Istanbul hosts World Halal Summit

ISTANBUL– Anadolu Agency

AA Photo

The World Halal Summit began in Istanbul on Dec. 15 with the participation of over two dozen prominent figures in the halal sector from Turkey and other countries.  
      
The summit is being held in Istanbul’s Lütfi Kırdar Convention Center in collaboration with the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) and the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), and will continue until Dec. 17.        

Sheikh Thafier Najjaar, president of the World Halal Council, said Muslims should consume halal food according to the orders of Allah.        

“We should be careful about the healthiness and halal-ness of our foods. This is our duty as Muslims. If we follow the rules [of Islam] we will be powerful. We, as Muslims, are the guards of halal. This is an order of Allah,” Najjaar said.    
    
He also added that the sector should prioritize producing halal food rather than searching for profits.    
    
Abdulkahir Qamar, fatwa director of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), said they were working to develop a common ground for halal food.        

“The IIFA is an institute that has been working in fiqh [Islamic jurisprudence], culture, and economics for more than three decades,” Qamar said.

“We are working to find solutions to problems faced by Muslims around the world,” he added.    
   
Justice Khalil-ur-Rahman, chief of the Panjabi Halal Development Agency in Pakistan, said demand for halal food in the Muslim world was rising, highlighting the need for more investment in the halal-food production sector.

A Halal Expo, a pioneering event that guides the sector by combining the World Summit with the Halal Fair, is also happening simultaneously at the same venue.        

Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) defines halal as something being “legitimate according to Islam.”

Turkey’s economy, culture and tourism, and foreign affairs ministries are backing the events. They are joined this year by the Banking Regulatory and Supervision Agency (BDDK), the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (TYDTA).