Taking the religion out of halal

The world is not just about capitalism, but also consumerism.

Consumerism isn’t just about preparation and taste, but naturally extends to ingredients and animals.

Hindus do not consume beef or beef stew.

Jews do not consume pork or pork dishes, and there must be a kosher mark.

Muslims do not consume pork or alcohol dishes, and there must be a halal mark.

If a company targets a specific group and its product abides by the rules of engagement and is signed off on by a recognised body, then sales should happen to that segment.

There is the logical and rationale world – and then there is the real world.

From Australian news website abc.net.au, May 22:

An [Australian] milk products company [Fleurieu Milk and Yoghurt Company] which announced it would ditch its halal [permissible] certification after it was targeted on social media has now reinstated it and won back a deal to supply Emirates Airlines…

Without its certificate, the company could not fulfil a US$50,000 contract to supply yoghurt to Emirates… Fleurieu Milk Company executive Nick Hutchinson said it had now changed its mind, reinstated its halal certificate and ensured the airline contract was secure…

“We should have stayed tight, made a stand for Australia as a country that accepts and appreciates different ways of life… We have now gone back on that and we have regained halal certification and are quite proud to say that anybody of any sex, age, race, religion as well is able to enjoy our products…”

There are many lessons here:

Social media

The “dark side” of social media is that it may result in a knee–jerk reaction. But can “informed” decisions be based upon sentiments, especially when those sentiments do not represent a cross sampling of the population?

- The power of social media can pressure companies, like Fleurieu Milk & Yogurt, to make decisions that are not in their best financial and/or survival interests, meaning they impact revenue which impacts payroll (employees) and suppliers. There is a reverse multiplier effect.

- Did the halal boycott movement, especially those asked to follow, take time to understand what the “halal” issue was that provoked their movement? Or is there something darker behind the movement?

- Now what if, say, an Australian company based in cosmopolitan Dubai had a similar smear campaign against it by locals because its ingredients were “made in Australia”. The locals may ignorantly believe/be convinced  that in buying made in Australia brands, they go against the lifestyle/culture/historic principals of Dubai.

- Those leading the boycott campaign against Fleurieu, did they pick up the contract dollar amount the company lost?

- It comes down to “dollars and (common) sense”. Muslim consumerism, which I equate to BRICS’s story of growth markets with growth opportunities, is fattening non-Muslim wallets/bank accounts. What is the issue, unless Muslim money is not good enough?

- The Australian authorities have stated there is no evidence halal certification fees fund terrorism. Isn’t the burden of proof on the organisation making such claims?

The Muslim tax

- The Muslim tax, halal certification fees, argument theoretically holds a little bit more weight but needs to also be applied to Jewish tax (kosher) and the organic tax (self-explanatory). Those against halal do not need to consume it, as not all beef or ingredients from Australia are halal. The implicit understanding is that the logo of halal is conspicuously labelled for the benefit of consumers and those opposed to it. 

[Among Muslims, they are prepared to pay to an extra amount for halal (permissible), but many, especially those in lower socio-economic bracket, are not prepared for tayyib (purity), which is linked to hand-slaughter (versus machine).]

For those insisting on boycotting Muslims/Islam/Arab, why not boycott the gasoline coming in from the Middle East that drive Japanese/German/American cars on Australian roads?

Next issue is about eight (8) halal certification bodies in Australia, some of which are more credible than others. Are the numbers causing more confusion and friction than clarity, and hence need government regulation? Government regulation for halal may work well in places like Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia, but present challenges where there is separation from state and “church”, like Australia, France, US, etc.

The Fleurieu case highlights an important take-away: the halal industry needs to do more to protect the integrity of halal, before sloppy practices of a few certification bodies causes irreversible reputation damage.

Binary?

This is not a victory for halal or loss for the boycott-halal movement. The world is not binary – it’s about fiduciary duties of company executives to make informed choices that are in the best financial interests of the company and its owners.

Boycotting works, rejecting apartheid in South Africa, when the reasonable person’s conscience is shocked by the behaviour and policies of the company. Do the Fleurieu Milk & Yogurt company’s actions, halal yogurt for Emirates Airline passengers which includes many Australians, warrant a boycott?

But what did the halal industry do to help Fleurieu, beyond giving supportive words and obvious statements of “Islamophobia”? Maybe they worked behind the scenes, hence sanity eventually prevailed? But what if they did nothing beyond giving supportive words? What message does it send to existing (non-Muslim owned) SMEs with halal products who may not be as brave as Fleurieu?

Maybe a company whose product(s) in the halal space encounter stiff PR headwinds hires an agency to address the challenge at the time.

But in hiring an agency to address the issue, (1) it will always be reactive where proactivity is required, (2) the person assigned will not have depth of industry knowledge, (3) they will not know what trouble is brewing on the road ahead, (4) developments in the pipeline, say, on halal logistics or alternatives to porcine-based gelatin, are not shared or coordinated, and so on.

Today, all economic sectors fund industry bodies or lobbying organisations to educate, do damage control, etc.  Now why don’t the halal certification bodies, about 140 globally, as a small percentage of halal certification fees, fund the establishment of halal industry body for public relations, branding and marketing? This is an immediate need of the hour and an investment, not cost, in the future of the industry.

The issue will eventually become binary: either the industry does something or something will be imposed.

Halal, like kosher or organic, is about business with rules of engagement to make informed consumer choices. – May 26, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.