@Halal July/August 2020 | Page 13

July-august. 2020 | @Halal Hot Topic 13 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