Gelatine with Halaal stamp?

21Nov08

Q: There has been quite a lot of controversy regarding the Gelatine issue. It is alleged that most of the Ulama accept gelatine from non-Halaal animals as Halaal on the basis of transformation and metamorphosis.

Answer

Some Ulama contend that there is a drastic change in the non-Halaal animal material used in gelatine manufacture thereby rendering non-Halaal animal material as Halaal. The SANHA Fatwa Committee does not concur with this view and has adopted a very holistic position on gelatine and other such ingredients of non-Halaal animal origin used in food production.

This committee has ruled that the use of non-Halaal animal raw material is not acceptable in the manufacture of food products due to the fact that abundance of Halaal raw material is available. They have also argued that why should we as Muslims look for technical loopholes (metamorphosis etc.) to justify the use of Haraam animal raw materials in food production. Food producers should be made cognisant and aware of the needs of Muslim’s and should accordingly procure Halaal raw materials. The global Muslim population constitutes almost 1.8 billion people and most of this community is not vegetarian i.e. we are consumers of meat. Furthermore, we are not faced with such a predicament that gelatin-based products cannot be avoided.

“Remember, the industry will only change if we present our requirements and assert our needs.”

The Fatwa committee is made up of expert Scholars representing the following organizations:

* Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal

* Darul Ihsan – Durban, KZN

* Council of Ulama – Eastern Cape

* Northern Cape Halaal Board

* Majlisud Da’wah, W.Cape

* Jamiatul Ulama, W.Cape

* Central Islamic Trust

* Darul Waqaf, E.Cape

Furthermore, almost all of the major Halaal certifying organizations globally also hold the same view. We list some of the organizations hereunder:

* JAKIM, Government Halaal Dept, Malaysia

* Majlisul Ulama, Indonesia

* Majlis Ugama Islam, Singapore

* IFANCA, USA

* HAFFIA, Netherlands

* Halaal Monitoring Committee, UK

* Halal Control, Germany

* Halaal Committee, Thailand

* Halaal Science Centre, Chulalongkorn University

* Rabitah al-âlam al-Islâmi, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

* North American Halal Foundation, USA

Filed under: Gelatine, International   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Gelatine, halaal, sanha