Not all Muslims happy about Halal products
By Bianca Martins published 6 months ago
Original Article Source: Canterbury-Bankstown Express
The expansion of Halal products on the market has not pleased all Muslims - some are calling the certification of products a marketing ploy.
Wiley Park’s Aziza Rifai said she was horrified to see the Rosken hand cream she purchased two weeks ago carry the label Halal.
“Halal isn’t a word you use for hand cream or any other medical treatment. It’s for food or drink that you consume in your mouth,” she said.
“I think these companies just use the word Halal as a marketing tool to get more people to buy their products.
“To promote things, especially hand cream by putting Halal on it, it’s just not right. It’s ridiculous. We don’t want it to be a promotional tool.”
But a Rosken spokeswoman said the moisturising range was Halal-certified because a lot of its products were sold in Malaysia where most people are Muslim.
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils states that Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted.
Muslims are prohibited from consuming animal blood.
Mrs Rifai said businesses had exploited the Muslim religious beliefs before by using “Halal” to sell its products.
“A few years ago there was a butcher in the area who wasn’t making much money so he put Halal at the front of his shop to attract business,” she said.
“He didn’t even know the meaning of Halal.”
Islamic Council of NSW vice president Ali Roude said companies must submit a full report to an Islamic organisation if a product is to be Halal certified.
Products such as gelatine, which contain animal collagen, are forbidden.
Mr Roude said many products were certified Halal so they could be sold overseas in Muslim nations such as Indonesia.
When assessed, it must be referred to a religious adviser before a certificate is issued.
“When we get approached, we do make sure the material is looked at closely,” Mr Roude said.
“We don’t look at it from a commercial point of view. Our main concern is that the product is Halal. We have a moral and religious objection to tell that company ‘yes, go ahead, you have nothing to worry about’.”