Halal certification issues and problems
In the age of globalization, when the flow of people and commodities is faster than ever, it becomes more important for us to prepare and provide foods and commodities that people can consume without any concerns about whether they are derived from ingredients forbidden in their religions or cultures. Especially in Muslim minority countries like Japan, Muslims would face fewer obstacles to enjoying their time if they can easily see whether the products are acceptable for them or not. However, we must not forget that the halal certifying business entails some controversies.
One of these controversies involves possible stipulations and standardization of what is allowed by God and what is not, ignoring the existing diverse opinions. It might be easier for us to rely on an established conventional regulation when offering halal products. However, what would happen if we started to establish detailed regulations for foods and ways of life in general for Muslims, done in the name of God? Wouldn’t this occurrence enhance the monopolization and regulation of people’s minds and behavior? Also, wouldn’t it create explicit boundaries between Muslims and non-Muslims?
✿Problems in the business of halal✿
1. Stipulation and standardization of what is allowed by God
Muslims understand halal to be what is allowed by God in the context of Islam. For those who are willing to conduct their lives according to God’s will, the meaning of halal is an important question. Until recently, the answer has been sought according to the living situations in people’s everyday lives. The outcome was a set of diverse opinions derived from interactions between God and each individual. These opinions were respected by fellow Muslims. However, due to the nature of the halal business, certain organizations have constructed a single answer in written form and standardized the opinion about what is allowed by God.
2. Establishing detailed regulations to certify halal
More often than not, halal, as a business, carries detailed regulations. This tendency is getting more prevalent in recent times. For instance, the Quran may tell the reader that pork is forbidden, while many halal certification organizations explicitly state that anything that contains any possible components derived from pig is prohibited. In these cases, the organizations require the commodity or services to be free from physical contact with any pig components during production, transportation, or storage. Nowadays, we can detect the original source of each component at the DNA level. With the development of science and technology, investigations are becoming more detailed than ever.
✿Concerns✿
Homogenization and enforcing the regulation of mind and behavior
If certification regulations for halal food become standardized, people’s understanding and behaviors would be homogenized, which eventually creates an atmosphere in which people are no longer free to think or act apart from regulations. Since investigations are, even now, highly sophisticated and professionalized, people would, in the end, abandon the ability to make their own judgments and rely solely on the certifications.
Fixation of the boundary between Muslims and non-Muslims
Once standardize regulations became commonplace, Muslims, especially young generations, would start to fear consuming any products without certified logos. Certified halal marking would eventually begin to signify “products for Muslims,” specifying, “These are foods for Muslims, and these are for non-Muslims.” These distinctions would divide our tables and our everyday lives.
What can we do to avoid such a future and keep sharing our tables with people from all over the world?
