Kosher and Halal at a Glance

 

 

By The Associated Press- Nov 22, 2007

Judaism and Islam have similar rules about the proper ways to slaughter meat and prepare food, but there are significant differences.

The following foods are prohibited under kashrut, Jewish dietary laws, commonly known as kosher:

_Meat from animals that don’t have cloven hooves and don’t chew their cud (pigs, camels, rabbits).

_Sea creatures that do not have both fins and scales (lobsters, crabs, clams).

_Birds of prey or scavengers.

_Rodents, reptiles, amphibians and insects.

Other major restrictions:

_All blood must be drained or broiled out of meat.

_Meat and dairy must not be eaten together. (Fish and dairy together are permissible, such as lox with cream cheese.)

_Utensils must also be kosher, and a utensil retains the qualities of a food that’s cooked in it or served from. In other words, a pan used for chicken soup can only then used for meat dishes, and cannot be used for dairy.

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“Halal” is an Arabic word that means lawful or permitted. The following foods are considered “haram,” which means unlawful or prohibited:

_Pork and its byproducts.

_Animals improperly slaughtered.

_Animals killed in the name of anyone other than Allah.

_Alcohol and intoxicants.

_Carnivorous animals, birds of prey and land animals without external ears.

_Blood and blood byproducts.

___

Sources:

Judaism 101: http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America: http://www.ifanca.org/halal

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/
ALeqM5gjrkz6e7r0xPNGYu7t_rRsHzJyxwD8T2JRG00

HDC proposes Halal Act to better regulate industry

21 November, 2007

Kuala Lumpur: The Halal Industry Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (HDC) Tuesday called on the government to introduce a Halal Act that will better regulate the halal industry and ensure activities are carried out properly.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Jamil Bidin said working together with several law firms, HDC expects to complete a draft on the proposed Act by early next year before submitting it to the Government.

“No matter how good the halal industry is, but if people start messing around (abusing the halal certificate and logo), it is Malaysia’s image that will be tarnished,” he told rpeorters after the opening of the Kuala Lumpur Islamic Finance Forum 2007 here.

Jamil said the process of drawing up an Act was long and tedious and once the draft was submitted, there was a need to wait for feedback from the Attorney-General’s Office.

“When you have an Act, you need to know who will be doing the enforcement and how it will be placed under a specific ministry. These are the issues that we need to address and it is a long process,” he said.

On another development, Jamil said HDC expects to finalise its Halal Industry Master Plan draft early next month before submitting it to the government for approval.

“This master plan is important as it will show the direction of the country’s halal industry which involves many components, including capacity building, branding and promotion and regulatory framework,” he said.

HDC was also carrying out awareness campaign to attract more halal players in developing the industry, Jamil said.

“If you don’t have an awareness programme, understanding of halal and its opportunities will not be not very high and people will not appreciate the master plan as much,” he said.

On small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Jamil said those in the halal industry were ecouraged to consolidate in order to be more competitive in the global market.

He said though the halal industry here is huge, more than 90 percent is dominated by the SMEs, of which many are small players with no strong financial and marketing capability.

“We have proposed, for example, that SMEs consolidate and form cooperatives. At the end of the day, we would like to see bigger entities with a better footing in the global market and in a better position to talk to the banks,” he added.

Jamil urged Islamic financial institutions to champion the local halal industry players by offering more innovative financing products.

“The participation of Islamic financial institutions in the industry is still low, less than 15 percent. If you want the product to be truly halal, then there must be an element of Islamic financing,” he said.

According to Jamil, there were instances when financial institutions did not extend loans to small entrepreneurs to develop their thriving business due to their age or lack of collateral.

“The banks must be more innovative in proposing various loans, and not just simply be a (typical) money-lender. It is timely that we bring in Islamic financing as an enabler in our effort to develop the halal industry and make Malaysia a global halal hub,” he said. – Bernama

Source: http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/
news.cfm?NewsID=54113

Muslims urged to manufacture halal products

By A. LETCHUMANAN

MALACCA: The halal products from Malaysia are widely recognised in the world but sadly the number of Muslims involved in manufacturing them were limited.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said it was disappointing that Muslims were only involved in producing 15% of the halal products in the country.

“The Government is taking several measures to increase the involvement of Muslims as it wants the country to be a world halal hub by 2010,” he said while officiating the state-level halal industry seminar here on Saturday.

Mohd Ali said the target was not rhetoric as the market for halal products amongst Muslims has reached 1.6 billion, with 60% of them being Asian citizens.

“We should not stand aside and watch the other races compete for the halal market. We should also strive to produce products which had received the halal certification,” he said.

He said the trade between Malaysia and the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) has increased 9.2% to RM60mil in the first eight months of this year as compared to the same period of last year.

Mohd Ali said Malaysia exported RM33.4mil halal products, registering a 24.5% increase from the RM26.8mil in 2006.

Mohd Ali said the halal certification was not confined to foodstuffs but also consumer items like household goods, cleaning liquids, clothes and perfumes.

He said that Malacca State Development Coporation would be developing a halal hub in a 2ha site in Serkam, with the construction of 34 workshops and 10 shophouses at a cost of RM9.1mil.

“We have also set aside land for those wanting to set up their plants to manufacture the halal products in Serkam,” Mohd Ali said.

He also urged government-linked companies to assist the small entrepreneurs to market halal products in the domestic and international markets.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/17/nation/20071117142914&sec=nation

Posted by Ainuddin Mohamad of MyInfoHQ.net

Middle East missing out on Halal tourism

LONDON (AFP) — Middle East nations are failing to fully exploit Islamic tourism and should tap into opportunities ranging from a Halal airline to women-only hotels, a leading travel report said on Monday.

“Despite vastly differing requirements, Middle East tourism is missing out by targeting Muslims and non-Muslims in exactly the same way,” according to the World Travel Market Global Trend Reports 2007.

“This represents an important, untapped potential and a business opportunity for Halal tourism which is a form of religious tourism defined as activities permissible under Islamic law,” said Fiona Jeffery, chairman of World Travel Market — a major annual trade show underway in London.

The report forecasts that the number of tourists going to the Middle East will grow by 66 percent between now and 2011, by which time 55 million people should be visiting the region annually.

“A large proportion of these will be intra-regional, boosted by increased transport connectivity between cities and better infrastructure,” said Jeffery.

Parita Chitakasem, Asia Pacific and Australasia travel and tourism manager, said Halal Tourism has the potential to develop into “one of the most resilient forms of tourism”.

She added: “The Vatican set up its own budget airline to transport pilgrims to holy sites in 2007 and there is potential for the development” of a Halal airline.

“Such an airline could provide Halal food, calls for prayer, Korans in seat pockets, religious programmes on the inflight entertainment system and separate sections for male and female passengers.

“Another potential option is to explore women only hotels to overcome Muslim women being unable to book hotel rooms without a male guarantor, which is the case in Saudi Arabia,” Chitakasem said.

According to WTM, tourism revenue in the Middle East is expected to more than double from its current level to almost 51 billion dollars in 2011.

“Most of this expansion stems from inbound travellers, underlining the need for tailored Halal tourism products and services that are developed within the region to cater to this dynamic market,” the report concluded.

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g0rNQ8pTAFNjTmymf9t6HTAU_R6Q

Posted by Ainuddin Mohamad of MyInfoHQ.net

Halal Spa To Boost Malaysia As An Attractive Destination

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) — Malaysia can further strengthen itself as an attractive spa destination in the region with the set up of halal spa and wellness facilities.

Malaysia also has its own specialties to offer in the spa and wellness industry in order to compete with neighbours like Indonesia and Thailand, Spa and Wellness Industry Association of Malaysia (SWIAM) president Nurhashimah Mohd Ishak said.

“We can make this halal spa our trademark and at the same time it can be differentiated between the offering from Thailand and Malaysia. It can give us advantages to compete with other spa operators as well,” she told reporters at the launch of Asia Spa & Wellness Festival 2007 here Wednesday.

She said among the services that could be offered at the halal spa and wellness centre was the separate services for men and women on different floors.

“This is ideal especially with a big number of tourists from Middle East,” she said.

She said Malaysia’s cultural diversity and its long history of traditional medicines could be another factor to grow the industry.

Nurhashimah said there was a need for regular meetings or discussions between the spa operators and the authorities to standardise regulations.

She said “too many red tapes” had hindered the local spa operators, especially small operators, from growing their businesses.

“There is a need for regular discussions with the authorities to ensure both parties help each other to create a win-win situation,” she said.

SWAIM, which currently has 200 members, will be among the participants at the three-day festival from Nov 30 to Dec 1.

The festival, which comprises exhibition and industry summit, is expected to attract 300 spa owners and practitioners making it the largest gathering of the spa community in Asia.

Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=296227

Posted by Ainuddin Mohamad of MyInfoHQ.net

Industry snubs calls for ‘halal airline’

by Lynne Roberts on Thursday, 15 November 2007 The travel industry has rejected calls to create a ‘halal airline’ to cater to Muslim tourists, it was reported yesterday.

Senior executives told Gulf News the move was unnecessary and that adequate facilities were already in place in existing services.

According to a World Travel Market report, Middle East countries are failing to tap into opportunities within the Islamic tourism market, such as a halal airline or women-only hotels. The report said tourists to the Middle East are set to increase by 66% to 55 million per year by 2011.

WTM chairman Fiona Jeffrey said “Middle East tourism is missing out by targeting Muslims and non-Muslims in exactly the same way” AFP reported Monday. Suggestions for the airline included Halal food, calls for prayer, Korans in seat pockets and separate sections for male and female passengers.

Travel officials told Gulf News the idea was no more than a publicity gimmick, and that several airlines in the region already prohibit alcohol and play pre-recorded prayers.

Source: http://www.arabianbusiness.com/504089-industry-snubs-calls-for-halal-airline

Malaysia plans to become global halal food hub

KUALA LUMPUR, APRIL 13: Malaysia plans to become a global hub for Islamic halal food by 2010, using its edge over other Muslim nations in trading, logistics, banking and halal certification, an official said on Thursday.

Malaysia will host the World Halal Forum in its biggest city Kuala Lumpur from May 8-10 to determine the direction of the world halal industry, which is worth anywhere between US$500 billion to US$2.3 trillion annually, said Khairy Jamaluddin, the chairman of the forum.

He said Malaysia-one of the most prosperous Muslim countries in the world-currently has a 1 per cent share of that market and hopes to raise it to 5 per cent by 2010.

“We are not talking about theology. The last thing I want to do is turn the forum into a theological debate. What we want to do is promote the business of halal,” said Khairy, who is also the director of ECM Libra Capital, a successful investment banking company.

The Malaysian government in its 2006-2010 national economic development plan talks about creating a nodal agency to promote the country as a center for halal, or Islamic dietary requirement and the religiously approved way of slaughtering animals.

Khairy said Malaysia cannot compete with countries such as Australia, India and Thailand in livestock and food production.

But Malaysia is one of the biggest trading nations in the Muslim world, its certification standard for halal food is widely recognised, it has a highly developed logistics network including ports and is fast becoming a hub for Islamic financing, Khairy said.

“There are a lot of synergies here that we can package together,” he said, adding that the market for halal food is not only Arab and Muslim nations in Asia, but also countries in Europe which have sizable Muslim minority populations.

The World Halal Forum will bring together businessmen, policy makers and executives from the entire supply chain including farming, manufacturing, logistics, retail, international food chain and services. The forum will also discuss the security of halal certification to prevent fake labeling.

Khairy said the aim is to learn about best practices from the business people and expose Malaysian businesses to the foreign markets. Among the speakers are executives of Nestle, McDonald’s and supermarket chains Tesco and Carrefour.

Source: Financialexpress.com

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