Could Malaysia’s fake halal meat scandal impact its export reputation?
- A decades-long smuggling racket has shaken consumer faith in Malaysia in the government’s halal certification process
- The fraud could also jeopardise Malaysia’s image of having a ‘gold standard’ halal status, and affect its position as a trusted halal exporter
For Syahiirah Junaidi, a Kuala Lumpur resident, the recent halal meat scandal in Malaysia is beyond her control.
The country was in December rocked by reports that a cartel had for decades been allegedly bribing officials to import and sell Muslims non-certified meat, including horse and kangaroo – when the meat was neither ritually slaughtered according to Islamic custom nor derived from approved sources.
While Syahiirah says she cannot do much but continue to take the word of supermarkets that pledge their meat is halal, or permissible, she knows older residents would not be as forgiving.
“If this news reached my in-laws who are more conservative and particular, they would be devastated and feel betrayed,” said the 28-year-old.
Since the fraud came to light, the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) – which oversees halal certification – has faced an erosion of trust and growing public anger in Malaysia, where six in 10 people in the population of 33 million are Muslim.
