Wednesday 20 August 2008

Scientific Explanation Of Halal & Haram

Tuesday 12 August 2008

Halal tourism on the rise worldwide

KUWAIT: In recent years, the tourism industry has begun to accommodate the needs of more conservative families in the Gulf region, creating a trend that has become known as "halal tourism." The trend began in Malaysia, which has been marketing itself as the perfect destination for conservative Gulf families that want to enjoy an entertaining holiday in a scenic location without worrying about violating Muslim teachings and traditions. Turkey soon followed suit, opening up more conservative parts of the country such as the Anatolia to tourists, with hotels in such destinations not serving any alcohol and having separate swimming pools and spa facilities for men and women.Many more countries are now trying to attract tourists from Arab countries and have thus become more accommodating to the religious beliefs of Muslim tourists.The halal tourism industry now provides flights where no alcohol or pork products are served, prayer times are announced, and religious programs are broadcast as part of the entertainment offered onboard. A recent study by Euro Monitor had predicted that several airline carriers will soon begin to adopt these policies for a segment of their business in an attempt to attract more tourists from the Gulf. Nowadays, many international hotels also serve halal food that is slaughtered in accordance with Muslim teachings and is free of any pork products. Many assistants of Arab origin are also being employed in these hotels to provide translation services and any other assistance that may be needed.There are also Islamic hotels which first became popular in the UAE and then spread through a chain that was set up by the Gulf state''s investors.The Emirates Investment Group plans to build 150 such hotels around the world by 2013, beginning in Egypt, the UAE and Malaysia, and then moving on to Europe, the U.S. and even China. Ref :ALWATAN.com.kw

Only 180 food outlets in S’wak have halal certification

KUCHING: Food outlets and producers in Sarawak have been urged to apply for halal certification from the Islamic Affairs Department if they have not yet done so. Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman said only about 180 food operators and premises throughout the state had been given halal certificates so far. “I’m not satisfied with 180. Many food premises still do not have halal certification. We should have 500 to 1,000 places which are halal-certified,” he told reporters after opening a halal food expo at the Sarawak Industrial Promotion and Exhibition Centre in Jalan P Ramlee here recently. However, he added that all hotels rated three stars and above in Sarawak were halal-certified. “This is a very good step for us as all these hotels have got the halal certificate, even in the small towns,” he said. Daud also reminded those with halal certificates to ensure that they continued to comply with the necessary requirements. “We conduct surprise checks and we will monitor their premises every three to six months. “If they are no longer complying with halal requirements we will give them a warning, and if they still fail to comply we will withdraw their certificate,” he said. He added that so far no certificate had been withdrawn although several places had been given a warning.

Lots of halal food at Olympics, China promises

Muslim visitors to Beijing will find halal food outlets within easy reach anywhere, a Beijing city legislator said on Wednesday, according to a press report by China’s state news agency Xinhua. Beijing has 2,053 halal food outlets, including restaurants and food shops, said Wu Shixiong, who is in charge of supervising food hygiene law enforcement. He said the city had set side 32 million yuan (4.7 million U.S. dollars) to open additional halal food outlets at the main airport and railway station, and to upgrade food processing facilities in major Muslim catering businesses. Up to 10,000 Muslim athletes, coaches, officials and tourists from around the world are expected to visit Beijing's largest Muslim neighborhood, Niujie Street, during the Games. Niujie is home to 12,000 Muslims and dates back more than 1,000 years. The Niujie Mosque has been standing since 996 AD, Xinhua reported. The Beijing municipal government has also designated 12 of the city's 70 mosques to act as reception centers for Muslims, equipping them with Arabic signs and translators for the duration of the Games.

McDonalds Opens Store In New York City For Only Halal Food

McDonalds fast food organisation has opened its first store in New York that will sell only Halal Food. They have made two delicous new burgers made with Halal meat called the McHal and the McLamb.The McHal will cost only 99c and comes with a gaurantee that it has been made in the Halal way. The McLamb is going to be the bestseller!Islamic people prefer to eat Halal food. (It means "allowed") The animal has to be killed in an exact way not like in Western countries.The McHal will be very popular with the New York Moslem people who will visit the store for breakfast lunch and dinner for their meals. Some were outside the shop today. One said"We cant wait to eat the American food with 'Islamic twist'. It smells great!"

Perceptions of halal

DO YOU THINK THAT HAVING A HALAL LOGO ON THINGS LIKE CRISPS AND WATER IS NECESSARY? z Manee Pakayawong, 70, restaurant owner (Muslim) ''Personally I think it's a little weird to have a halal logo on items like crisps or instant noodles. Although, thinking about it, the logo does help Muslim consumers to be sure that such food is free from contamination during production. ''You know some Muslims are extremely strict when come to eating, especially people from Middle Eastern countries. I have Middle Eastern tourists coming to my restaurant all the time. Even though we have the sign saying 'halal', they still aren't sure if our food has been prepared according to Islamic law. z Piti Sombatsurachai, 39, office worker (Muslim) ''There's no harm in having a halal logo. I see it as a safety and convenience booster for both manufacturers and consumers. For example, a halal logo on a bag of chicken-flavoured crisps may indicate that the oil used in the deep-frying process is not from pork fat and the seasoning powder comes from a chicken that was killed in the proper Islamic way. Drinking water with a halal logo might look a bit strange, but if you compare that to labels on some other products such as ''For wearing'' on clothes and ''For listening'' on CDs, displaying a halal logo on water makes a lot more sense.'' z Panyawee Boonsanong, 30, housewife (non-Muslim) ''I think the logo is there to guarantee that the products are safe for Muslims to consume, which also means they are safe for non-Muslims like me, too.'' WHAT IS HALAL FOOD? z Kessuda Yingdee, 20, university student (non-Muslim): ''Halal food is definitely food prepared by Muslim people like khao mok kai and roti mataba.'' z Jirayu Sunthornkosa, 23, office worker (non-Muslim) ''Halal food is any kind of food that Muslim people can eat. I know that very well, though I'm not a Muslim, because I used to live in Malaysia where I could see that almost all the food surrounding us can be defined as halal. For example, in supermarkets, there would be a non-halal section which is usually small. That means all other items are definitely halal.'' z Kitti Rakdej, 35, Phd Candidate (Muslim): ''It's a matter of how you define halal. For me, halal means safe to eat, in other words, it means 'clean'. So it has nothing to do with the type of cuisine at all. As a Muslim, I would call many Chinese restaurants 'halal' because they are clean, while many 'Muslim' eateries aren't that halal for me.''