Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News, 2015-08-12
The South African National Halaal Authority (SANHA) has confirmed that a product called “Israeli Chocolate cake” is not imported from Israel and is manufactured locally in South Africa.
Consumers and activists took to social media lambasting the halaal body for certifying the product from Friends Bakery in Johannesburg with its halaal logo.
The halaal body has explained that a product cannot be declared haraam based on the fact that there is some expedient political rationale.
Spokesperson for the SANHA Moulana Muhammad Saeed Navlakhi says the Israeli Chocolate Cake is just one of the many products manufactured by the Johannesburg bakery.
He says he shares the sentiments expressed by people around the name Israel.
“Where a product meets the halaal criteria it will be certified halaal and you cannot then certify such product not halaal purely because there may be some political expediency that a name connotation that a product may have.”
Moulana Navlakhi says SANHA does not have its logo on some products linked to a connotation which is haraam like Rum and Raison ice cream or pork spice purely to avoid desensitizing the Muslim community.
“We don’t declare such a product haram and we don’t prohibit the company from manufacturing such a product within a halaal certified facility.”
Moulana Navlakhi explained that when it comes to the issues of Palestine, SANHA is aligned to Boycott, Divestment Sanction (BDS) and are guided by them in terms of issues of boycotting.
“But to say that declare that product haram or declare it not halaal based on that fact that it has a name Israeli, or American popcorn or British bagel is open to different interpretation.”
Moulana Navlakhi says that although there is anger and negative sentiment amongst Palestinian activists with regards to SANHA’s name and logo being attached to products with Israeli names, there must be balance in the approach.
“Extremism both ways is not Islamic.”
Moulana Nvalakhi reiterated that SANHA is very strict when certifying imported products.
“We’ve received applications for people that want to export their products to South Africa from Israel where we turned down such applications.”
However he says if a product is made in South Africa, but the raw material for the prodcut is only availlable in Israel, SANHA will certify the raw material provided it is halaal. However it will not certify if an entire product is imported . An example of such, a case in the past, with regards to the Chila Coffee product.
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