Dangerous ideas Tour” with DEfJam PoET amir SuLaiman - moHammED YaHYa and PoETiC PiLGrimaGE. www.halaljournal.com

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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Ali Nurazmal Yusoff Personal

Date of Birth: Place of Birth: Nationality: Religion: Sex: Education:

20 March 1978 Butterworth, Pulau Pinang Malaysian Islam Male Degree in Fine Art, Art & Design Faculty, Mara University Of Technology (UiTM) Shah Alam, Selangor

01 02 03 04 05

Immitation Master - After Caravagio, oil on canvas,122cm x 290cm, 2009 Force of Nature, oil on canvas, 140cm x 284cm, 2010 ’O’, arcrylic on canvas, 153cm x 127cm, 2010’ Entertainer, acrylic on canvas, 152cm x 183cm, 2010 Medicine Seller 2, Mix Media on Paper, 152cmx91.5cm,2010

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Selec Ted Solo exhibiTionS 2010 2nd Solo Show “ TellTale” - Pace Gallery 2009 Solo Show “ SaTire in PainT” - Pace Gallery

SelecTed GrouP exhibiTionS 2010 dikala JinGGa “ alTer eGo” – core deSiGn Gallery “obJecTion’- Galeri PeTronaS – kuala lumPur maP arTS feSTival – SolariS duTamaS – kuala lumPur ’walk wiTh The line’ – drawinG Show – meTro fine arT 2009

dikala JinGGa – ’dari kerana maTa….’ – ra fine arTS “SPice”Pace Gallery 2nd anniverSary – Pace Gallery ‘un-cuT:malaySian PainTinG’ – coPenhaGen, denmark i miSS him So much, TribuTe To donni – candan Gallery ‘unconciouS- Self conciouS ‘– SekSan Gallery

2008

‘arT To wear’ – PeliTa haTi 3 man Show – ‘Tellu Tau’ – lookiSS Gallery ‘The 70Th annual exhibiTion of mokwoohoeSeoul muSeum of arT – korea ‘here & now’:force of naTure - Pace Gallery ‘arT for GivinG’ - Sokka Gakkai – kuala lumPur ‘PaleSTine’- annexe Gallery- cenTral markeT, kuala lumPur

2007

’Pancawarna Seni ruPa kaSih’ – PeliTa haTi, banGSar 3 man Show – ‘beauTiful mind’ – aTTic, banGSar ‘rahSia’ – aTTic, banGSar ‘mekar ciTra ‘– Galeri Shah alam ‘arTunder 1000’ – vallenTine willie Gallery ‘behind The wall’ – uSm PenanG

Note: Artist’s information and images courtesy of Metro Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur

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The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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Samsuddin bin Lappo Personal

Date of Birth: Place of Birth: Nationality: Religion: Marital Status: Sex: Education:

28 Mei 1977 Tawau, Sabah Malaysian Islam Married Male Bachelor of Fine Arts, UiTM

Selec Ted Solo exhibiTionS 2009 KePinGin : Solo ShoW, Pace GallerY SelecTed GrouP exhibiTionS 2010 alTer-eGo, coredeSiGn GallerY riYadh al-ilM : Garden of KnoWledGe, Galeri chandan conTeMPorarieS FiVe, Pace GallerY MaP Kl arT FeSTiVal, WhiTe box SolariS TaKe a line For a WalK, MeTro Fine arT 2009 Pace anniVerSarY, Pace GallerY un-cuT: MalaYSian PainTinG, coPenhaGen, denMarK unconSciouS: SelF: conSciouS, SeKSan GallerY diKalaJinGGa: dari Kerana MaTa, r.a Fine arT localS onlY, TaKSu Kuala luMPur 2008 Force oF naTure, Pace GallerY The 70th annual exhibition of MoKWoohoe, Seoul MuSeuM oF arT, Korea PeninSula and iSland, TaKSu SinGaPore arT oF GiVinG, SoKa GaKKai Kuala luMPur exhibiTion x, TaKSu Kuala luMPur GrouP ShoW, Kebun MiMPi PaleSTine arT & FilM FeST, annexe GallerY arT TrianGle, SoKa GaKKai (SGM), Kuala luMPur Tellu Tau Three Man ShoW, looKiSS arT GallerY arT To Wear GrouP exhibiTion, PeliTa haTi arT GallerY 2007 behind The Wall GrouP exhibiTion, uSM, PenanG rahSia GrouP exhibiTion, aTTic GallerY 2006 SenSaTional SenSe liM KoK WinG GallerY FaiTh, PluraliTY and FreedoM, PeliTa haTi eKSPreSi PendidiK, Sabah arT GallerY 2005 TranSiTion arTiST caFe, naTional arT GallerY 2003 KarYa Pilihan Tahunan, Sabah arT GallerY oPen ShoW PeSTa Pulau PinanG 2002 GWanGJu arT biennale exhibiTion ’ SouTh Korea 2001 FiGure PainTinG exhibiTion, Golden PalleTe GallerY 2000 Fine arT deGree ShoW, FSSr GallerY TanPa TaJuK exhibiTion, Shah alaM GallerY. FiGuraTiVe PainTinG & draWinG exhibiTion, ruMah Pena, K.l 1999 TaSiK KenYir PainTinG exhibiTion and coMPeTiTion, TerenGGanu oPen exhibiTion, Shah alaM GallerY. liFe landScaPe draWinG, Shah alaM GallerY. 1998 anGGeriK” PainTinG exhibiTion, Shah alaM laKe. liFe FiGure draWinG (coMMonWealTh), Shah alaM GallerY. TaMan neGara landScaPe exhibiTion, Kl ToWer. 1997 inSPiraSi alaM” exhibiTion, Shah alaM GallerY. MiniaTure PainTinG exhibiTion” Shah alaM GallerY & naTional MuSeuM, Kuala luMPur. oPen ShoW, Shah alaM GallerY. liFe FiGure draWinG, balai Seni luKiS neGara. GrouP exhibiTion aT concorde hoTel Shah alaM

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suddin Lappo-self Portrait, acrylic on canvas, 3’ x 3.5’, 2009 Mawar, acrylic on canvas, 5’ x 6’, 1999 Kepingin Menjadi Direktor Filim, acylic on canvas, 5’ x 6’, 2009

Note: Artist’s information and images courtesy of Metro Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur www.halaljournal.com

Gallery a r t s

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The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

Gallery a r t s

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FINDING WARMTH IN THE COLD â&#x20AC;˘ It was the start of winter in London and it was a cold morning. But a stroll down The Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Walk, through the Royal Parks floods the senses with a myriad of captivating, warm earthy colours. The cold is forgotten. By Layla Qamar

ThE FInE lInE BETwEEn culTurES There is a fine line between the different cultures of the world. But most times, it is invisible and humanity can live in harmony because of tolerance, acceptance and compassion that comes with comprehension. By Layla Qamar

The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

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To Gather For Ever We go together On air, land and water The light as our usher We go together On the journey of even tenor The pass will be over We go together At times we gaze in wonder The horizon waits a yonder We go together Certainly, we go to gather For ever By Majnun Nur, 25th December, 2010

Top ThE SaF oF aBaBIl BaSKInG In ThE lIGhT Paddy field, South johor, malaysia By Mark Piet middle a SaFarI journEY InTo ThE horIZon oldupai Gorge, Tanzania By Sunita Riar Bottom SEaSIDE SunSET â&#x20AC;&#x201C; GaZInG InTo SPacE anD TImE Tanjung aru Beach, Sabah, malaysia By Zaahira Muhammad

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The halal Journal | Jan+Feb 2011 |

parting words

“A WORD OF WISDOM IS THE LOST TREASURE OF A BELIEVER. SO WHEREVER HE FINDS IT, HE IS THE ONE MOST ENTITLED TO IT.” The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

“encouraged upon you is business, for in it is nine out of ten of your sustenance.” al-Ghazali quotiNG the woRdS oF t h e P R o P h e t m u h a m m a d ( P. B . u. h . )

“The Strength in Action is - Never to put off what you can do today for tomorrow.” S ay y i d i N a ‘ u m a R i B N a l - K h a t t a B

“Science is organized knowledge. wisdom is organized life.” immaNuel KaNt

“iF PeoPle coNFiNe to SuBSiSteNce leVel (Sadd al Ramaq) aNd Become VeRy FeeBle, deathS will iNcReaSe, all woRK aNd iNduStRy will come to halt, aNd the Society will Be RuiNed. FuRtheR, ReliGioN will Be deStRoyed, aS the woRldly liFe iS the PRePaRatioN FoR the heReaFteR.” al-Ghazali

“It is delightful some times to sit with an ingenious friend, he understands you before you having said anything.” m aw l a N a Fa i z a N i

“ W I l l I t, a n d s e t t o W o r k b r I s k ly. ” J o h a N N F R i e d R i c h Vo N S c h i l l e R

“A wiSe MAN cAN leArN FroM ANoTHer MAN’S exPerieNce; A Fool cANNoT leArN eveN FroM HiS owN.” will duRaNt

“To show love to people is the height of intelligence.” S ay y i d i N a a l i

“iT iS wiSer To FiNd ouT THAN To SuPPoSe” m a R K t wa i N

Remarks concerning the difference between one who seeks the truth as an intermediary and one who seeks it for its own sake :

“He who finds it permissible to place the Truth in an intermediary position receives mercy, but only in some manner; for he is not given the pleasure of having joy in the Truth so that he can seek this pleasure. His knowledge of pleasure is only of that which is by nature incomplete.”

“it is erroneous to believe that someone who is poor and has a difficult life is suffering the consequences of bad things done in their previous life. Allah is testing them by means of trouble and poverty. one possible reason for their having a life of this kind is that Allah is seeing whether they will continue to trust in Him in the face of difficulties, and whether they will show strength of character.”

“You went after the form and were lead astray. How can you see it? You abandoned the Truth.”

h a Ru N ya h ya

Ru m i

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iBN SiNa

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