Is 'halal' label 'halal'?

Is 'halal' label 'halal'?

Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agiel Munawar issued two
decrees on halal labeling (fulfilling the requirements of Islamic
dietary law) in November 2001. The decree obliges users of halal
labels to buy a kind of sticker.

So far producers or importers holding halal certificates have
put halal labels, not necessarily in the form of stickers, on the
packages of their products, without additional payment. But
pursuant to the two new ministerial decrees the state-owned
banknote printing company Peruri is the only institution
entrusted with printing durable and authentic halal labels.

Oddly, the first of those ministerial decrees on determining
halal foods was signed on Nov. 30 but the second decree on the
appointment of Peruri as the only label producer was effective
from Nov. 10, 20 days before the signing of the first decree.
There has been no explanation of this oddity.

No wonder anxiety over soaring production costs is followed by
assumptions that the decrees reek of corruption, collusion and
nepotism.

In Singapore, halal certificates are given not only for
foodstuffs, but also to restaurants. The Singapore Islamic
Council has a list of hundreds of restaurants/food stalls with
halal certificates, which are strictly controlled.

The religious affairs ministry should be able to prove its
ability to provide benefits instead of troubling the community.

-- Business Indonesia, Jakarta