International alliance on Halal accreditation established
A four-way agreement was signed at the World Halal Forum Europe 2010 (WHFE), held in London on the 10-11 November 2010, bringing the goal of international Halal standards one step closer.
The International Halal Integrity Alliance (IHI), The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), The American Halal Association (AHA) and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) signed the agreement during the final session.
These four bodies will collaborate on issues relating to Halal Standards development and the formation of a network of national Halal Accreditation bodies to ensure Halal integrity throughout the supply chain.
MCB’s Deputy Secretary General Dr Shuja Shafi joined with Executive Director of ISNA Development Foundation Ahmed El-Hattab, President of the AHA Ahmad Adam and CEO of the IHI Alliance Darhim Hashim to sign the agreement.
The WHFE was held at Earls Court Conference Centre to engage business leaders and stakeholders in discussing current issues in the Halal industry and potential ways to further its growth.
The theme of WHFE 2010 was ‘Halal Products and Services – Going Mainstream’ and it included a wide range of expertise from businesses and organizations across Europe, Australia, S E Asia and North America. In total there were over thirty countries represented.
One of the key resolutions of the Forum included collaborative actions to combat the discriminatory EU amendment 205 which if passed will impose forced labelling of Halal and Kosher meat as ‘unstunned.’
Project Director of World Halal Forum Europe Abdalhamid Evans is confident that the EU legislation can be overturned with the help of the WHFE resolutions.
“There was an overwhelming consensus among the WHFE delegates that the proposed legislation is not only discriminatory, as it casts an unfounded negative light on religious slaughter methods, but it also goes against World Trade Organisation guidelines on unnecessary barriers to trade.”
World Halal Forum Europe 2010 also featured cutting-edge practitioners who are engaging the Halal industry in other ways apart from food-related issues. Discussions on Halal cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, travel and investment potential were a part of the two-day programme. There were also presentations on GMO and cloning issues as well as the use of digital media in the Halal sector.
More information on the contents of the Forum as well as the programme can be found on the World Halal Forum Europe website, www.worldhalalforum.org.
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