Rilek1Corner

Tag: halal

  • Eighteen Chefs Owner Benny Se Teo: Non-Muslim Customers Must Respect Restaurant’s Halal Status

    Eighteen Chefs Owner Benny Se Teo: Non-Muslim Customers Must Respect Restaurant’s Halal Status

    Call me proud , arrogant or whatever … if you insist on bringing in “Non – Halal” food and consume in my restaurants i will show you the way out !!!
    I might lose some customers but my Halal status must never be compromise . ‪#‎sibehtulan‬

    Complain :
    Darren Chua Hi, I’m a loyal customer of 18 chefs and have been patronizing their branches, the ones I commonly go to are the one at NEX and AMK hub, I must say that they have superb service. However, today was my first time going to the branch at Bugis, and I am really truly disappointed by the service there.

    Today, on the 26th November 2015, my friends and I were eating at 18 chefs really happily and all, despite the long wait, we were glad that we could find seats. We were about to celebrate our friend’s birthday and we took out a cake (from chocolate origins) to eat it.

    Yes, 18 chefs is a halal restaurant, but the cake from chocolate origin is halal but not certified. I understand that by consuming it there it could be inappropriate and spark unhappiness. However, how the staff a handled the situation was really a shocker to me. There was a Muslim lady that approached is first, I didn’t get her name, but she handled it well, we told her we were apologetic, and since we already ate the cake (Without even using your utensils but with tissues and our hands), we would clear it and leave immediately, which we were doing, until a man (assumingly the manager, a rather plum man in his thirties perhaps) made my experience with 18 chefs today a horrid and disappointing one.

    He came up to us and told us, “You know you shouldn’t be eating this here.” My friends told him that we were sorry and are already cleaning up, he stopped is halfway and told crossed his arms and said, ‘no.’ No explanation, no listening, just a big no. We tried to explain that we didn’t know and wanted to apologize sincerely, as our Muslim friends were also eating the cake, we thought it was perfectly fine, but he just raised his voice and said no. I got a tad bit angry with receiving such disgusting service from a shop that I really enjoy having my meal at, told him, ‘okay, your staff told us to ask for permission in the future and to clear it immediately and leave. And that’s what we are doing.’ He came up closer than he already is to the table and just said “No.” Again, even louder, practically screaming in our faces. 16 of us, having a meal at 18 chefs, trying to enjoy a birthday celebration, to be ruined by nothing but a no.

    I really do understand and am honestly apologetic on the behalf of my friends for being so ignorant and bringing something that isn’t halal into your restaurant. However, I am really disappointed and very sure I’m never going to eat at the branch in Bugis as I really am disappointed and ashamed by such crude behavior displayed by a manager. If that’s how a manager treats their customer by saying no and with no explanation or patience I think that the other service staff is going to be worse. Having a sign that perhaps say ‘ask for permission before brining any outside food or drinks.’ Or ‘outside food and drinks are strictly not prohibited.’ Would be good enough compared to a no.

    I strongly feel that we deserve a proper explanation or perhaps and apology for having to experience something that is rather traumatizing from a well known brand for their excellent service. Once again, truly disappointed by that man’s rude, boisterous and monosyllabic attitude and response and I sincerely hope that you can educate your staff members more and such incidents to ever happen again. I do not want to tell my friends ‘No.’ (With no explanation at all) when they ask if I would like to eat at 18 chef in the future. Thank you and I hope you can get back to me.

    Sincerely,
    Darren Chua

     

    Source: Benny Se Teo

  • Does “No Pork, No Lard” Means The Food Is Halal?

    Does “No Pork, No Lard” Means The Food Is Halal?

    This is the translated version of the original Malay article published in Berita Harian (Singapore) on 27 October 2013.

    To access the original Malay version, please clickhere.

    I would like to thank bro. Muhammad Azril bin Muhammad Yusof for his help in translating the article.

    May Allah reward him with His best reward.

    —————————

    Question

    Can Muslims patronize shops or food suppliers that have no halal certificates but instead display labels showing “No Pork , No Lard “?

    Answers

    Consuming halal food is obligatory on all Muslims (The Quran, 2:168 and 172) .

    However, Islamic scholars differ in their opinions about what constitutes halal (permissible) and haram (non-permissible).

    For example, some scholars view that there is no restriction when it comes to eating amphibious animals, while some scholars only permits fish as the only permissible seafood that can be eaten, different from the view held by the Syafiite – the dominant school of jurisprudence among Malays and in this region.

    Thus, there exist varying opinions and flexibility when considering whether a food is halal in Islam, even though the principle is the same.

    But in the context of Singapore and due to limited space allowed for this article, let’s address this issue to only the Syafiite school (practiced) here.

    Based on the criteria set by MUIS with regards to halal food, everything is permissible except the following foods:

    • Pig and all parts of its body
    • Dog and all parts of its body
    • Carcass (of an animal that is halal to consume but was not slaughtered in according to Islamic requirements)
    • Animals with fangs, such as bear, lion and monkey
    • Birds of prey that have talons such as hawks and eagles
    • Animals that are forbidden by religion to be killed such as ants and bees
    • Animals that are decreed by religion to be killed such as a snake, scorpion, and rat
    • Filthy animals like flies and most insects
    • Animals that live in two worlds, such as a toad
    • Blood
    • Alcohol and all other intoxicating food and drinks
    • Impurities
    • Plants that are poisonous or harmful to health

    Therefore, any food that contains contents of prohibited substances mentioned above is considered non-halal, or in other words, is haram to be consumed.

    A simple way for the public to ensure that a food is halal is by looking at the logo or halal certificates issued by MUIS or other reputable overseas Islamic institutions.

    You can ask for help from MUIS halal department with regard to this should there be any doubt about a certificate or the halal logo from other Islamic institutions abroad.

    It should be made clear that any food that does not meet the above criteria are not permissible to be consumed altogether although the providers, vendors, store operators and chefs are Muslims.

    Instead, a food is halal if it meets all the criteria as stated above even though the providers, vendors, store operators and chefs are non-Muslims.

    For foods that do not have logos or halal certifications, there are two options that can be considered.

    Firstly, we can assume a food to be halal after a reasonable assessment has been made by reading the list of its contents or observing the site where the food is handled and there seems to be nothing or any evidence that makes the food forbidden to be eaten.

    This is based on Islamic legal maxim that says, “Everything (related to non-ritual) is permissible until proven otherwise”, which is based on these hadiths (the Prophet’s traditions):

    “Verily Allah the Almighty has prescribed the obligatory deeds, so do not neglect them; He has set certain limits, so do not go beyond them; He has forbidden certain things, so do not indulge in them; and He has said nothing about certain things, as an act of mercy to you, not out of forgetfulness, so do not go enquiring into these.” (Narrated by Al-Daruqutni)

    “What Allah has made lawful in His Book is halal and what He has forbidden is haram, and that concerning which He is silent is allowed as His favor. So accept from Allah His favor, for Allah is not forgetful of anything. He then recited, ‘And thy Lord is not forgetful.’ (19:64)” (Narrated by Al-Hakim and Al-Bazzar)

    Leave the food on the basis of being cautious, especially if there is an uncomfortable feeling or doubt about it, according to the hadith, “Leave what makes you doubtful for what does not.” (Narrated by Al – Turmuzi)

    Especially if there are many other options that are clearly permissible and not suspicious in nature.

    This is the safest choice, though it is not a must in all circumstances.

    Although there are shops with notice board displaying the word “No PORK, No LARD”, here are some notes that needs to be known.

    “No Pork, No Lard” is not an absolute assurance that the food is halal as the criteria for a food to be halal are as mentioned above, and not only dependent on the absence of pig elements in it.

    The food may not be permissible as the animal may not have been slaughtered according to Islamic requirements.

    It may also contain ingredients from alcohol or impurities.

    It would be more accurate to point out that food with the status “No Pork , No Lard” is the same as foods with no logos or halal certificates as mentioned above, and the same principle needs to be applied  to decide whether the food can be eaten or not .

    Should be reminded that God created man, full of diversity, both in terms of knowledge, personality and others.

    This leads to differences, among other things, in the level of conservatism.

    Some have high conservatism and some are low that shape choices in life, including food choices.

    Because of the diversity in human behaviors, we find there are some who are only comfortable eating at places that display halal certificates or, are operated by Muslims only, while some are more open and flexible .

    Some are inclined to stick to the principles of being cautious and play safe, while there are others who follow the maxim, “Everything (related to non-ritual) is permissible until proven otherwise”.

    There are those who want to examine in detail before deciding if something is halal and there are some who accepts whatever is visible to their eyes.

    When factoring the differences in opinions among other schools of thoughts with regards to food, more and more young people are exposed to views from other schools of Islamic jurisprudence with regards to this matter and the increasing number of Muslims from other countries that follows differing schools of Islamic jurisprudence in, surely the consideration of a food being deemed as halal has become increasingly varied.

    In this case, managing different viewpoints of what constitutes halal food has become important to avoid misunderstandings that could create negative reactions, which is not favored by religion.

    Advices that can be considered are:

    Do not be quick to judge something as haram or accuse those who choose food that has no certificate, or not displaying halal logo, or a “No Pork, No Lard” signage as beng in the wrong, unless we clearly know and have proof that the food is haram.

    It is important to understand that it is the responsibility of the accuser to provide proof when they declare that the food is haram because the original rule on the matter is it is halal until proven otherwise.

    Being prudence (wara’) is encouraged, but it cannot be forced on to others.

    Ask questions and get clarification before reprimanding or judging because that person may have information that we do not know or he may have a different viewpoint on the matter.

    If we cannot or could not be bothered to ask questions and seek clarifications, and have no solid evidence that the food is haram, we should respect a person’s food choice and be respectful about it as commanded in The Quran, 49:12.

    We can offer a better choice, one that is safer or share our views of our food choices, but in a wise manner, not by being judgmental or harsh, and we should leave it to the one concerned to either accept it or not.

    Do not equate people who eat foods that are not clearly stated as halal to be the same as eating food that is clearly haram such as pork or alcohol because both these types are not equal, in fact and Islamic ruling.

    Muhammad Haniff Hassan is a Research Fellow at the School of International Studies S. Rajaratnam (NTU, Singapore ). He graduated in sharia and law (UKM, Malaysia) and international studies (NTU).

     

    Source: http://haniff.sg

  • NUS Dining Operator, Chartwells, Served Non-Halal Roast Beef At Halal Counter

    NUS Dining Operator, Chartwells, Served Non-Halal Roast Beef At Halal Counter

    A dining operator at the National University of Singapore (NUS) was found to have served non-halal roast beef at a halal counter earlier this month.

    The beef was served at two dining halls for students from four residential colleges at NUS on Oct 8. Close to 2,400 staff and students, including about 80 Muslims, attended the dinner.

    A spokesman for Chartwells, which was appointed the dining operator for both halls in June, told The Straits Times that the lapse “is an isolated incident, resulting from a (chef’s) poor judgment call, for which the chef feels deeply regretful”. The chef had worked at the kitchens on the NUS campus for “a number of years” and has since been suspended, pending the outcome of Chartwells’ full inquiry.

    When contacted, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said Chartwells had breached conditions of the halal certification system, and that Muis “will be taking further action”.

    Muis said the halal certificate may be suspended or revoked. Anyone found guilty of abusing the Muis halal certificate and logo could also be fined up to $10,000 or jailed for up to a year, or both.

    An NUS spokesman told The Sunday Times that a Muslim student resident had told an academic staff member on Oct 8 that the beef served at a halal counter was prepared in an oven in a non-halal kitchen. Chartwells has halal and non-halal kitchens in NUS. NUS’ Office of Housing Services then immediately alerted Chartwells and apologised to the affected Muslims the next day in an e-mail.

    The beef had been taken to the halal kitchens before being served at a halal counter, and the halal kitchens were closed after NUS learnt of the incident. They will reopen only after being re-certified by Muis.

    While Chartwells is still serving non-halal food, it stopped serving halal food a day after the incident and was replaced by another halal-certified vendor, Eurest Catering. But some NUS students were uneasy with this arrangement.

    Mr Syamil Maulod, believed to be from the University Scholars Programme (USP), posted on Facebook on Oct 10 that Eurest Catering and Chartwells belong to the same parent company, Compass Group.

    “Our trust was violated. We do not feel it is right to engage the same (parent) company,” he wrote.

    An article on The Cinnamon Roll, an official online publication of the USP, also said last Sunday that “most students, Muslim and non-Muslim, regard (the lapse) a serious breach of trust”.

    The NUS spokesman said that getting Eurest to provide halal meals was an “interim measure” and a “third-party, external halal-certified caterer” has been providing halal meals since last Thursday. The caterer is not related to the Compass Group, said NUS.

    Compass Group Singapore managing director Andrew Marshall said: “We deeply regret this issue… We continue to work closely with NUS and the student body to rebuild the trust of the community.”

    A Cinnamon College resident, who declined to be named, said that NUS should have given an assurance earlier and asked the vendor to provide a public explanation.

    “Only Muslims need to observe the dietary standard, but if you think about it, it is about food handling in general,” he said. “People who are vegetarians, or people who have allergies… we expect their needs to be taken care of.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Tamil-Hindu Student Felt Real Discrimination And Racism In His Junior College

    Tamil-Hindu Student Felt Real Discrimination And Racism In His Junior College

    Post #1:

    “I entered the next phase of my life in JC not knowing much about the inequalities and discrimination faced by Singaporeans. I was from an English speaking Christian school and mixing around with other races was not much of an issue. I must also admit that I was from a rather privileged family background.

    I am Indian, more specifically a mix of a Tamil and Gujarati heritage, and am born a Hindu. These labels are important as we embrace diversity – not to divide, but to appreciate the rich diversity around us.

    In JC, the first thing I noticed as I stepped into my new class was how nearly everyone was speaking in Chinese (Mandarin). Most of the students in my class (and my JC) were from Chinese SAP Schools. I still remember one of the first questions a classmate asked me – “”Are you Malay?””. I do not look Malay in any way, but to him as I later found out, as long as you are lighter skinned, you are Malay – likewise, if you are darker skinned you are definitely Indian.

    The acute lack of awareness of other races became more and more apparent as the term progressed. Another one of my classmates (who is from another notable SAP School), did not know what Halal food meant and my exasperated reply to him led me to discover further that he didn’t know that Hindus were not allowed to eat beef. The ignorance only scratched the surface.

    A disturbing number of of these SAP school students sang their school songs in Chinese, spoke in Chinese at home, to their friends, and everywhere else. They learnt a lot about China and Confucius teachings. They have an unhealthy obsession and love for China, it’s history and the rise of China as a superpower. The lives were almost entirely sino-centric and failed to appreciate and understand the diversity in our own home, let alone the rest of the world. There I said it. Many people think it, but do not talk about it. On their own, there is nothing wrong with the above. But SAP schools do not equip their students for a further beyond their safe zone of Chinese friends, colleagues, bosses etc. As many Indians can attest to, the discrimination and prejudice faced by Indians in the working world arises partly from the above.

    Another of my classmate, who was also Indian (thankfully, ‘cos I wouldn’t have survived alone), was called names such as “”blacky””, the usual “”you’re so dark I can’t see you in the photo””, “”do you get sun burns?””, “”why do you have such curly hair?”” etc. Many of these comments would stun Indians who have never experienced them. For example, this girl has the loveliest hair, was very pretty and had a gorgeous smile. I must admit, I did have a little crush on her when I first met her. Coming from an all-boy school, this was indeed refreshing. On a side note, most of the other classes did not have any Indians. I guess most Indians preferred to head to the other top JC where diversity was not much of an issue (if only I’d known this sooner).

    I digress. So, I admired her tenacity and grit as she acted nonchalant, and occasionally defended herself. I mean when 18 students gang up against you, there’s only so much you can say and do. While I never partook in calling her names, I regret not having done more to defend, not just her, but Indians and minorities in general.

    Part of the reason I did not was because I did not understand the issues at play. We are taught that there were race riots and that we live in a perfect utopia now, but that utopia cannot be tarnished by discourse. I now know that what she went through (and I) was more than just verbal abuse. It is a systemic bullying that is institutionalised and readily passed on from grandparents to parents, and now their children.

    We do not have open and frank conversations about racism and discrimination. For starters, what is racism? Is it just about hating a particular race? I daresay, no! Sadly, many Singaporeans still think that their ignorance is not racism, their lack of trust, stereotypes of other races, are harmless. It is not. These very thought processes have led to the systemic marginalisation, prejudice, discrimination that Indians face later on in their lives (I’m sure Malays face these problems too, if not worse).

    So when are we really gonna sit up and get real with ourselves? I watched Viola Davis’ Emmy acceptance speech and was wow-ed. In Singapore though, an Indian person could not have said that, and even if s/he did, s/he would not have gotten away with it.

    I see everything much clearer now, and I hope more minorities, and the majority (sorry, but I have very low expectations of the majority), would stand up and make our voices heard.

    Thank you for creating this platform. I apologise if I’ve touched on many issues (labels, diversity, SAP schools, ignorance, lack of discourse etc.), I just have too much I would like to say. Hope I have brought up some thought provoking points! ”

    —
    Also keep the posts coming, the entire point to this platform is to touch on touchy issues, we’ll never be able to deal with them if we can’t talk about them!

     

    Source: I’m Not Racist, But

  • Halal Slaughter Is Most Humane Way, Education, Not Banning, The Way Forward.

    Halal Slaughter Is Most Humane Way, Education, Not Banning, The Way Forward.

    Hi Nicole,

    Just to help re-enforce some of the points made here ;-

    I went to an Abbatoire in Turkey last year & took our kids (1 & 4 at the time), where they slaughtered 10,000 Qurb’an. Each one is done by hand.

    To explain the pillars for the slaughter to be halal (permissible by God) are a) the person performing the slaughter must be Muslim b) he must pronounce the name of Allah c) he / she must use a very sharp instrument to cut the jugular in one swift cut, severing the jugular, windpipe / oesophagus.

    When I watched the man performing the slaughter was constantly sharpening his blade on a slather around his waist. This ensured his instrument was razor sharp the whole time. He was extremely expert whipping around like a dervish, slaughtering at least 3-5 animals (sheep in this case) in a matter of seconds.

    The animals is very unlikely to feel any pain, as the instrument is so sharp that by going straight through the neck & oesophagus it cuts off the oxygen to the brain and the animal passes out within seconds. A German scientist did a study comparing the Halal way of slaughter versus the stunning & other methods & he concluded the Halal method is far superior as the brain patterns show it is like the animal is falling asleep. The animals come out individually from a segregated enclosure & they are really not intelligent enough to figure out what is going on in that space of time.

    Slaughter in this method is compulsory as the heart then pumps out all the blood & it is compulsory to drain out all the blood from the animal (they are hung up). There is a lot of science to back all this ancient wisdom up & it is to do with health reasons, as the blood can contain harmful bacteria.

    The Western media in some cases may make it look like some sort of bloody occult ritual, as if people go to Makkah to bathe in the blood of camels & delight in the killing. They do have a habit of sensationalism, sometimes even turning things upside down to the confusion of the reader.

    Halal slaughter is the most humane way to kill an animal. Whereas MNC animal slaughter has many cases where it is grossly inhumane & simply cruel in the extreme.

    Part of Islamic teaching is to observe the act of halal slaughter, I have volunteered a number of times at the Mosque. It is very moving. On a smaller scale (80-100 sheep) a few of us will hold and stroke the animals to keep them calm. No animal likes to be manhandled, but it doesn’t mean they are in fear of being killed – they do not have awareness of this as they are segregated. When we witness the slaughter process we are less likely to take the steak & food we get served up on a plate for granted. It puts us in a higher state of gratitude. I encourage my children to see it and explain to them what it is about.

    The Western MNC slaughterhouses are often really inhumane. The animals are backed up & stunned. They are in such shock & pain that the animals behind go into a state of fear & adrenalin is pumped through the body of the animal which hardens the meat. You can taste the difference with halal meat.

    As a consequence of all this negative publicity animal rights movements have prevented people from being able witness this sacred ritual in Singapore, which is a great education for kids. In Singapore now for the past 4 years they have had to totally screen everything off, no observation points! How will kids learn to appreciate all this food they devour & take for granted? Isn’t it better they grow up to appreciate that an animal sacrificed it’s life so we can eat? In Singapore you never even get to see a cow or a sheep!

    So as is often the case media critics have it wrong. The meat is distributed to the poor and needy as an act of alms giving. The act of slaughter is to represent the slaughtering of the ego.

    I hope you will accept the invitation to come to Al Kaff Mosque, (next to where I live too) & we will be very happy to share more with you / answer all your concerns.

    A last point is these animals are actually in submission. I can show you videos where animals will literally lie down and place their necks to be slaughtered. This is an act of obedience to God.

    Have a blessed day.

     

    Source: Tim Alden