<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: center;"><img class=" size-full wp-image-44" src="http://halalnews.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/images_food.jpg" width="671" height="405" alt="food" /></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">Classifying of halal food can only be carried out by a Muslim expert in the laws.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">The meat is traditionally prepared by slaughtering the animal with a quick cut to the throat with a sharp knife to allow all blood to drain out, the idea being that the meat is cleaner.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">The slaughterman is required to say the traditional proclamation of faith in one god as the animal is killed.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">At present two separate organisations regulate the halal food industry in the UK. The Halal Food Authority (HFA) says using machines is OK, as long as the meat is still blessed.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">It argues that advances in technology mean methods have to change and though a machine does the killing, the meat is still blessed by a Muslim slaughterman.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">But the Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC) says animals should be slaughtered by hand and using a machine is not halal and not permissible.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">It argues mechanisation contradicts a fundamental principle of halal - that the person who slaughters the animal is the same person who recites the words over it.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">KFC says it is following the guidance offered by what it considers a reputable adviser.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">At a meeting with the fast food outlet’s representatives two years ago it was confirmed to the Lancashire Council for Mosques that KFC’s chickens were stunned and mechanically slaughtered&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">The sub group expressed concerns about the mechanical slaughtering of animals and told KFC that the Muslim Council of Britain supported their position.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">The meeting concluded that KFC’s Halal Supply Chain did not fulfil the LCM Halal criteria and therefore cannot be termed as halal.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">Naved Syed, Member of Eblex Halal Steering Group and responsible for organising the conference in Nuneaton said: “We need to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">“The problem with machine slaughter is you cannot perform Tasmiah (Holy prayer) on each animal when you machine killing 20,000 chickens an hour.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">“All of these issues need to be addressed especially on the subject of machine slaughter by the religious authorities.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">“With over 40 Muftis and Imams having made the decision it will enable us to lay the foundation for halal here in the UK.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">“With Ramadan just around the corner this problem needs to be resolved as quickly as possible.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; color: #555555; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; font-family: 'times new roman',times; font-size: 12pt; color: #333333;">Speaking in a recent interview Yunus Dudhwala, chairman of HMC, said: “Halal is a very sacred part of a Muslim's diet and many Muslims do not even know what they are eating when it's certified as halal in this way."</span></p>