A one-day International Seminar-cum-Training Workshop on ‘Halal Food and Non-Food Science, Management’ was organized by Industrial Analytical Center of International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi in association with SANHA Halaal Associates, Pakistan recently at LEJ Campus, Karachi. The Seminar was attended by representatives of Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), SANHA Pakistan, ICCBS and student as well.
Director ICCBS, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary in his address 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 labeling. 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, from Kuwaiti 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, glycerin, fatty acids, amino acids, enzymes (rennet in cheese, media used in microbial cultures), and composition of DNA (nucleotide), he said.
Yasmeen Khanum of PSQCA discussed the role of PSQCA in Halal standards, and said that as the national standards body, PSQCA is mandated to develop, implement, and coordinate standardization activities in Pakistan.
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.
Dr. Hani Mansour Al-Mazeedi from Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Bhanger of ICCBS, Prof. Dr. Syed Ghulam Musharraf (ICCBS), 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, Halal Foundation Pakistan Moulana Naeem Shahid also spoke on the occasion.
