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RUSSIA: UAE Qur’an centre opened in Chechnya
A centre for the study of the Qur’an – under the assistance of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – has been opened in the Chechen capital city of Grozny. Chechen President, Ramzan Kadyrov, and UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, inaugurated the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Centre for Holy Quran Memorisation. Kadyrov said the Islamic centre, the largest of its kind in the North Caucasus region, was named after Sheikh Zayed in recognition of the critical role he played to promote the culture of tolerance, love and peace among people regardless of their race and affiliation.
EUROPE: Uncommon alliances - Muslim and Jew, left and right
In October, the Dutch Senate will consider the ban on ritual slaughter enacted by the parliament’s lower house in June 2011. Self-described as “an institution that pays little heed to ideas which happen to be fashionable at the time,” the Senate has no one party that holds a majority. It will therefore be interesting to see whether it is able to protect religious freedom or succumb to the pressure to limit it through this law. The banning of religious ritual slaughter of animals has deeply offended observant Jews and Muslims in the Netherlands, where the legislation passed by a margin of 116 to 30 votes. Effectively banning Halal (permissible according to Islamic law) and kosher meat according to both religions’ traditions and dietary laws, the legislation was proposed by parliamentarian Marianne Thieme, the leader of the Party for the Animals, out of concern for cruelty to animals. The bill finally passed with an amendment allowing ritual slaughter on the condition that firm scientific evidence is provided within five years to the European Food Safety Authority, proving that slaughter without pre-stunning causes animals no unnecessary suffering. Jewish and Muslim communities are unhappy with the compromise, saying that it puts the future of religious practices into the hands of scientists and avoids the issue of religious freedom. This is a bizarre state of affairs in a pluralist European society.
GERMANY: Frozen food producers take advantage of global growth opportunities
Anuga Frozen Food has been serving producers for years as a top quality business platform — about 500 suppliers from around 50 countries present a broad spectrum of frozen food products. The ice cold heart of Anuga is Anuga Frozen Food, the international trade show for frozen foods and ice cream products under the roof of Anuga, from 8th to 12th October 2011 in Cologne. With approximately 500 exhibitors from about 50 countries, the trade show almost completely occupies both levels of Hall 4, with a gross exhibition space of 27,500 m².
Filed Under: Anuga 2011
UNITED KINGDOM: Leicester woman fulfils Halal cosmetics firm dream
Nadia Gani with her Halal make-up Nadia said when he was young her mother used to put a sticker on a lipstick with her name on it. As a young Muslim child growing up in Leicester, Nadia Gani loved wearing make-up but struggled to find halal-certified products. She hoped one day she could create a cosmetic brand that would comply with Islamic teaching. Halal cosmetics do not contain alcohol and animal extracts, which many high street products include.
Filed Under: Beauty
UNITED KINGDOM: Nando’s Halal call
A petition has been set up to add Halal meat to the menu at the new Nando’s restaurant in Peterborough city centre. It was created by resident Mohammed Haleem, who said: “The Company has been contacted and states it currently has no plans to make the Peterborough branch Halal. Nando’s has 54 branches which do serve Halal meat. A Nando’s spokeswoman said: “Nando’s welcomes everyone into our restaurants, regardless of their beliefs.
UNITED KINGDOM: UK agency warns about 'Zam Zam' water on sale
The government's Food Standard s Agency (FSA) in Britain has advised Muslims that they should consider avoiding drinking bottled water described or labelled as Zam Zam water. The agency says scientific tests have found that 'Zam Zam' water sold in the UK, or brought into the UK for personal consumption, may contain high levels of arsenic or nitrates. Tests carried out on water described as Zam Zam in the UK over the past few years, including water brought into the country for personal consumption, have indicated the presence of arsenic at almost three times the legal limit, it says. The warning has come anew after similar warning by the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that confiscated "fake bottles" labelled as Zam Zam water earlier this year, according to several media reports.
UNITED KINGDOM: Middle Eastern visitors favour Westfield London
After early summer spending in the Capital, many Middle Eastern visitors return to their home countries to begin Ramadan. July has seen a large influx of Middle Eastern shoppers to Westfield London shopping centre, while retailers have reported uplift in Middle Eastern customers mainly from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, including members of Gulf Royal families as regular Westfield London visitors. Myf Ryan, General Marketing Manager, Westfield UK comments: “Westfield London continues to trade very well with double digit growth figures in both turnover and footfall year on year, with the second week in July being the busiest week of the year so far. Tourist visitor numbers were visibly up and in the lead up to Ramadan We have seen a marked increased in brand-conscious Middle Easterners flocking to our luxury shopping hub, The Village. Since opening, Westfield London has attracted a large number of Middle Eastern visitors but this summer has exceeded visitor number from previous years. The designer labels that we house within The Village are notably popular, particularly quintessential English brands. Westfield London has firmly established itself on the London tourist circuit and the Middle Eastern market is incredibly important to Westfield London.”
UNITED KINGDOM: Legacy of a society that believes in nothing
Raw with grief, in a voice steady but tight with emotion, his appeal for calm on Wednesday was a beacon of hope amid the tumult and carnage of a horribly dark week for Britain. Hours before he spoke, Tariq Jahan had lost his 21-year-old son Haroon, murdered in the Winson Green area of Birmingham by thugs who drove at him in their car in what appears to have been a racist attack. No one could be more aware of the simmering racial tensions between Asians in his neighbourhood and those of Caribbean ancestry. Yet Mr Jahan had the dignity, the compassion and the common sense to demand an end to the violence that had shattered his life. ‘Blacks, Asians, whites — we all live in the same community,’ he said. ‘Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home — please.’
RUSSIA: Most consumers of Halal products in Moscow have no relation to Islam - expert
Halal products volume in Russia is growing 30-40 percent annually, the Halal Standard Committee at the Tatarstan Islamic High Council said based on research outcomes. Head of the Russian Consumer Rights Protection Union Mikhail Anshakov believes most Halal products are consumed by Moscow residents who have no relation to Islam, Argumenty i Fakty weekly reports. "The demand for food products manufactured under control of any religious community is on the rise because consumers become more careful in selecting their food. Halal products are well-known as high quality food. For instance, they use minimum chemical additives or by-products and, thus, consumers have more trust in them," he believes.
UNITED KINGDOM: New Company, Jealous, Launches Sweet Range for All
Sweet lovers in the UK now have more choice to enjoy as a new range of high-end boxed sweets, made purely from natural ingredients and suitable for people with dietary or ethical requirements, has launched.
Beautifully arranged in striking presentation boxes, Jealous sweets aims to be the perfect gift for a sweet lover and as an alternative to the traditional box of chocolates.
The initial range of sweet-gifts from the Jealous collection has been available to buy from Selfridge’s flagship Oxford Street store from July 27 and online at www.thejealouslife.com.
Filed Under: Products & Services