MUI Confident US Businesses Will Not Ignore Halal Certification: They Won't Want to Lose Out in Indonesia
JAKARTA — The Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for Da’wah Affairs, Ustaz Zaitun Rasmin, has said that the polemic surrounding reports of US imported products without halal certification needs to be addressed rationally and proportionally. According to the head of Wahdah Islamiyah, American business operators will understand the character of Indonesia’s predominantly Muslim market from a commercial standpoint.
As such, he continued, they are considered to have a “high level of concern” regarding halal-labelled products. He expressed confidence that the likelihood of major producers ignoring halal certification requirements when seeking to penetrate the Indonesian market is very slim.
“I am confident that from a business perspective, the businessmen and traders in America already know that Indonesian society, which is predominantly Muslim, is already aware and concerned about halal-labelled products. So I am certain they would not want to incur losses by entering this market without halal labels,” Ustaz Zaitun said in a written statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (24/2/2026).
He explained that these products may already hold halal certification in their country of origin. However, the issue arises in the administrative aspects or equivalence (recognition) between foreign halal certification bodies and Indonesian institutions.
For this reason, he urged the government and relevant authorities to accelerate the process of recognising credible foreign halal certification bodies, so as to avoid dual certification requirements that would impede the flow of trade.
As a member of MUI’s leadership, Ustaz Zaitun emphasised that a dialogue-based and regulation-driven approach is far more constructive than speculation that could potentially cause public unease.
“For me, this is something we must verify through tabayun [fact-checking], because in Islam this is very important. We must not rush to conclusions before matters are clear, especially on issues concerning the welfare of the public. We are prohibited from making judgements on news that could bring harm to others,” Ustaz Zaitun explained.
He also called on the public to remain calm and prioritise clarification before taking any stance, while awaiting official confirmation from the relevant authorities.
Drawing Scrutiny
The Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics (LPPOM) has drawn attention to the recent agreement between the United States and the Republic of Indonesia on reciprocal trade, known as the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), which includes provisions on halal certification. In the document, Article 2.9 addresses halal requirements for manufactured goods.