HALAL Ban in UP
Source: The Hindu
GS II: Governance
Overview
- About Halal
- Issuing Halal Certificate
- Reason for Ban
Why in the News?
Uttar Pradesh Government’s Food Security and Drug Administration banned the “manufacture, sale, storage and distribution of halal certified products with immediate effect”.
About Halal
- Halal, a term of Arabic origin.
- It is derived from the Islamic faith.
- Halal denotes that which is considered permissible according to Islamic law.
- The opposite of halal is haram, which refers to what is prohibited by the faith.
- A halal certificate is issued to products that meet Muslims’ dietary and religious requirements.
- Thus making them suitable for consumption by followers of the faith.
- This certification is fundamental in the case of meat products.
- It is considered essential when exporting meat to Muslim countries, where strict adherence to halal practices is necessary.
- In response to the directive, police units conducted raids on various shopping malls across the state of Uttar Pradesh to locate and confiscate any products that were not halal-certified.
Issuing Halal Certificate
- The National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies has granted clearance to both the Halal Shariat Islamic Law Board and the Jamiat UlamaI Hind’s Halal Unit to issue halal certifications.
- The Jamiat’s section can only certify meat.
- Shariat Islamic Law Board is authorized to certify food products.
- These organizations have denounced the move to outlaw goods with halal certification.
- Leading the charge, Jamiat labelled the action as ridiculous and unfortunate and asserted that there had been no notice or circular before the move.
HALAL Ban in UP
- Based on filed complaint, accusing several halal certification organizations of giving forged certifications to increase their sale among a certain community.
- This report prompted the swift response of raiding malls.
- Even though the government’s move was perceived by many as just another attempt to marginalize the State’s Muslim population, the administration maintained that it had followed the law and fair trade standards.
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