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Muslims around the world choose to eat Halal food because it meets requirements that they believe make it suitable for consumption.
Halal originates from rules and guidelines set out in the Qur’an and the Hadith (the Prophet Muhammad’s example), which have been followed over generations of Islamic practice.
Halal means “permissible” and can refer to any aspect of life covered by the teachings of Islam, not only for food.
There are several myths and lesser known facts associated with what constitutes Halal meat.
One such fact is that Muslims can, in fact, eat slaughtered animals, or 'Dhabihah', which is butchered by People of the Book, or 'Ahl al-Kitāb', whether they happen to be Christian or Jewish.
In addition, animals slaughtered using Halal methods in Australia are first stunned and rendered temporarily unconscious before slaughter, where methods in overseas abattoirs often don’t use these methods.
Economically, the global Halal market size is likely to reach USD 9.71 trillion (AUD$13.9 trillion) by 2025, according to Reuters.
To shed light on some of the technicalities around Halal meat in Australia, SBS Arabic24 spoke with Dr Mohammad Anas, the General Manager of Australian National Imam’s Council (ANIC) Halal Authority.
Q. What are the appropriate conditions of slaughtering animals in Islam?
Dr Anas: The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry, [known as] Dhabiha, involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe. It is the preferred method to slaughter sheep, cattle and birds.
Slaughtering must be performed by a sane adult Muslim or a Jew or Christian. Animals slaughtered by a heathen, Atheist, Magian, apostates and disbelievers who are not from the people of the book [are not recognised]. However, Islamic societies that issue Halal certificates do not certify slaughtered animals butchered by Jews or Christians in Australia, as a precaution and compliance with international standards.
The animal must be slaughtered by the use of a sharp tool made from iron or other materials that causes the blood to be drained from the body.
The name of Allah should be invoked (recited) at the time of slaughtering while using a recorder to recite the name of Allah is not sufficient.
Animals are supposed to be conscious and not stunned when slaughtered. Nevertheless, laws in Australia forbid slaughtering the animal before stunning it, including chickens. As a result, scholars are permitted to stun the animal before butchering it in a non-lethal or fatal way to cause temporary loss of consciousness.
In this case, that meat of stunned animals slaughtered in an Islamic method is considered to be Halal, provided the animal didn’t die before being butchered.
Q. If a chicken was slaughtered mechanically according to Islamic conditions, is it Halal to be eaten?
Dr Anas: Scholars have authorised eating mechanically slaughtered chickens. The gas killing of poultry has emerged as a technique, yet international Halal institutions in Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries do not accept this technique.
However, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have allowed mild electrical stunning through electrified water to cause temporary fainting of poultry. The slaughtering happens while the animal is unconscious and thus the animal is butchered, not killed, by stunning.
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Q. If the name of Allah was recited at the beginning of the slaughtering line, but not on every single animal, does it make all other carcasses Halal?
Dr Anas: This is permissible in cases of slaughtering poultry mechanically. Scholars have permitted invoking the name of Allah on each group because the slaughtering process is fast. Slaughtering with the sharp tool, yet if the machine stopped, invoking the name of Allah must be repeated.
In the case of other animals, such as turkeys, cattle and sheep. These animals are slaughtered by hand one by one reciting the name of Allah should be on each animal independently.
Q. What is the Islamic ruling on eating in a restaurant that serves alcoholic beverages and Halal meat? Is it permissible to eat there? Is the meat still Halal?
Dr Anas: It is preferable to avoid eating in restaurants that offer Halal meat with non-Halal products. For instance, we have restaurants like KFC, McDonald’s, others and restaurants that offer alcohol, unless the eater confirmed that the Halal food is not mixed with non-Halal food. As for Halal certification, these restaurants can’t be certified as Halal according to our standards.
Q. Is it permissible for a restaurant to offer Halal meat and pork? Is the restaurant still considered Halal from your point of view?
Dr Anas: It is not permissible for shops that sell meat or factories that export Halal food items to have pork components. We do not issue certificates for such restaurants and it is not permissible to eat there.
Some fast-food restaurants offer pork and Halal meat and have Halal certificates, but for us, we do not give Halal certification to this restaurant because we follow international standards in this regards.
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Q. If someone is from the people of the book, who butchered the animal in a Halal way, can a Muslim eat from this slaughtered animal?
Dr Anas: In Islam, yes.
Q. Some restaurants hide Halal certificates, what's your comment on them doing this?
Dr Anas: It is not permissible to hide a certificate. if all products are Halal, and the fact that the Halal industry is booming globally, things must be clear.
Q. Are you trying to impose Halal culture on everybody?
Dr Anas: It is personal freedom and choice.
Q. There are different jurisprudence schools of thought among Muslims, how does this affect your work?
Dr Anas: I believe that there is no disagreement on fundamentals. The disagreement is on the branches and issuance of rules and conditions. This dispute existed in the past and will remain until judgment day.
Q. There is a restaurant owned by a non-Muslim that offers meat slaughtered according to Islamic way, can a Muslim eat this meat?
Dr Anas: It is permitted to eat meat from non-Muslim restaurants after making sure there is non-Halal meat or pig meat at the restaurant.
