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summer vacations. They also provide authentic Islamic information to public school teachers to eliminate the Islamic stereotyping and misunderstanding.
4.3 Halal Food and Business
The word halal (in Arabic) means permitted or lawful and in Chinese often translated into qing zhen 清真. Halal foods are foods that are allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines.
Muslim cannot consume pork or pork by products; animals that were dead prior to slaughtering; animals not slaughtered properly or not slaughtered in the name of Allah;
blood and blood by products; alcohol; carnivorous animals; birds of prey; land animals without external ears. Islam prohibits anything which intoxicates, affects the functioning of the brain, or harms the body. These prohibited foods and ingredients are called haram (in Arabic) means forbidden.
From a book written by Gladney (1991), in order to understand Hui Muslim identity in China, it starts with the understanding of the term qing zhen 清真35as the expressions of Hui identity. Qing zhen is a Chinese term that literally means the “pure” and “true”. It is commonly written as a sign for Muslim food diets in restaurants and food stands. But this concept expressed by the Chinese ideographs as meant more to the Hui than the absence of lard or pork. In the Geertzian sense, it become a “sacred symbol” marking Hui identity (Gladney, 1991; p. 7).
One of the greatest challenges for Muslims in Taiwan is finding halal food. Most of Taiwanese have little consciousness of Muslim dietary practices and mostly argued that halal food is troublesome (麻烦 or Máfan). Even most of them know that Muslims do not eat pork, but they still do not understand why Muslim cannot eat pork and what the meaning of halal is. It can be seen from most of the question that Muslim got from Taiwanese.
However, this problem somewhat can be solved since basically many of Taiwanese also have religious dietary custom (for Buddhism who are becoming vegetarian), so that to find vegetarian food in Taiwan is quiet easy.
35 Based on Donald Leslie, this term of qing zhen might have originated with the Chinese Jews and referred to Judaism in many of their ancient inscriptions. While the prominent Hui historian Ma Shouqian concludes that before the Yuan Dynasty, qing zhen referred to both Islam and Judaism. By the Ming dynasty, its meaning become generally restricted to the religion of the Hui people (Gladney, 1991; p. 11 – 12).
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Recently, there is a good development regarding halal food business. Until now, there are 31 restaurants throughout the country that are now certified as Halal or Muslim friendly restaurants. Most of them are Indian, Pakistan, Thai, Turkish and Egyptian cuisine. In March 25th, 2013 there were sixteen restaurants around Taiwan were given Halal certification36, which identifies them as trustworthy establishments that serve food in compliance with Islamic dietary law. This certificates was officially given at a ceremony in Taipei as the part of Taiwan’s efforts to attract more Muslim tourists in a bid to expand its tourism37. There are also numerous Halal Yunnan, Burmese and Thai small food shop/
restaurant in Zhonghe area, Taipei City and Longgang, Chungli – Taoyuan City.
(Source: Personal documentation. Halal food bazaar in Taipei Grand Mosque after Friday Prayer.
A Chinese Muslim women sell Halal chicken to Muslim immigrant)
In the 2013 & 2014, TAITRA together with THIDA38 (as co-organizer) held an event named “Taiwan International Halal Expo”, which held on June. The concern of THIDA is
36 The certificates were issued by the Tourism Bureau, in collaboration with the Taipei-based Chinese Muslim Association, to restaurants in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Hualien and Taitung.
37 The China Post. (2013). 16 more restaurants around nation get halal certification. Published on March 26, 2013, 12:01 am. Retrieved from: http://www.Chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2013/03/26/374205/16-more.htm .
38 Taiwan Halal Integrity Development Association abbreviated as THIDA (台灣清真產業品質保證推廣協 會 or Táiwān Qīngzhēn Chǎnyè Pǐnzhí Bǎozhèng Tuīguǎng Xiéhuì) is a certification body that produces Halal certificates in Taiwan. The association, which is based in the Taipei Cultural Mosque in Taipei, was inaugurated on 7 May 2011 in Taipei. The opening ceremony was attended by association managers, economic representatives, business people and around 300 Taiwan Halal Good Association companies and their relevant factions in Taiwan. The objectives of this association is to ensure the Halal-ness to all Muslim consumers anywhere in the world, protect the Halal integrity of local certification bodies from mistakes or
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because of the current world Muslim population number, that has been estimated to be 1.5 to 1.6 billions, or 1 out of 4 persons in the world is a Muslim. It is estimated that the Muslim market is worth 800 billion to 1.2 trillion US dollars per year, a very significant new market.
This is a very good foundation has been laid down for Taiwan’s Halal Industry to exploit, especially it has emerged as a very important new business opportunity, encourage establishing Islamic financial services and Muslim tourism, and participate in developing business opportunities in the Muslim markets.
In recent years in order to develop tourism in Taiwan, the government has aimed at Muslims from South-East Asia and Mainland China to promoting tours to Taiwan. The halal food and Muslim friendly environment in Taiwan has thenceforth greatly improved. Now, step by step Muslim in Taiwan can find food with halal logo in many hypermarket in Taiwan.
And CMA just gives new halal certification to some five star hotels and restaurant, mainly in Taipei.
Finding halal food in Taiwan is quite difficult especially for foreign Muslim. However with the presence of Chinese Muslim who open the halal food or halal restaurant business, it is very important and essential. Next to Masjid At-Taqwa, Mrs. Hasanah open a small Indonesian Halal restaurant. For the halal meat and chicken supply, it was carried by Ali, a Chinese Muslims living in Chungli. He slaughter the chickens and ducks by himself. While for the beef, the supply is Chinese Muslim traders. While for Halal food in Longgang area are available every day, especially near the Longgang mosque area. Many of Chinese Muslim reside and live around the mosque, and they open halal restaurant or halal food stall near the market. They also sell halal food on Friday pray.
One of the case of inter-marriage in Longgang mosque area is Mrs. Wati, former Indonesian worker who married with Thailand Muslim. She and her husband open Indonesian halal restaurant not so far from Longgang mosque, and also provided halal raw chicken and Indonesian food stock. They owned their own small-scale poultry farm and Mrs. Wati’s husband will slaughtered the chicken in Islamic way so that they can provide halal chicken.
Mrs. Wati also provides catering for Indonesian Muslim students who want to order
mishandling, avoid consequences from such mistakes that may affect interests of other law-abiding companies, and allow sharing of the limited resources of each individual mosque in both the shariah and technical fields.
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Indonesian halal food every Wednesday or Thursday in every week. She organizes the food order by using facebook and then she will deliver the catering to NCU.
As for halal meat in Kaohsiung, it is available every day in Kaohsiung mosque. But many of Indonesian workers cannot access the halal food because of their limitation with working hour, factory regulation and food provider. Furthermore, the understanding and knowledge of halal concept among Indonesian themselves and Taiwanese are still limited.
Halal meat also available in some Indonesian store (especially from those inter-marriage couple that he mentioned before). They slaughtered the chicken by themselves and take the halal meat from importer. Based on government regulation, we cannot slaughtered the animal in the city’s market, it should be outside the city. So, usually the Muslim student buy an alive chicken and they slaughtered by themselves. Based on Mr. Kahlil experience while living in Taichung before, he often to do slaughtered chicken by himself. And there is also Indonesian worker who work in abattoirs, so that all the chicken from that company is considered as halal.
In Kaohsiung mosque on Friday, there’s no people selling food. However halal meat are available to sell in Mosque’s office every day. The chicken meat is slaughtered by Mr.
Musa (one of the Mosque officer) by himself, while beef meat is imported from New Zealand. All the visitor on Friday pray get free lunch from the mosque. For Indonesian Muslim, there is an Indonesian store next to Mosque and they eat there. The owner are Indonesian female Muslim who are married with Taiwanese muallaf, then they open the Indonesian store and halal restaurant.
Not only individual, Chinese Muslim organization and mosque often helps various food industries, halal restaurant and hotel to get halal certification. Now, Taichung mosque in cooperation with TIHDA, arrange the national halal certification in Taiwan and will launched only one halal logo. TIHDA has good relations and was recognized by MUI (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) and Jakin Malaysia, and MUS (Majelis Ulama’ Singapore).
They already held several conferences and seminars about halal food in Singapore, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. Step by step, TIHDA tried to get international halal standard.
After we gather information from the Chinese Muslim Association (CMA) about Halal certification (which is easy and simple), we try to have a discussion with the school representative or in this case with the Office of International Affairs (OIA). Last week,
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several students have discussed with Professor Llyod (OIA) regarding the buffet at canteen 3 which has halal problem issue. Pertaining to this, we try not to justified anyone, instead we try to make it sounds more official. Thus, the international Muslim students would like to propose official halal certification through the CMA. Now, Professor Llyod still discussed this matter with the school representative. Let us pray so that the school will approve this proposal.
One of the example of the interaction between Indonesian Muslim students with Chinese Muslim is when the NTUST student want to proceed halal canteen in their campus. NTUST canteen provide halal food since late 2010. To make sure the halal procedure, the Indonesian Muslim student regularly check the canteen’s kitchen by themselves to know the chicken and cooking process.
In the first process, Imam Musa, the previous Imam in Taipei Grand mosque, personally helping the students on explaining about halal procedure to the canteen and university management. However, currently the canteen has different person who cook and there is no a proper knowledge transfer from previous one. And this canteen does not have a formal halal certification. CMA give halal certification for food products, hotel and restaurant inside Taiwan. While TIHDA certified Taiwanese products for exporting to Middle Eastern countries.
Student in NTUST come to CMA to ask the halal procedure for their canteen, including documents and requirement for a restaurant or canteen to get this certification. CMA also offer a training for hotels and restaurant who want to get Muslim-friendly title in order to support government’s program to promote tourism. CMA also made a halal food and Muslim-friendly catalogue for Muslim traveler.