July-august. 2020 | @Halal
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BY CAMILIA REZALI
JAKIM ensures products
and services can obtain
halal certification as
demand increases
The halal industry is buoyant,
given the rising demand for halal
products.
This surge in demand has also
led the industry to expand into a
variety of products and services
such as cosmetics, tourism, finance, fashion,
and now halal medicines.
Senior Director of Research Division of
the Department of Islamic Development
Malaysia (JAKIM), Dato’ Dr Sirajuddin
Suhaimee, said research played a significant
role to ensure products and services
can meet Shariah law and thus attain
halal-certification.
An action taken out on a product, service
or issue in the halal industry is not complete
without a non-binding legal opinion
on the point of Islamic law – a fatwa.
“There is a big task for research in halal
certification because there are some fatwa
which come from research in the first place
before we can come out with a fatwa by the
Fatwa Council,” said Dr Sirajuddin.
There will be no holds barred in each
research carried out by the research division
of JAKIM. The research on halal is
ongoing.
He said JAKIM conducts two types of
research - one to come out with a decision
of a fatwa on new technologies and products
brought out from the industry and the
other to assist consumers.
The relationship between research
papers and fatwas is exceedingly close. It
is so close that all of the research by the
research division will be tabled back by
the Muzakarah Committee of the National
Council for Islamic Religious Affairs of
Malaysia (MKI).
Dr Sirajuddin said: “When JAKIM is
reviewing such products, a thorough evaluation
is carried out. If a certain product
crosses the standards, alternatives will be
given.”
JAKIM will not only refer to previous
research but also establish collaborations
with the Ministry of Science, Technology
and Innovation (MOSTI) when certifying
new products or services innovation. This
is where JAKIM works in looking through
the product and proposing alternative
ingredients owing to any ingredient which
does not meet the halal standards.
It is how JAKIM implements a win-win
situation with halal product manufacturers.
As with the consumers, JAKIM strives
to convey to the public that if a product
is certified halal, it means it is genuinely
‘halal’.
The research by JAKIM is very detailed
as it looks at multiple points of view. It is
not only looking from a Shariah point of
view but also from the market, science and
technology perspectives.
“We not only view an issue from our
part but we will also view research from
universities, or we’ll have people from the
industry itself to be a member of a research
team,” said Dr Sirajuddin.
For the universities, the research conducted
is usually in the field of science
and technology. But for JAKIM, the study
is totally about Shariah policy. There are
several types of research in collaboration
with universities.
The difference between research done
by universities and JAKIM is on the problem
statement of the study. Universities
may pick up selected issues which were
researched before. For JAKIM, the problem
statement comes from a rising concern in
the industry itself.
A problem statement is the description
of an existing issue which needs to be
addressed. It provides the context for the
research study and generates the questions
which the research aims to answer.
He shared: “Compared with research
undertaken by universities with JAKIM, the
research conducted at university level is
usually on the field of science and technology.
But for JAKIM, the research is totally
about Shariah policy.”
Moving back to the role of research in the
halal industry, most of the research results
finalises to a fatwa. As of now, JAKIM is on
an ongoing process to develop its data bank
on research sourced not only from research
done by it but also by universities.
“We already agreed to have this new
initiative so that it can be accessed easily
by public,” he said.
On a separate note, Dr Sirajuddin advised
that if there exist cases of misuse of the
halal logo in the industry, a report should
be lodged through email, contact or even
through JAKIM’s social media platform.
When JAKIM is reviewing such
products, a thorough evaluation
is carried out. If a certain product
crosses the standards, alternatives
will be given.”
Big role
for halal research
Table 1: Halal journals produced by JAKIM Vol.1
2019M/ 1440H.
No. Journals authors
1 The Compelling Trend Of Halal Dr Zalina Zakaria
Cosmetic industr In Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Siti
Salwa Abd Gani
Mohd Zairul Effendy Musa
2 Muslim-Friendly Hospital Dr Mohammad Aizat
Framework
Jamaludin
Dr Betania Kartika
Dr Mohd Anuar Ramli
Mohd Hazrul Hamzah
3 Halal Economy And Industrial Dr Adlin Masood
Revolution 4.0: The
Dr Alina Abdul Rahim
New Frontier For Islamic Revival
In Uzbekistan
4 The Influence Of Halal Practices Dr Baharudin Othman
On Organisational Performance Professor Dr Sharifudin
Among Food Industries (SMEs) Md Shaarani
In Malaysia
Professor Dr Arsiah Bahron
Dr Nurul Hudani Md Nawi
5 Halal Viral Issues In Malaysia Mohd Farid Hadi Sharif
Dr Mohamad Zulkifli
Abdul Ghani
6 The Enforcement Activities Dr Zalina Zakaria
Under Post-Market
Mohd Amri Abdullah
Control Of Halal Certification
In Malaysia
7 Malaysia Model: Challenges In Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee
Halal Certification
Mohd Asri Abdullah
Suraiti Alias
8 Developing Halalan Tayyiban Dr Khairul Anuwar Mustaffa
Concept In Malaysia’s
Food Industry
9 Issues And Challenges In Johari Abd Latiff
Implementation Of Halal
Khairunissa Che Omar
Medical Device Certification
In Malaysia