Indonesian Ulema Council Issues Stern Warning Over US Products Entering Indonesia Without Halal Certification

Jakarta, VIVA – The controversy surrounding the Indonesia–United States trade agreement, which reportedly includes provisions exempting products from halal certification, has drawn a firm response from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). MUI’s Head of Fatwa, Asrorun Ni’am Sholeh, urged Muslims to remain selective in choosing the products they consume.

“Avoid food products that are not halal or whose halal status is unclear, including US products that do not comply with halal regulations,” he said, as quoted from MUI’s official website on Sunday, 22 February 2026.

He stressed that mandatory halal certification for products entering, circulating, and being traded in Indonesia is enshrined in law and cannot be negotiated by any party, including the United States government.

“Our legislation governs halal product assurance. Among other things, it stipulates that every product entering, circulating, or being traded within Indonesian territory must hold halal certification,” he said.

The professor of Islamic jurisprudence at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta explained that halal product assurance regulations form part of human rights protections, particularly the right to religious practice guaranteed by the constitution.

In his view, under the principles of Islamic commercial jurisprudence (fiqh muamalah), the key consideration in trade is not who the trading partner is, but the rules of engagement that are agreed upon. Indonesia, he said, may trade with any country, including the United States, provided it is underpinned by mutual respect and free from political pressure.

“In the context of halal, the majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim, and every Muslim is bound by the halal status of products. Law Number 33 of 2014 on Halal Product Assurance states that all products entering and circulating in Indonesia must hold halal certification,” he said.

He even linked the halal issue to the human rights principles frequently championed by the United States itself.

“If America wishes to discuss human rights, then halal certification is part of implementing respect and regard for the most fundamental right of all — the right to religious practice,” he said.

Ni’am also emphasised that halal consumption is a religious obligation that cannot be traded for economic gain.

“And this is non-negotiable, let alone bartered for a price. For instance, we might buy goods cheaply, but if they are not halal, even if given away for free, they must not be consumed,” he said.