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Thank you for providing the opportunity to submit some concerns. See Summary at end of Submission. I have no issues with Food Certification other than Halal Certification. A. EXTENT OF HALAL CERTIFICATION IN AUSTRALIA. A1. Extends to support the duty of Muslims to create an Islamic GLOBAL caliphate. At the Global Halal Congress 2010, The grand mufti of Herzegovina, Dr Mustafa Ceric (Muslim Brotherhood leader in Europe), claimed that ‘halal can enable Muslims to dominate global economy and conquer the world’. It follows then that products halal certified in Australia support this Islamic agenda In the caliphate ‘everything is 100% halal’. According to the 45-page book: “A Brief Guide to the Islamic State, 2015” emmigrants will not be leaving favorite snacks behind: “Snickers, kit kat, Bounty, Twix, Kinder Surprise, Cadburys … “another great perk about food in the Caliphate is that everything is 100% halal. No squinting at the back of food packets looking for those dreaded ‘E’ numbers…..” Halal food is viewed, by many Muslims and non Muslims as another way Sharia law is creeping in and being imposed on Western societies. Many Imams call for various forms of jihad on the West . Yusuf Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood spiritual guide, declared ‘We will conquer Europe! We will conquer America!”. We must listen to what is said, take heed and learn from what is now happening in Europe and overseas. Dr Taj Hargey, a practicing Muslim, says in the Daily Mail in 2014: ’[T]he meat in many supermarkets is halal - though there is no recognizable label to indicate this fact This is covert religious extremism and creeping Islamic fundamentalism making its way into Britain by the back door. Muslims - who amount to just 4.8 per cent of the population – should not take precedence over the other 95 per cent. Halal meat should never be forced on customers without their knowing. It’s unfair to everyone, non-Muslims and Muslims alike. It’s deception on a grand scale.” Extends beyond religious requirement Halal certification is not a religious imperative and not part of recorded Islamic law. Muslims are free to eat anything not haram. Halal certification is not required. Australian produce (except meat) was sold 'as is', naturally halal. Everything on the earth is halal, except for what Allah and His Messenger say is haram. Today halal certification seems to operate on the opposite principle, that everything is Haram unless it is certified Halal. What appears to have occurred is by determining what is Halal, each certifier takes it upon HIM self to reinterpret dietary laws and put himself beyond Islamic doctrines. Islamic doctrine does not limit Muslims to eating only halal certified products, with permission to eat food of Jews and Christians. ‘Kosher certifiers can simultaneously provide halal certification Kosher Australia has a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Halal Food Services Trust, a major Halal certifier in Australia. This allows Kosher Australia to release other certification due to the [ostensible] synergies between the markets. Similarly with vegan and vegetarian certification’ Halal certifiers cannot provide any Kosher certification. Halal Certifications are recent business constructs, which started in the 1980s. Today there are close to two dozen Halal certification organizations in Australia, (Nov.2014.) Given that there are not 24 different religious Halal schools of thought with respect to halal certification, suggests that certification serves other agendas. In most Muslim states /countries, halal certification does not even exist, Extends BEYOND FOOD HALAL applies to all facets of life, not only food products. Halal certifying authorities are and will increasingly impose other Halal certifications far beyond food. Eg halal neighbourhoods (Sydney), halal holidays etc. Halal certified products that are not necessarily Islamic are becoming more common e.g. Easter eggs, cat food and baby oil. .Extends BEYOND the ISLAMIC COMMUNITY and is IMPOSED on non Muslims. Supermarkets, restaurants schools, councils, hospitals etc provide Halal with and without informing clientele. This is a problem as many ethnic and religious groups will not eat Halal products. Eg. Sikhs. EXTENDS TO IGNORE AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER IN PREFERENCE TO OVERSEAS MARKET In Australia, 97% of the market contributes to an lslamic charity even if unsuspecting consumers don’t require or choose halal.( See Zakat) Industry insiders estimate that not more than 10% of poultry production is for export, while 80% of chicken meat produced in Australia now comes from Halal certified abattoirs Most staples eg. milk and bread are halal certified even though a miniscule amount is exported. Our government displays a preference for halal exports while ignoring the requirements of most Australian consumers. Where’s the governments’ loyalty factor? This lack of concern for the majority of the Australian Domestic consumer needs to be addressed, Extends to discrimination in the work force Many in the Halal certification process, employ (male) Muslims only as drivers, as slaughterers, as packers ,etc. B. CURRENT LABELLING REQUIREMENTS Food companies pay to be certified so that Muslim consumers will buy their product. However there is No standardized labeling. Many companies pay for certification but don't always label food as halal right to the end user. Government regulation applies only to meat for export. While much of this meat ends up in the Australian domestic market, such certifications do not come under any government regulation and are not labeled as such. Other companies place a halal label inside the packaging, to be seen only after it’s been opened. If food is not labeled correctly this may contravene the Under labeling guidelines Act 2010. Lack of transparency and appropriate labeling from Halal certifiers, creates a sense of uncertainty,imposition, exploitation for many in Western society. Mandatory Standardized Labeling is urgently required. Clear labeling with Government approved certifier symbol, on a user pay basis, would allow consumers to make a conscious choice D.WHETHER CURRENT SCHEMES PROVIDE ENOUGH INFORMATION FOR AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS TO MAKE INFORMED PURCHASING DECISIONS There’s insufficient information. Non-transparency, bribery, lawsuits, support of various forms of jihad, seem to have surrounded halal certification, since its inception. E. DETAILS REGARDING CERTIFICATION FEES. The halal certification process varies .Certifiers and manufacturers do not disclose amounts paid. Some nevertheless claim fees /profits are –used to cover costs , or negligible, or even to pay for wife’s shoes! Certification fees need to be checked and monitored by an Independent government Audit and not solely within the certifying organization. This is where uncertainty creeps in. Muslim consumers are largely unable to find out exactly what process has been followed in the certification process and what standards have been set by the certification provider. For non-Muslim Australian consumers, halal food is unnecessary Explainer: what is halal, and how does certification work? James Wong&Julian Millie, Monash University Feb 2015 As there is no consistency nor transparency re fees, costs paid it is impossible to assess impact on prices for consumer. However it is clear from the public outcry that there is a huge emotional impact on consumer. These emotions, anger, sense of being deceived and betrayed by certifiers and our government representatives, are certainly not condusive to creating a peaceful harmonious society. G. Extent and adequacy of INFORMATION AVAILABLE. Varying strong opinions based mainly on emotions and wishful thinking contribute to misinformation and public tension. There is a huge lack of balanced information educating the public about the Halal Certification Processes and its related matters. Information dispersed tends to vary greatly There is disagreement within the Muslim community as to what is Halal or Haram. There is confusion over halal standards. Some certifiers are not even registered with Government Departments eg.Agriculture. Certifiers’ information on websites tends to be biased. There’s a lack of multi leveled transparency. For example, conferences are held in secret. The “Halal certification charter signed in secret in Mecca” (published 25 May 2015 in The Australian) we can gather: ‘Australian Muslim leaders agreed to conquer and divide the multi-million-dollar halal certification market’. Indonesian writers suggest that to get authorization one needs to bribe MUI (the halal certification body) officials:“The MUI must explain where funds from issuing halal certification have gone’, 25 Feb 2014. Going the Whole Hog TEMPO.CO, Jakarta. The Indonesian Consumers Association proposed that halal labels be replaced with non-halal certificates. Feb 2014.Going the WholeHog. Tempo.co, Jakarta Ethical people practice ethical business. Certifiers need to be Government registered and approved. Checks on criminal backgrounds, prior business practices, business plan, similar to entering a commercial tenancy contract. Government regulatory body needs to be made up of people from diverse backgrounds and not in the certification business. EDUCATE Re Associated ISLAMIC concepts and Laws I carry the hope that this senate inquiry will activate changes and implement parliamentary action to ensure that halal certified products are not imposed on consumers and that certification is transparent and regulatedAll round unbiased transparent Education is the key. On
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