Mariam Mokhtar
Published: Sep 13, 2024 1:42 PM
COMMENT | I don’t know about you, but I don’t need a government directive or certificate to dictate what I can or cannot eat, where I dine, and with whom I share my meals.
Would I eat in a restaurant with halal certification where the service is poor, the waiters rude and the kitchen is filthy? No, I would not.
Would I dine in a restaurant with no halal certification? I often do. Cleanliness, hygiene, service, affordability and great food are my main criteria.
The Malaysian establishment’s obsession with halal certification, or with all things being syariah-compliant, is getting out of control.
Some people will insist that the halal certification fulfils a religious requirement, but from the behaviour of the authorities, you are not wrong to think that perhaps the driving force for being halal-certified, is money.
Lots of money to be made
When there’s lots of money to be made, the potential to cheat is also high. When allegations of corruption and irregular practices take place, the tendency is for the authorities to issue denials or sweep them under the carpet, to save face, and perhaps, to protect the wrongdoer.
Murray Hunter’s allegations in the Asia Sentinel about corruption in the halal meat trade suddenly stalled. Why?
The halal industry is not fully tapped and has vast opportunities for domestic and international markets for the two billion Muslims worldwide.
It is not just food that can be certified halal. Muslims around the world spent a total of US$ 2 trillion across the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, fashion, travel, and media/recreation sectors in 2021. By 2025, the global Muslim market has the potential to reach US$2.8 trillion.
Someone thought it could capture the Muslim frequent flyers market by starting a syariah-compliant airline. Prayers preceded safety briefings. Cabin crew wore syariah-compliant uniforms. No alcohol was served. The airline was soon grounded because of safety/security issues.
Published: Sep 13, 2024 1:42 PM
COMMENT | I don’t know about you, but I don’t need a government directive or certificate to dictate what I can or cannot eat, where I dine, and with whom I share my meals.
Would I eat in a restaurant with halal certification where the service is poor, the waiters rude and the kitchen is filthy? No, I would not.
Would I dine in a restaurant with no halal certification? I often do. Cleanliness, hygiene, service, affordability and great food are my main criteria.
The Malaysian establishment’s obsession with halal certification, or with all things being syariah-compliant, is getting out of control.
Some people will insist that the halal certification fulfils a religious requirement, but from the behaviour of the authorities, you are not wrong to think that perhaps the driving force for being halal-certified, is money.
Lots of money to be made
When there’s lots of money to be made, the potential to cheat is also high. When allegations of corruption and irregular practices take place, the tendency is for the authorities to issue denials or sweep them under the carpet, to save face, and perhaps, to protect the wrongdoer.
Murray Hunter’s allegations in the Asia Sentinel about corruption in the halal meat trade suddenly stalled. Why?
The halal industry is not fully tapped and has vast opportunities for domestic and international markets for the two billion Muslims worldwide.
It is not just food that can be certified halal. Muslims around the world spent a total of US$ 2 trillion across the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, fashion, travel, and media/recreation sectors in 2021. By 2025, the global Muslim market has the potential to reach US$2.8 trillion.
Someone thought it could capture the Muslim frequent flyers market by starting a syariah-compliant airline. Prayers preceded safety briefings. Cabin crew wore syariah-compliant uniforms. No alcohol was served. The airline was soon grounded because of safety/security issues.
A halal laundry shop certified by Jakim
Madani govt meddling with religion
So why is the Madani administration meddling with religion and forcing Malaysians to embrace the “nanny state”? We are increasingly being told what to wear, what to eat, which music is allowed, which musical instruments are best avoided, which hobbies are allowed, and which sports are off-limits to women.
Why are we quite blasé about our politicians’ use of religion to fuel their selfish personal ambitions, and to divide the nation and intimidate the public?
Clueless politicians and civil servants who have no inkling of running a business, have no qualms about placing extra demands on companies and the public.
Madani govt meddling with religion
So why is the Madani administration meddling with religion and forcing Malaysians to embrace the “nanny state”? We are increasingly being told what to wear, what to eat, which music is allowed, which musical instruments are best avoided, which hobbies are allowed, and which sports are off-limits to women.
Why are we quite blasé about our politicians’ use of religion to fuel their selfish personal ambitions, and to divide the nation and intimidate the public?
Clueless politicians and civil servants who have no inkling of running a business, have no qualms about placing extra demands on companies and the public.
Popular food outlets found to be without halal certification
The latest government proposal for restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork and alcohol to obtain halal certification will make many firms worse off.
These businesses already face a myriad of issues like rising costs of goods and services, a shortage of skilled and unskilled labour, and increasing energy prices. Does the government have to impose additional burdens on already hard-pressed companies?
Surely, the Seputeh MP, Teresa Kok, was right to voice her objections about the “mandatory” halal certification. Her concerns are shared by both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim disagreed with Kok and admonished her for not “discussing it properly”.
He said, “…regulations are necessary so that Muslims do not feel apprehensive.”
The latest government proposal for restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork and alcohol to obtain halal certification will make many firms worse off.
These businesses already face a myriad of issues like rising costs of goods and services, a shortage of skilled and unskilled labour, and increasing energy prices. Does the government have to impose additional burdens on already hard-pressed companies?
Surely, the Seputeh MP, Teresa Kok, was right to voice her objections about the “mandatory” halal certification. Her concerns are shared by both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim disagreed with Kok and admonished her for not “discussing it properly”.
He said, “…regulations are necessary so that Muslims do not feel apprehensive.”
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok
Decades of indoctrination
Has Anwar forgotten that our paranoia about halal and non-halal products is fed by the authorities? Over five decades of a combination of religious indoctrination and substandard education have inculcated this fear in Muslims, making them more insecure.
Malays make a fuss over halal and non-halal trolleys, despite more important issues to resolve, like the high rates of incest among Malay families, high drug usage among Malay youth, high rates of teenage pregnancies, and babies abandoned by their Malay mothers, and the high rate of divorce among Malay couples.
Anwar should have warned the Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal to stop wasting valuable police resources with a police report against Kok.
The PM could also have reprimanded the Umno-Baru Youth leader, Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, for portraying Malays as uncouth with his “Nyonya tua” and “old lady” jibes.
Decades of indoctrination
Has Anwar forgotten that our paranoia about halal and non-halal products is fed by the authorities? Over five decades of a combination of religious indoctrination and substandard education have inculcated this fear in Muslims, making them more insecure.
Malays make a fuss over halal and non-halal trolleys, despite more important issues to resolve, like the high rates of incest among Malay families, high drug usage among Malay youth, high rates of teenage pregnancies, and babies abandoned by their Malay mothers, and the high rate of divorce among Malay couples.
Anwar should have warned the Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal to stop wasting valuable police resources with a police report against Kok.
The PM could also have reprimanded the Umno-Baru Youth leader, Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, for portraying Malays as uncouth with his “Nyonya tua” and “old lady” jibes.
Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh
His behaviour over the Allah socks fiasco was disgusting. He is brash and vulgar, seemingly eager to outshine Jamal Yunos, the “bad boy” of Malay politics. Akmal sets a bad example for Malay youth with his racism, arrogance and intolerance.
Halal industry is big business
The “halal intrusion” into both industry and our private lives, is not new.
In 2011, the removal of Golden Churn butter from sale in Sarawak was probably the precursor of the “halal” phenomenon.
Subsequently, the “halal” scare would rear its ugly head in the run-up to the fasting month and Hari Raya.
Butter is a vital ingredient for kueh and kek lapis for Raya. The butter ban meant that importers, wholesalers, food retailers and stockists lost hundreds of millions of ringgit in sales. There were allegations that backhanders were paid, to get out of the bind.
Tabasco, HP sauces, Cadbury’s chocolates, hotdogs and root beer have all fallen victim to overzealous halal scaremongers.
His behaviour over the Allah socks fiasco was disgusting. He is brash and vulgar, seemingly eager to outshine Jamal Yunos, the “bad boy” of Malay politics. Akmal sets a bad example for Malay youth with his racism, arrogance and intolerance.
Halal industry is big business
The “halal intrusion” into both industry and our private lives, is not new.
In 2011, the removal of Golden Churn butter from sale in Sarawak was probably the precursor of the “halal” phenomenon.
Subsequently, the “halal” scare would rear its ugly head in the run-up to the fasting month and Hari Raya.
Butter is a vital ingredient for kueh and kek lapis for Raya. The butter ban meant that importers, wholesalers, food retailers and stockists lost hundreds of millions of ringgit in sales. There were allegations that backhanders were paid, to get out of the bind.
Tabasco, HP sauces, Cadbury’s chocolates, hotdogs and root beer have all fallen victim to overzealous halal scaremongers.
The halal certification is big business. Acquiring one is a laborious and expensive exercise. Only big companies can afford to apply for one.
The Muslim population is a captive audience and they have little choice in the halal matter. Many Malays appear to be fixated on ritual, rather than the true teachings of Islam.
Perhaps our weak akidah (belief) stems from the way religion is taught at school.
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, X.
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