“حلآل”

What does Halal or “حلآل”, means to you? or how strong is your sensitivity towards the Halal compliance by the food makers.. Let's go back to basic and question ourselves on how rigid are we in adhering the Halal compliance.. As Muslims, Halal is not something that can be kidded about.. whatever we consume is gonna be part of our flesh and blood.. we are what we eat, remember?

Lately, Halal status has been the alarming national concerns to us Muslims.. issues have been pressing one after another.. from Ramadhan Buffet to McD and to QBB Ghee.. last 2 days i've received an email from a colleague concerning McDonald's' halal status.. the issue is probed around Jakim's statement to withdraw Halal recognition for Uruguay Islamic Centre which involved Mac Food Services (M) Sdn. Bhd.. In the email, there was an attachment of a paper-cutting stating that Mac Food is the supplier for McDonald's.. Allahua'lam.. upon reading the email, my mind has been traveling back and forth to the countless visits i went to indulge on McD meals.. owh, i feel like fainting already.. Ya Allah, i seek for your forgiveness on my negligence to comply on the nahi mungkar..

Out of curiosity, i feel the urge to seek for the truth.. thus, i went to Halal Malaysia website and to my utter relieve, i found Jakim's statement dated 23rd August 2010 stating that Jakim is not suspending or withdrawing Halal Certificate for McDonald's or Mac Food Services (M) Sdn Bhd.. i'Allah, let's hope that statement can clear our doubts towards McD.. the statement can be found here.. Allahamdulillah..

However, to my dismay, the good news ended once i stumbled upon this statement in the Halal Malaysia website.. it is concerning QBI Packaging Sdn Bhd and its QBB Pure Ghee.. Jakim's statement dated 23rd August 2010 is suspending the Halal Cert for QBI until further notice, hence, the suspension covers on QBB Ghee.. the statement can be found here.. and my mind went back and forth again to number of times i indulged on Sugi Cookies, Pineapple Tarts, Nasi Minyak and the list continues.. imagine how famous this ghee is during Ramadhan and Eid especially among the cookies makers.. i almost bought the ghee myself the other day for having the intention to make Pineapple Tart.. Alhamdulillah, i didnt managed to grab that thing or it might go to waste.. but the point is, imagine how many of us have been consuming this substance since childhood.. it's totally frustrating.. i hope Jakim can clear this matter as soon as possible.. for us Muslim consumers, it's our duty to search for other Halal options until Jakim can prove it otherwise..

All these while, it seldom occurred in our minds that Halal issue can be this tensed and pressing in M'sia considering its claimed as an Islamic country.. i always have the impression that getting Halal food in M'sia is no biggie.. looks like, we have be extra careful on what we consume and what we buy after this.. we cant take it for granted and similar to Muslims whom stay abroad, we should also always remind ourselves to look on the labels of the items we buy so that we can be certain that the food is Halal.. but somehow, i think Muslims who live abroad especially in the UK have more conveniences to look for Halal foods.. the products in the UK are more Halal or vegetarian friendly than here in M'sia.. i've been there once and i found that most of their products state clearly if the items that are suitable for vegetarian.. i think M'sia should do that too.. we cant just be too sure that all M'sian products sell in the market are Halal for our consumption.. let's make Ramadhan this year as a start to walk the talk on nahi mungkar compliance.. Allahu'lam.. :)