How halal products affect the economy | DW Documentary

halal is a term from islam it defines what's permitted for muslims according to islamic law there are also prohibitions and things that are discouraged most well-known is halal food but there's also halal banking tourism and dress codes it can influence all aspects of life halal products are an important economic driver now the halal seal is a selling point for an ever-growing group of consumers but how reliable is the label there's a certain marketing strategy behind it and less of a religious message now it's about money not faith the halal economy is gaining visibility there are more and more products on supermarket shelves and in restaurants we're in a very heterogeneous society so it's normal to at some point have halal hot dogs or something similar and of course this will enrich someone halal plays not only an economic role but a socio-political one too i think anything to do with islam is currently seen as a provocation the halal industry is often met with hostility and criticism there were comments like oh now there won't be beer and curry waste only iram and suchuk is halal a religious commandment that's changing society and the economy [Music] islam is a part of germany and so too is the halal industry some 5 million muslims are driving demand for halal products products deemed permissible under islamic law but halal is more than just a world of products it's a broader way of life it can influence diet clothing work and even one's choice of a partner one of the major islamic umbrella organizations the islamic council for the federal republic of germany has an office in berlin borhan kisaja explains halal's far-reaching meaning it encompasses all of life it's not limited to specific topics the way i talk to you the way i conduct myself where i work all of this is influenced by my religion the values of islam are based on the quran the holy scripture of islam they're also based on the sunnah the traditions and customs of the prophet muhammad the sharia stipulates what is consistent with islam there are a few terms to note halal is an arabic word halal in turkish and means permissible it determines how muslims behave for example helping others eating fresh fruit and vegetables and praying daily the opposite is haram or what's forbidden for example alcohol lying and products made from pigs macro means a loud but disapproved of frowned upon [Music] in islam there are multiple schools of thought as to how to interpret the quran therefore the distinction between haram and makru can vary sometimes smoking is disapproved of meaning macro other times smoking is considered haram meaning forbidden halal should not be confused with kosher a term from the jewish dietary laws of the torah so how do muslims know what is halal versus haram muhammad khalhit heads the center for islamic theology at the university of munster familia is the airstrike value family is the first source for learning religious norms followed by the mosque for muslims who go to mosque and then public discourse and media discourse the internet also plays an important role when people have questions they search the internet where they can find a range of answers there are also apps these days to identify permissible products after all it's not always so straightforward oftentimes halal is seen only as a prohibition of pork and alcohol but other foods medicines and cosmetics can also contain alcohol and all parts of the pig are prohibited including bristles gelatin and pigskin the issue of halal is not limited to religion it's also playing an increasingly important role in business there are around 1.9 billion muslims worldwide in 2019 they spent 3.2 percent more money than in the previous year total sales for islamic consumer goods were just over 2 trillion u.s dollars in addition there was the financial sector with sales of around 2.8 trillion

dollars is editor-in-chief of the online business platform halal veldt he's kept a close eye on the market for years we now have a global halal economy for example nestle is number one in the halal market the company has some 400 production facilities around the world and about 150 of them are halal those who don't switch to halal in the future in germany the halal market is just getting underway and industry experts like chelek are convinced it's chock full of potential they estimate it could potentially be worth 5 billion euros in countries like france and britain halal products have long been a standard [Music] these offering even have clothing stores chains like marks and spencer which sell islamic clothing in some locations this isn't something one could even imagine here in germany like cna for example selling islamic fashion or peak in kloppenburg if the hanover chamber of industry and commerce has its way that will soon change here the one-of-a-kind working group halal and kosher is a network of companies manufacturing with these guidelines tillman bruner heads the international department we have around 260 companies in our working group from all across germany who of the food industry is represented here and they're serving this market the working group has been around for 10 years these industry partners take the subject of halal seriously but that's not always the case when it comes to the wider free market some products appear rather indiscriminate the goal is to reach as many consumers as possible i've personally experienced instances where a store declares that it's halal but it isn't clear exactly what is halal about the business once someone was selling fish and said yes this is halal is an islamic studies scholar and a non-fiction author he also sees instances of profiteering and how products are merely marketed as halal remember the halal market is already accounting for 18 worldwide this is a huge business people are desperately trying to expand into this market so they can profit so in that regard i see it's about commerce the best known halal products even among non-muslims are food products meat plays a special role in this according to islam animals must be slaughtered in a particular way one of the criteria is that animals are killed without prior anesthesia but this is prohibited by germany's animal welfare slaughter act which is why large companies such as wiesenhof make a compromise when they produce halal meat in germany they stun the animals before slaughter in this way they comply with legal requirements slaughtering without anesthesia is only permitted in germany with a special exemption the legal situation is such that a special exemption can be obtained to slaughter without anesthesia only on religious grounds in but in practice that rarely happens because you have to have the status of a religious community and prove you belong to it the elton cooper company in asla a town in the state of hessen has such an exemption it won before the german federal constitutional court in 2020 however the european court of justice ruled that eu states may ban ritual slaughter without anesthesia time will tell what consequences this will have in germany and for the slaughterhouse in asla [Music] company boss rustam alten cooper wants to prevent ritual slaughter and animal cruelty from happening in ordinary people's backyards thus he calls for legalizing the method for people who have absolutely no clue about slaughtering who think they can just stick a kitchen knife into a sheep then that kind of slaughter really is animal cruelty that's why i say it must be done officially with regulation and when we look at mass slaughter when we look at slaughter with anesthesia nobody can tell me that stunning or electricity or gassing is better than our slaughter method i completely reject that in germany more than two million animals are slaughtered every day they are stunned with captive bolt shots electricity or gas the failure rate for stunning pigs is 11 for cattle it's four percent that means some 24 000 cattle and pigs are impacted by failures there are precise regulations for ritual slaughter the animal must be facing in the direction of mecca and the kaaba its legs must be restrained so that it does not hurt itself the butcher who must be muslim speaks the name of god and cuts the throat of the unanesed animal with a very sharp knife once the blood vessels the esophagus and the trachea have been severed the animal bleeds to death rustum altinkupa is only allowed to slaughter a limited number of animals in this way about 100 lamps per day and 600 lamps per week like in every slaughterhouse veterinary inspections are carried out the german federal veterinary chamber is fundamentally opposed to the slaughter of animals without any anesthesia that's what doesn't sway the federation of veterinarians of europe has been consolidating and publishing its position from 2002 up to today and that is that animals should be kept transported and ultimately killed in accordance with animal welfare and in our view slaughter without anesthesia is not in accordance with animal welfare [Music] just how much animals suffer during slaughter is hotly debated but one certainty is the more professional the cut the less pain it causes at the feast of sacrifice for example we have at least three veterinarians with us they watch how we slaughter the animals all the animals are slaughtered under observation if there'd even be a small mistake the entire slaughter would be stopped right away customers travel from all over germany to buy meat from this slaughterhouse i'm from north rhine westphalia near duisburg we come here regularly to shop my sister my whole family it's very tasty here because of the special exemption the meat can only be sold to jews and muslims we have to get all our customers to sign that they're muslim they confirmed that they must eat animals slaughtered in this way only then can i sell to them i personally am against allowing something like that giving exemptions to both jews and muslims religion does not have the right of way in our democratic system [Music] according to the wording in the quran muslims are actually allowed to eat non-halal meat when they live in a non-islamic or christian country muslims recognize halal meat and other products by the label ideally the product has gone through a certification process and then received a seal the problem here is that there are differing requirements and certificates according to the german federal center for nutrition there are 130 standards and halal labels worldwide even in germany several are running in parallel certification is a market that's completely outside of government control thus there's often friction so it's a bit like the wild west and overall not a nice situation in addition to the primary market for halal products a secondary business sector for certification has taken root and it's very lucrative susanna schroeder from the frankfurt research center on global islam explains people hope that whatever is certified will sell better that it's more likely to sell than something uncertified so of course there's finagling and cheating at these certification agencies some take it very seriously others take it less seriously you also have to look at who is doing the certifying and what standards they're using this is an entire sector that's cropping up however there are also many companies in germany that are reluctant to label their products halal the reason fear of negative attention take katjas for example and their all-veggie campaign in 2018 it aimed to draw attention to their vegetarian sweets made without gelatin from pigs one of the models was a woman wearing a headscarf as a result there was a backlash on social media among the critics were members of the far-right alternative for germany party they alleged this was quote islamization and called for a boycott of the company in 2019 the french sporting goods retailer introduced a special jogging headscarf for muslims after considerable protests from right-wing circles they stopped marketing it just because a few are shouting loudly it doesn't mean that it's a mass movement and that the company will suffer massively as a result still we've noticed that many in our working group don't necessarily put the halal seal on the products they sell in germany but they do put them on the products that are exported to muslim countries even though it's the same product from the same plant and it's produced in exactly the same way oftentimes companies in germany don't dare to print a halal seal on their products even though doing so would make everyday life easier for devout muslims meanwhile the financial sector has carved out its own approach to halal in frankfurt employees of kt bank are performing their midday prayers kt bank is the first islamic bank in germany this means that its banking operations are aligned with the basic values of islam the bank has been operating in germany since 2015 and now has branches in five cities the demand doesn't stop since opening we've had a large number of inquiries from new customers and interested parties we have much higher growth rates here than in conventional banking kt bank shares some features with ethical banks it does not invest in the arms tobacco or gambling industries it also avoids industries that are bad for the environment and speculative financial transactions some aspects are specific to islam like staying away from industries involved with pigs and alcohol sharing profits and losses and being interest-free to be able to trade nonetheless the islamic bank has developed other models for example if a customer needs a loan for a car the bank buys the car and then sells it to the customer the customer then pays the amount back to the bank in installments plus an additional financing surcharge it gets a bit more complicated when buying a house customers in the bank form a company that buys the house together the bank then essentially withdraws and within an agreed time period the customers pay back the purchase price to the bank along with a financing surcharge when money is invested it's done at an islamic bank via a participation account the bank invests the money in the real economy and then divides the profits according to a predefined formula so is islamic banking also appealing to non-muslims because we don't ask about religious affiliation when we accept customers we can only thirty-two-year-old yashar uzdemir has had an account with kt bank since 2016. he travels a lot as a sales representative and deliberately chose the islamic bank the ethical values convinced him just as i want to offer sustainable products to my customers i expect the same from the bank i work with it's on my way kt bank follows an international standard for islamic banking there's also an ethics council an independent committee made up of four islamic scholars for mr mrs arasti that's a deciding factor they scheduled a consultation appointment because they're looking for an islamic bank on religious grounds we're interested in real estate financing but my wife and i are muslim and that's why we're looking for an alternative to a normal bank that collects interest which is not allowed in islam [Music] kt bank offers islamic banking and it's important to us to comply with our religion and not have any problems there islamic banks have taken up the cause dictated in the quran of prohibiting interest however islamic scholars disagree on whether there is actually a ban on interest in islam at this moment it's or collecting interest yourself this system didn't exist in mecca and medina at the time of the prophet and it's questionable as to what extent we can talk about a prohibition of interest in islam this is why the whole model of islamic banking even though i know it's more than just a ban on interest has not really taken hold even in the islamic world in turkey tunisia and morocco islamic banking is still a niche product in malaysia and saudi arabia on the other hand the market share is already 50 percent it's an alternative banking concept on the verge of a breakthrough it's basically just old wine in new bottles nothing else the financial world in muslim countries is no more ethical than in other countries and many things are simply dressed up differently so the interest prohibition can of course be practiced while still charging other corresponding fees instead of credit interest it's called profit sharing instead of financing interest it's called financing surcharge is islamic banking just a fraudulent label this question arises automatically because the end consumer still pays an extra charge xmea opposition whether it's done through a conventional bank or with financing that's in line with islam for the wallet it makes no difference there are more than 500 islamic banks worldwide in that sense the niche has already expanded strict adherence to halal and haram can lead to an authoritarian system of normative or political islam [Music] what is halal or haram is not important for all muslims in germany or in other countries rather only for a very specific group of muslims namely those who are i would cautiously call them orthodox you could also call them fundamentalists it's people who say that the most important thing for a muslim is to adhere to norms to adhere to what god has written down in the quran what the prophet muhammad has set forth that means a very antiquated islam meaning a totalitarian system to be quite honest critical scholars have observed that some segments of islam are increasingly focused on halal commandments and haram prohibitions the rules for halal and haram have become increasingly important for political reasons to tame people more effectively in the name of the sacrament here parallel structures could develop so the people no longer say they'll go to the german supermarket instead it's i want my own exclusive god my own exclusive [Music] and choose certain foods according to religious rules this has nothing to do with integration or with society's acceptance instead it's my way of life but we have to move away from this attitude that everyone who thinks differently is different we have to figure out how we can live well together with such diversity on the other hand halal symbols are often misused to protest against the supposed threat of islamization for example the halal challenge in 2016 people on facebook and twitter called for people to put pork products on halal meat counters allegedly to draw attention to animal welfare but in reality it was an islamophobic campaign it was right-wing groups associated with the anti-islam pegida movement in particular that took part in the challenge and it's not been limited to protests attacks against muslims occur on a daily basis the perpetrators are predominantly right-wing extremists in 2020 a total of 901 assaults on muslims and muslim institutions took place that's more than two assaults a day 48 people were injured as a result there were 77 attacks on mosques where islamic buildings were vandalized or desecrated this once again reflects a social situation in which we as muslims are hardly accepted for example the term halal meat or halal food is actually relatively normal because there are vegetarians and vegans and those who follow certain dietary restrictions i think anything to do with islam is currently seen as a provocation the majority of germans are not anti-muslim and the majority of muslims are neither orthodox nor fundamentalist many people with a muslim background do however value halal and haram as a guide in everyday life i've seen how converts in particular say islam appeals to me because it provides clear structure to my life it's especially true for people living in a postmodern world with superstores chock full of choices that make it so hard to navigate questions like what is good what is bad or even how should i structure my day and then comes a religion that structures everything very meticulously and in detail that provides support this is crayfeld where the penguins take to the ice a club of the german ice hockey league since 2018 the team's been sponsored by yaila the company sells turkish specialties a statement on the company website reads of all the quality standards and certificates that yala adheres to halal certification plays a special role the halal certificate guarantees our muslim fellow citizens that the consumption of food certified in this way is permissible according to religious regulations yala is active as a sponsor in many sports as a primary sponsor of the crayfird penguins the logo started appearing on the players jerseys and helmets as well as banners in 2018. fabian herzog sponsorship manager of the crayfield penguins recalls dharma is their contacts at that time the relationship developed because yaila wanted to give something back yala said we want to thank you for the integration and inclusion into the crayfield community we've experienced for the last 40 years we want to support the sport and put crayfield back on the sports map jailer has kept its word one year later the company scored its next success taking on the stadium naming rights the kunig palast named after the koenig brewery became the yala arena from beer brewer to halal specialist the difference could hardly be greater how should one react positively it's an absolutely positive sign that a craft company is committed to this location city and club and wants to invest here indeed yayla invests quite a bit reportedly one million euros per year but not everyone sees the change as diplomatically and pragmatically as the sponsorship management the new name was not well received everywhere inescribes is a fan and head of the crayfish supporters the largest advocacy group in krefeld ice hockey she saw the resentment when the naming rights for the stadium were transferred bought out they were how should i put it a few verbal gaffes there were comments like now there won't be beer and currywurst anymore on the iram and suchuk soon we'll have a turkish club the license will be sold and then ice hockey will be over of course we also heard there were some negative voices and we took the appropriate action and were very clear on our position the contract for the name sponsorship runs until 2024 and fans have already gotten used to the new name it was the konig palace for 14 years and we rallied together at home games the stadium announcer greeted everyone in the yala arena so the name became part of the language after a year it was well established and no one got upset anymore halal is also playing an increasing role in fashion the quran states that women should cover up in order to not show off their charms and rather guard their chastity [Music] latifa dadi is a fashion designer specializing in clothing for religious muslim women hey hey i'm a woman too and i'm also interested in fashion why isn't there any fashion for me just because i choose to cover up for religious reasons the fashion brand was founded out of necessity in mainstream stores the designer could not find clothes that fit her expectations until three years ago muslim women were being completely ignored as a target group now muslim women are willing to spend more money on muslim designs because they value that they're being noticed with an average age of 24 muslims are the youngest religious group in the world according to estimates they spend almost 300 billion us dollars per year on fashion today established brands make about 10 of their sales from halal collections the dress code for muslim women includes wide-cut long sleeves and hemlines and head coverings the sphincter it starts with hijab then there's a bayer and then kneecap which is a full face covering these things are real and exist in our religion in islam you have to look at it in the overall context what does a headscarf mean to a woman is it restrictive or is it something normal so to speak [Music] islamic dress codes also apply to men in arab countries they wear long loose shirts and head coverings in the west they have adapted their look while women often stick to the rules but muslim fashion has changed there are now more brands and dresses available to women so that they can find their own style the cosmetics industry is only now discovering young muslim women as a target group and producing the first halal product lines they contain neither animal products nor chemical ingredients like alcohol [Music] the special thing about halal cosmetics for muslims is that they can also wear them during ritual washing because conventional cosmetics usually contain silicone that forms a film is it not a contradiction for a woman to cover her head to veil her charms and at the same time embellish her face with makeup [Music] if you go by the quran by the rules it's actually for yourself at home and of course for your husband the rules of halal and haram were mostly designed by men that means patriarchy dictates to women what god wants and what god does not want people continue to debate over whether strict interpretation of the quran disadvantages women but not all muslim women feel restricted by halal on the contrary sometimes it is muslim women themselves who create new halal markets one example is halal travel holidays in line with islam agencies have long since been offering hotels villas and package holidays especially for muslims the options are as varied as the vacation destinations sometimes the only thing missing is alcohol in the minibar in other cases there's strict gender segregation in the pool spa and beach areas [Music] there are separate spa baths for example or beaches for women only a popular destination for halal vacationers is turkey there are hundreds of halal resorts on the turkish riviera halal hotels promise an islam friendly stay that means guests can fulfill their religious obligations they're permitted to veil themselves and the kitchen is set up to be halal a guest arriving today called earlier he asked us to bring a prayer mat and prayer beads to his room we're of course very happy to fulfill this request [Music] tourism is one of turkey's most important sources of revenue due to political differences the number of european and russian guests has declined in recent years the industry is reacting and increasingly focusing on religious vacationers vincent wiertsoftgate when it comes to business when it comes to marketing there's a drive to look for niche markets to sell something different to sell an idea and hopefully attract a certain clientele for economic reasons hotel manager ukai atmacha also wants to focus more on halal vacations because this market is getting bigger and more important for us we're focusing on halal tourism in all of our resorts there are two categories halal hotels are less strict muslims and non-muslims men and women are mixed in islamic hotels men and women are separated halal tourism is not very fanatical or extreme here but we have seen instances before a guest once said i don't want to stay here i came because i thought this was an islamic hotel we then asked what was bothering him he pointed to our guests at the pool and in the bars we made it clear that we are a halal hotel and not a veiled conservative hotel and that's exactly how we market ourselves as well unless it says islamic hotel on the door those hotels are ones that offer a halal vacation just as we do in this hotel the outdoor areas are open to all at the pools women are allowed to wear burkinis but also bikinis is that a problem for the muslim guests don't need to look no it's not i mean you can't impose your views on everybody or other people they're on holiday it's their entitlement to dress how they want to um the same way that i would like them to be nice to me because i'm wearing um you know a halal swimming costume then i've got to be nice to them as well and that that's the way that it is that's fine the british couple booked a halal hotel so it would be easier to continue practicing their religion while on holiday an islamic hotel would also be an option what has held them back so far is the physical separation of the genders yeah that would be that would be quite interesting to try actually to see um whether we sort of felt that better or not i mean sometimes it's nice though that you know um we can have some family time together as well so it depends on what is available if they have that as well so yeah that would definitely be something we'd look into another important factor for muslim vacationers is halal food in this kitchen they cook exclusively halal and it's not only muslims who value this there are also advantages for vegetarians and vegans i don't eat pork at all i never did and i never will so well i mean the whole country is good for us because we don't eat pork like i said i'm married to a muslim so this is why i know all about the culture and halal and all of this and we don't do this the majority of muslim guests come to turkey from an arab country for them the religious aspect of the hotels is key there's a lot of the place if you want to play there is a lot of restaurant they put the food halal many things most hotels in antalya have had halal tourism in their portfolios for a long time until now they've hesitated to embrace the label now it's being used for promotional purposes will this set a precedent in some countries it makes perfect sense if they want to attract a clientele that is very devout and then it makes sense to label everything as halal the halal vacation the halal hotel but for us i'd like to make it clear that i think this is an extraordinarily bad idea it would only result in further encouraging attempts to segregate globally halal vacations are one of the largest growth markets and a spark of hope for the tourism industry the halal market is booming worldwide and in germany in the future this industry will become even more important we see this internationally large international corporations all have their halal lines and naturally that's starting to happen here too we already see halal product lines and of course we also have a muslim population as potential customers many companies don't want to miss out on this business a business that promises increasing sales muslims are one of the fastest growing population groups more than 5 million muslims now live in germany and they're helping make the halal niche an increasingly lucrative market [Music]

2022-04-03 05:25

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