Sikh Education Welfare and Advancement (SEWA)1 Mobile: Email: Baldev Singh Dhaliwal ACIBSE, MCMI, JP SEWA Network Co-ordination Australia 27 July 2015 SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS Third Party Certification of Food Inquiry Submission on behalf of SEWA Network, Australia Sikh Australians, as other fellow Australians, have an expectation that food items can be selected off the store shelves according to their dietary preference without being subjected to the religious requirement of another religious group. Halal certified food not clearly distinguishable from the rest, as at present, is a severe infringement of that freedom. Sikhs respect the beliefs of others and their right to practise their own faith, but Sikhs have their own distinct beliefs and code of discipline. However, what is clearly stated as one of the four serious breaches (Bajjar Kureht) of Sikh Religious Discipline and Code of Practice (Sikh Reht Maryada) is the consumption of Halal, which is specifically stated as meat of an animal killed in an Islamic sacrificial manner (under the Islamic Law of Sharia). Any form of offering, sacrificial or ritual slaughter is strictly against the Sikh belief. Sikh fundamental belief is that the Creator dwells within His Creation. This belief is supported by the holy Sikh Scriptures, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the eternal Guru of the Sikhs. Any form of ritual offering assumes an entity existing outside the creation. That GOD can be pleased and mollified by an offering or a sacrifice flies in the face of this fundamental Sikh belief. The only offering that a Sikh can and is expected to make is of self, of ones ego! Sikhi, the Sikh Way of Life, is based on the lives of 10 Guru Personalities and is gained through contemplation of the Guru’s Word embodied in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, passed on to the Sikhs by the Guru Personalities themselves.. The pertinent point for this submission is that the Sikhi, the Sikh Way, liberates the individual from pointless traditions, taboos, omens, rituals, sacrifices etc. Wikipedia definition of Halal with very little variation from other sources is as follows: ḥalāl, 'permissible') or halaal[1] is any object or an action which is permissible to use or ﺣﻼل :Halāl (Arabic engage in, according to Islamic law. The term covers and designates not only food and drink but also all matters — (al-ahkam al-khamsah) ةسمخلا ماكحألا of daily life.[2] It is one of five fard (compulsory), mustahabb (recommended), halal (allowed), makruh (disliked), haram (forbidden) — that define the morality of human action in Islam.[3] Mubah is also used to mean "permissible" or "allowed" in Islam. Generally in Islam, every object and action is considered permissible unless there is a prohibition of it in the Islamic scriptures.[2][4][5]Clarification is given below in detail as to what is considered to be a permissible object or action in Islam, along with the exceptions. Sikh Education Welfare & Advancement (SEWA) network, Australia, aims to promote better 1 understanding of Sikh ideology and identity; and, to consult and advise about matters relating to community welfare and progress as Sikh Australians. For the purpose of this submission the Sikh Australians, therefore, understand that HALAL is a religious label under the Islamic Law of Sharia. The product may or may not have meat products in it. However, all meat and meat products are from animals ritually slaughtered in a manner prescribed under the Islamic Law. With the above understanding in mind, Sikh Australians submit as follows: Sikhs object to all Halal products on religious grounds. Halal is religiously sanctioned food and products (including medicines) according to the rituals of another religion; rituals, that the Sikhs reject. Consuming those products makes the Sikhs party to those very rituals that they reject. The ritual of making any offering or a sacrificial slaughter is against the Sikh belief. Such an act as an offering to GOD (which by implication would appear to be outside the Creation) is against the fundamental Sikh belief. Sikhs object to sacrificial slaughter of an animal. Sikhs believe that animal killed for sustenance, for food (some Sikhs are vegetarians) should be killed in the most humane manner, not according to a religious ritual. The 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, introduced the term Jhatka, meaning by one strike of the sword. That is slaughtering the animal by one stroke of the sword as opposed to the Islamic manner of Halal. This in the present day context is interpreted to mean the use of the most humane method of slaughtering the animal. For the most humane manner of slaughtering an animal, the Sikhs would rely on and will support the experts of how to slaughter the animal most humanely, not on a religious group. Sikhs, therefore, reject the Halal manner of slaughtering the animal. Sikhs as Australians believe that all citizens of Australia should have the freedom of choice and should not be subjected to the religious rituals of a particular religious group. This is not being disrespectful to any particular group, but exercising their own freedom of choice. Any religious group wishing to have food and food products (including medicines) according to their own religious requirement should do so at their own expense. Such additional costs should not be passed on to non-Muslim consumers. As Australian tax-payers, we would expect the Islamic Halal Certification authorities to be tax accountable for the income from the levy collected from halal certification. Suppliers, distributors and retailers should ensure that such products are clearly labelled and are kept separate from the rest. Australians should be able to exercise their right of choice. All expenses incurred in the process of Halal Certification should be reflected in the price of the product and should not be a burden on the rest of Australians. Halal label is a Religious label under the Islamic Law of Sharia. All Australians should have the choice of not consuming halal on religious or other grounds. Baldev Singh Dhaliwal Principal Advisor, Sikh Education Welfare and Advancement Australia Coordination Sikh Education Welfare & Advancement (SEWA) network, Australia, aims to promote better 2 understanding of Sikh ideology and identity; and, to consult and advise about matters relating to community welfare and progress as Sikh Australians. .