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Author: NIHT Media Durban – A panel of Islamic jurists will investigate the implications for Muslim consumers of a decision by SAB to use carbon dioxide (CO2) derived from beer production in soft drinks bottled by subsidiary ABI. This comes after SAB, the local arm of beer giant SABMiller, announced this week that it would invest R100 million in new CO2 capacity due to recent severe shortages of the gas. The facility will start operating in October. The facility would purify CO2 produced as a by-product of the brewing process and use it to carbonate the Coca-Cola brands ABI manufactures, bottles and distributes, including Coke, Fanta and Sprite. Moulana Abdul Wahab Wookay, the chief executive of the National Independent Halaal Trust (NIHT), said: “The NIHT has been informed by SAB of the plans but we would have to consult more widely and a panel of muftis would need to investigate further.” In South Africa halaal certification is conducted by several organisations including the NIHT, the Muslim Judicial Council Halaal Trust and the Islamic Council of SA. These organisations are party to the National Halaal Forum mandated to draw up a uniform set of halaal standards for South Africa. Muslims are prohibited from consuming, among other things, alcoholic beverages and pork products. Michael Farr, SAB’s communications manager, said: “We consulted with the NIHT before we proceeded with our plans for this investment and there was no indication that there could be a problem.” However, Wookay said SAB had been told that a panel of Islamic experts needed to discuss the issue. Farr said a further meeting with the NIHT was scheduled for tomorrow. He noted that the CO2 by-product from the brewing process would be “heavily purified and have absolutely no traces of alcohol”. Gas shortages have limited ABI’s ability to supply enough soft drinks. “Given the increased demand for our products, we do not want to have this kind of vulnerability in the future. This prompted our decision to make this investment in capacity, which will provide somewhere between 55 percent and 65 percent of our total needs,” Farr said. Wookay said: “CO2 in soft drinks previously has not been problematic for Muslim consumers. But we need to run this past experts on Islamic law to gather their opinion.” Wookay declined to say how long it would take to reach a decision. Farr said it was not possible to say how many Muslim consumers bought Coca-Cola brands. It is estimated that 4 percent of the population is Muslim. First Published: 21/03/2007 Download

Author: NIHT Media The executive board members and staff of the National Independent Halaal Trust (NIHT) were placed under scrutiny at their Annual General Meeting hosted on Sunday the 5th of November 2017. The AGM allowed the board members and staff to exhibit the many successes and failures over the past year. All this, in the hope of building a better, stronger more efficient Halaal Certifying organisation. The NIHT name no longer begs any introduction. Over the years it has built a reputation not only within the Muslim community, but also in all industries of the business community, as a leading Halaal certifying body. Furthermore, the responsibility of certifying has always been looked at as a local concern because most of what we consume used to be manufactured locally. However, technology has fast tracked the way everything works and the food industry has not been left behind. As such we see now on the shores of South Africa, available to the Muslim community, an array of internationally produced goods which begs the question, “Are they Halaal”? As such, the NIHT has taken on the task of travelling across the globe to certify many large companies who export their product to South Africa as well as ensuring that products produced in South Africa are meet the stringent NIHT Halaal Standards so that it can be exported to many Muslim countries. The AGM was aimed at achieving two important goals. Firstly to give a report back on the organisation’s activities and secondly to discuss the relationship that needed to be shared by the three committees within the framework of the NIHT, i.e. the Management, Ulama committee and the scientific committee. The meeting was opened with a Dua by Moulana Farhaad Mahomed (Durban). A brief welcome address by the chairman, Hafiz Moorad Booley set the proceedings in motion for the day. Office reports from Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg followed which highlighted the many successes that were achieved. The reports were comprehensive and detailed the wide reach of the NIHT throughout South Africa. Zohr Salaah and a delicious lunch were followed by the Scientific Committee report. While we are always familiar with the front of the certification and inspection processes, we seldom understand the need for ‘behind the scene’ science that goes into that process. Dr. Arshad Mather, chairman of the NIHT Scientific Advisory Committee, highlighted the need for utilising science within the assessment of products. What was also interesting was his appeal to the Ulama Committee to apply themselves to the many developments within the scientific realm so that answers can be derived for the benefit of the Ummah. The discussion of issues from GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) and vaccinations to the developments that allow us in the 21st century to modify DNA and possibly alter the genetic makeup of organisms and embryos were mind boggling and certainly aroused a great sense of interest amongst the attendees. The Ulama Committee report was presented by Moulana Usman Solehri who stressed on the need for religious guidance and research in the modern day Halaal industry. It’s easy to take for granted when dealing with simplistic products of pork and alcohol but with the intricate composition of shelf foods there needs to be constant research and development within the religious fraternity to remain abreast of these challenges. Moulana Solehri explained how, through thorough research by the NIHT Ulama Committee, issues are resolved and the organization is guided in terms of its policies. Another sterling example of how the NIHT is changing the face of Halaal in a global market. Moulana Abdul Wahab Wookay then introduced Brother Muhammad Ali Omar to elaborate on matters of auditing, administration and efficiency. He represents a company called WWISE who is facilitating the process of having the NIHT ISO9001 accredited. Should this goal be achieved (InshA-Allah), this would mean that the NIHT in terms of standards would be on par with international safety and quality standards and would give the certified company further credibility in the sight of their consumers. This would make the NIHT one of a handful of Halaal organisation in the world to have acquired this level of accreditation. The finance report was summarised by Nadeem Allie and set all attendees at ease and Alhamdulillah reflected a positive trend for the NIHT. This was followed with a Dua by Moulana Yusuf of Saabri Chisti which officially closed the day’s proceedings at 3:30pm. All in all the AGM of 2017 was certainly informative and beneficial to all those present. An acknowledgement to all those who contributed to the success of the AGM. With all that was discussed and the passion with which the matters were dealt we can only but conclude that the NIHT it certainly a Mark You Can Trust. First Published: 05/11/2017 Download

Author: NIHT Media Cape Town – Cape Town, which is determined to become the Halaal hub of Africa, is hosting the second Halaal Week that started on Monday. Giving the keynote address at the start of the week’s events, Premier Alan Winde said: “We want Cape halaal brand to be well known all over the world for quality and excellence. This is our vision. “We are only at the start of a very long journey in growing our share of the halaal economy. The potential benefit to the Western Cape is enormous.” Halaal Week aims to highlight business opportunities presented by the halaal market in the continent, with particular attention on the halaal industry in the Western Cape. Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC David Maynier said: “The halaal trade in the Western Cape has grown by 21% over the last four years, with the sum of halaal relevant exports to all consumers increasing from R43.7billion in 2015 to R52.9bn in 2018.” Maynier’s department estimated that last year halaal exports contributed almost 8% of the Western Cape’s total exports, while the top halaal export markets in that year were the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Export growth to Turkey doubled. “The global halaal food market represents a significant opportunity for the Western Cape, as the global Halal market size is expected to reach $9.7 trillion (R149 trillion) by 2025,” added Maynier. Wesgro chief executive Tim Harris, said: “The Western Cape is well positioned to access the global halaal economy. “Currently our Agribusiness Investment Unit has a R1.7bn halaal-focused pipeline,” he said. First Published: 10/04/2019 Download

Author: NIHT Media Samara hosted Volga Investment Summit forum and World Halal Day from 3 to 5 October. In addition to general words about the development of the halal industry and Islamic finance, on the sidelines the congress participants discussed the problems that were not raised at the session. The correspondent of Realnoe Vremya, who attended the forum, listened to the aspirations of the delegates and asked hard-hitting questions to the top officials of the government of Samara Oblast. Falling short of TatarstanSamara has hosted Volga Investment Summit forum and World Halal Day. More than 500 delegates from 20 countries gathered in the halls of Lotte hotel. It should be noted that Russia has hosted such summit for the first time. Previously, the event was held in the UK, India, South Korea, Singapore and Croatia. The main speakers were Governor of Samara Oblast Dmitry Azarov, President of the International Association of Islamic Business (IAIB) Marat Kabayev and the founder of World Halal Day Muhammad Jinnah. The participants of the meeting discussed the halal industry, shared their experience in the implementation of investment projects, signed agreements. The international exhibition and fair of the manufacturers and suppliers of halal products and services was held on Kuibyshev Square. In fact, it consisted of two parts. The first was the Oriental bazaar, where shashliks, pilaf and flatbread were cooked. In a separate tent, there was an exposition, which presented meat products, confectionery, hygiene products, clothing, financial and tourist services. By the way, it was quite noticeable the presence of stands of the companies and organizations providing medical services of both local (Samara Medical University) and foreign (especially distinguished guests from South Korea) doctors. In other respects, the exhibition resembled a light version of the one that is arranged in the framework of Russia-Islamic World: KazanSummit Forum, held in the capital of Tatarstan. It should be noted that there were many Tatarstan citizens among the delegates. For example, Chairman of the Halal Committee of the Muslim Spiritual Boards of the Republic of Tatarstan Irek Ziganshin in every way communicated with colleagues and took pictures with other participants. The manufacturers of dairy products and sausages from Tatarstan presented their products and offered to taste their products. Many recognized that in Samara, the scale fell short of Kazan. But the fact that they were concerned about the theme of Halal suggests some thoughts. Why Samara, not Kazan?Some guests even wondered why it is Samara which hosted the forum that discusses halal production, Islamic banking. Although these topics have long been a wheelhouse of Kazan, where relevant events are held (for example, the above-mentioned KazanSummit). Mufti of the Samara Oblast Talip Yarullin said that the regional authorities have high hopes for this summit. Actually, his words were confirmed by the head of the regional government. First Vice-Governor — Chairman of the government of Samara Oblast Viktor Kudryashov, responding to the correspondent of Realnoe Vremya, noted that Tatarstan has always been a good neighbour to his region. And this year both the republic and the region have together held a Rural Sabantuy. And he is quite often asked the question “why Samara, not Kazan?”. “It is wrong to associate halal exclusively with the faith,” said Kudryashov. “After all, halal is something associated with purity, quality of products, compliance with the highest standards. Despite the fact that in Samara Oblast 8% of the population are Muslims (mainly Tatars), the number of consumers of halal products is much wider.” He added that the geographical position of Samara Oblast obliges the region to develop relations with the countries of the East. There are already quite a lot of halal producers in the region. “We are holding this forum in pursuit of our own goal — to develop the regional economy,” he said. The vice-governor during conversation also noted that Samara is chosen for hosting the summit for a reason. According to him, the region is economically developed and here, where the population has a sufficiently high purchasing power, foreigners can find a good market for halal products. In turn, Governor Dmitry Azarov during the welcoming speech said that the region has 135 countries-trading partners, is one of the ten largest economies of Russia, has a huge scientific and industrial potential. More than 200 enterprises with foreign participation operate in the region, the largest Samara-Togliatti agglomeration and the Scientific and Educational Centre are developing. All participants of the summit are united by common goals: economic development, creation of conditions for attracting investments, business cooperation between states and different peoples of the world. The governor also stressed that Samara Oblast is ready to compete with the leading producers. “Competition exists in all sectors of the economy — not only in Russia but also in the world. Therefore, it is very important to increase the level of competitiveness. If the products are exported, it testifies to its quality, and the company has advantages, which gives impetus to innovation, investment. Federal support measures offset logistics costs. At the regional level, we compensate for the costs of business acceleration.” Who is going to be responsible for tourism?Representatives of the tourism industry of the region, talking on the sidelines with our correspondent, admitted that in the last year the work of the government to support this area has become almost unnoticed, unlike in previous years. According to them, for many years they had felt the work of the Department of tourism — and the industry was developing significantly. Thanks to the fruitful cooperation with officials, the local tour operators met the World Cup fully prepared. According to many indicators, it was evident that tourism in the region was actively developing and increasing its turnover. And the regional authorities repeatedly stated (including Azarov) that they would continue to work to expand the tourist attractiveness of the region. It should be noted that for 10 years until the beginning of 2019, the Department of Tourism of Samara Oblast had been headed by Mikhail Maltsev, whom the industry representatives call