Rethinking Halal

Rethinking Halal reflects an anthropological revolution, that of the scientising, standardising, and normalising of social life through certification which is part of a process of ‘positivisation’ that directly affected Islam and Islamic normativity.

The role of Islam in public spaces is one of the most prevalent political questions in Europe. Contestations around the construction of mosques, the ban of Islamic veils and populist rhetoric about “problematic” neighbourhoods indicate Europe’s struggles with the place of its second largest religion. This book advocates for an analytical turn in the study of Islam in Europe using space as a central conceptual lens. While spatial approaches are gaining traction in the study of religion, migration, ethnicity, race, and politics, the chapters in this book argue that the critical potential of a spatialised analysis in the field of Islam in Europe remains largely unexplored. This volume presents a collection of nine empirical studies that offer insights into how scholars might exploit the category of space when analysing both current political issues and broader conceptual questions in the social sciences. And more specifically, how does a spatial perspective on Islam contribute to a deeper understanding of the formations of the state, ethnicity, race, secularism, gender, and colonial structures? Rethinking Islam and Space in Europe is a significant new contribution to racial and ethnic studies in Europe, and will be a great resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Politics, Sociology, Social and Political Geography, Anthropology and Religious Studies. The chapters in this book were originally published as a 2021 special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.

The book emphasizes the digitalization process in halal management of products and industries, which relate to the comparisons and cases in many countries viewed from an Islamic perspective. It needs a new view of using information technology to achieve wider coverage of promoting halal products as well as to develop the halal industries. A global perspective that consists of experiences from Muslim majority and minority countries will be presented in this book. This topic is also associated with the concepts on Islamic business and management. Islamic business not only focuses on finance/banking, but beyond that Islam teaches all people to do Shariah-compliant transactions or business. The book gives solutions to halal industry through digitalization. Islam has many solutions to be offered, and thus, it is important to reveal and discuss the Islamic way of managing business, including halal management. The book also discusses the halal products and its certifications. This book is intended for stakeholders of different industries, from environmental to food, in the need of digital tools and IT infrastructure.

In both Islamic and non-Islamic countries many population groups worldwide, such as vegetarians and people of the Jewish faith, consumers do not eat pork. Amongst these groups consumers are concerned about importing processed food which may contain or has been contaminated with pork or swine-derived products. This is especially true of halal foods in Muslim communities where the foods may be prepared or processed utilizing one of more non-halal ingredients. Halal and kosher foodstuff play an incredibly important role in the Muslim and Jewish diet, economy and health. This makes halal and kosher food product quality, safety and shelf life preservation a major topic in these communities and for the manufacturers of halal and kosher food products. Halal and Kosher Food: Integration of Quality and Safety for Global Market Trends covers a wide range of important topics in halal foods including quality, standards, safety of food additives, antimicrobial and veterinary drug residues, aflatoxin in feedstuff, application of Hazards Analysis and critical Control Points (HACCP). Important data regarding halal and kosher food similarities and differences are covered in full. Best practices in halal food product manufacturing are covered, plus the importance of halal food safety for consumer health. Written by elite international halal food experts, this work differs from other books on the subject which focus on history, legislation and certification. Readers can utilize this book as an orientation and practical guidebook to recognize the quality and safety of halal food products.

The government of Indonesia in the second term of the Jokowi presidency has fully endorsed the concept of halal to become not only a sharia-driven state law but also an incentive for the advancement of the national economy and market. In addition, Jokowi wants Indonesia to become the centre of the global halal industry. In the history of Indonesian Islam, although the issue of halalness, being an unseparated part of Islamic doctrine, is not new, it had never been the role of the state to formalize it into state law prior to the legislation of State Law No. 33/2014 on Halal Legal Assurance. From the 1990s to 2014, halal matters including halal certification had been unofficially handled by the Council of Indonesian Ulama (MUI). Then, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) proposed that halal certification be officially handled by the government of Indonesia, not by Muslim organizations. The legislation of State Law No. 33/2014 reflects contestation between MUI and MORA regarding which institution should serve as the authority in certifying halal products. Promoting and advancing the halal project of Indonesia are related not only to commodification but also to theology. The choice of the Islamic method for determining halal can become a barrier to improving inclusive economic and market performance. The halal system in Indonesia follows the Shafi’i school of thought in Islamic law, which is very strict in defining the halalness of relevant products. However, a more flexible method of ijtihad (Islamic legal reasoning), which can accommodate the development of the halal market, is needed. Despite claims that the formalization of halalness through State Law No. 33/2014 accommodates universal and inclusive values, some religious minority groups worry that the law will shore up the shariatization agenda of the Muslim majority and marginalize religious minorities in terms of their lifestyle preferences. The legislation of State Law No. 33/2014 has allowed shariatization to be not merely an issue associated with political Islam, but one that through commodification is grounded in the everyday lives of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

This is an open access book.INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HALAL DEVELOPMENT “THE TREND OF GREEN ECONOMICS ON HALAL INDUSTRY: UNVEILING CURRENT AND FUTURE PROSPECT”.We invite all professors, researchers, students, practitioners, and other halal industry enthusiasts to participate in The International Conference on Halal Development to present, share, and discuss the halal industry phenomenon depicted by academic research result as a strategic way to enlarge and enhance the development of halal industry together.

Ritual and practice are one of the most distinctive features of religion, and they are linked with its central beliefs. Islam is no exception here, and this Handbook covers many aspects of those beliefs and practices. It describes the variety of what takes place but mainly why, and what the implications of both the theory and practice have for our understanding of Islam. The book includes accounts of prayer, food, pilgrimage, mosques, and the various legal and doctrinal schools that exist within Islam, with the focus on how they influence practice. The volume is organized in terms of texts, groups, practices, places, and others. An attempt has been made to discuss the wide range of Muslim ritual and practice and provide a sound guide to this significant aspect of the religious life of one of the largest groups of believers in the world today.

This edited collection is one of the few sociological and anthropological studies of Halal markets. The chapters inquire into the legal and religious aspects of Halal markets in non-Muslim contexts or the countries where the label 'Halal' matters, and is not taken for granted as it is the case in most of the Muslim world where it is an accepted norm. In many countries, 'Halal' has become a type of brand used to market food and cosmetic products. This is an effective marketing strategy because it appeals directly to Muslims, but also increasingly to non-Muslims who seek pure, fresh products. In this case 'Halal' implies attributes similar to other brands where quality and purity is guaranteed, such as Fair Trade, Bio or organic in the US and Europe, but with the additional appeal to prospective Muslim consumers that it satisfies Islamic norms.The book consists of contributions on Halal economies in non-Muslim societies dealing with such dilemmas as rational thinking and halal philosophy within various fields of halal economy such as regulation, production, marketing, service delivery and consumption.