Letter to editor
ALLOW me to refer to your article entitled “JAKIM Needs to Clarify on Whether It’s Halal to Spit Over Prepared Food Served by Muslim Eateries” which was published on Oct 28, 2024.
Kindly be informed that Malaysia’s halal certification standard emphasises the principle of Halal Tayyiban which includes the “Halal” element which fulfills sharia requirements while the “Tayyiban” concept emphasises the aspects of quality, cleanliness and health of products or services.
All in all, halal certified products or services not only need to be free from illegal substances but also from the aspect of consumer safety and well-being.
Accordingly, actions that lead to offences in compliance with halal standards can have serious implications not only from a legal point of view but also from the perspective of consumer confidence and trust.
Any form of fraud, non-compliance or manipulation of halal certification is against shariah principles and established standards.
Referring to the reported viral issue, JAKIM would like to emphasise that the act of spitting on food is an act that is unethical, uncivilised, dirty, immoral and certainly does not meet the Halalan aspect of Tayyiban if it is done.
Therefore, JAKIM always advises consumers to choose food premises that are halal certified by JAKIM or State Islamic Religious Councils (MAIN)/State Islamic Religious Departments (JAIN) because surely all standards and halal certification requirements have been checked and evaluated before each premise or their products are certified as halal. – Nov 6, 2024
Nursyazrin Nazee Mudeen is the corporate communications head at JAKIM’s (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) Halal Division Division.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
