KARACHI: Scientists and religious scholars have said that it is the need of hour to spread Halal awareness especially among consumers, and employees who control food and non-food products.
The huge and large Halal testing laboratories exist only in non-Muslim countries.
Technologies and methods to establish Zabiha versus non-Zabiha are still far from perfection, they said, adding that Halal is not confined to food and drinks, but includes pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other items
They were speaking at the one-day International Seminar-Cum-Training Workshop on “Halal Food and Non-Food Science, Management” held at the L.E.J. National Science Information Center, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), UoK here on Tuesday.
Director ICCBS Prof. Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Choudhary inaugurated the seminar from his keynote.
Dr. Hani Mansour Al-Mazeedi from Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Bhanger of ICCBS, Prof. Dr. Syed Ghulam Musharraf (ICCBS), Ms. Yasmeen Khanum of Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority, CEO SANHA Pakistan Mufti Yousuf A. R. Khan, Shariah Adviser SANHA Pakistan Mufti Shoaib Alam, and CEO, Halaal Foundation Pakistan Moulana Naeem Shahid also delivered their talks on Halal issues.
Industrial Analytical Center of ICCBS – University of Karachi organized this international seminar in association with SANHA Halaal Associates, Pakistan.
Prof. Iqbal Choudhary, in his speech, highlighted some key challenges in Halal testing paradigm, and said that no universal agreement on the interpretation of Halal and Haram, and Mukrooh in different school of thoughts of Islam is the key issue in halal labelling.
The large Halal testing laboratories exist only in non-Muslim countries, which shows that current Halal testing services are dominant by non-Muslims, who have little understanding and appreciation, as well as sensitivity of the concept, he stated.
Dr. Al-Mazeedi, the Kuwaiti scholar, said that products imported from non-Muslim countries may contain components or passed through a method of manufacturing that are contrary to Islamic law
Critical components of religious nature in food and non-food products are Alcohol, Najis materials (dead, insects, urine, substances), ingredients of animal origin such as: animal tissues (flesh, bone, skin), plasma (blood), gelatin, fat, glycerine, fatty acids, amino acids, enzymes (rennet in cheese, media used in microbial cultures), and composition of DNA (nucleotide), he said.
Ms. Khanum discussed the role of PSQCA in Halaal standards, she said that as the national standards body, PSQCA is mandated to develop, implement, and coordinate standardization activities in Pakistan.
Mufti Yousuf A. R. Khan explained the term Halal according to Quran and Hadith, and informed the participants about the current issues related to Halal terminology.
Moulana Naeem Shahid said that Halal lifestyle is the center of a wheel of attitudes and relationships, a person develops certain dimensions of his personality based on the relations with self. In the end, Prof. Musharraf also delivered a lecture on science and technology that is used to help experts conducting research on Halal.