Whitman signs bill enforcing Islamic dietary law Thursday, July 13, 2000 By MICHAEL CASEY Staff Writer PATERSON -- Flanked by Muslim leaders in a local mosque, Governor Whitman signed the nation's first law that cracks down on butchers and restaurants that falsely claim to be selling halal food. Whitman, speaking at the United Islamic Center and wearing a white hijab, said the new law gives Muslims assurance that the halal foods they buy are in fact halal -- in compliance with Islamic dietary law -- and shows respect for the state's growing Muslim population. "The Al Quran instructs Muslims to eat 'that which Allah hath bestowed . . . as food lawful and good,' " she told the crowd of 50 people. "Today, we are taking a big step in ensuring that all foods represented to be halal is in fact 'lawful and good.' " The Halal Food Consumer Protection Act requires businesses such as stores, restaurants, and slaughterhouses to show records and post information attesting to the authenticity of halal food. The bill, which mirrors the Kosher Food Consumer Protection Act, will be enforced by the state Division of Consumer Affairs under the consumer fraud law. A person found to be fraudulently promoting food as halal could be fined $7,500 on the first offense and $15,000 on the second. Halal, which has its roots in the Islamic holy book, the Koran, is similar to kosher in that it rejects pork. Halal also prohibits alcohol and animal blood. Most importantly, Muslims eat meat only from an animal killed in an Islamic ritual slaughter. Despite the growing number of halal restaurants, Muslims are still uneasy about eating in them. Many Muslims say they will rarely patronize a restaurant or shop unless they know the owner because they fear a halal sign may be a ruse designed to increase prices on food that was not properly prepared. But with the new law, many Muslim leaders said they expect more will buy halal, and that the market for these foods will expand in kind. Muslims also said the new law recognizes the growing influence of Muslims in New Jersey and across the country. In New Jersey, there are an estimated 400,000 Muslims. In North Jersey alone, there are thriving Middle Eastern and Bengali communities in Paterson, a significant Indo-Pakistani enclave in Teaneck, and a large Egyptian population in Jersey City. "This is an important event for Muslims in America," Imam Warithur Deen Umar, the president of the National Association of Muslim Chaplains, told the crowd. "The signing of this bill into law is no less significant to Muslims and the future of Islam in America than the mapping of human genome. . . . I believe the other states are lining up and will follow your course." Umar said he started fighting against fraud in New York 12 years ago after he heard from Muslim prison inmates about vendors trying to sell non-halal meats as halal. He started exposing the companies in a newsletter, Halal Watch, and then began pushing for legislation similar to New Jersey's new law in New York. But it died in committee. Then two years ago, Morristown attorney Riza Dagli approached Assemblyman Alfred E. Steele, D-Paterson, about creating a similar law. He noticed the proliferation of halal signs and worried that it had become nothing more than a way to attract Muslims into restaurants and other shops. "As I travel, there are tons of places advertising themselves as halal," Dagli said. "There are halal Chinese restaurants and halal pizzerias. I began to wonder if these restaurants were really halal or just trying to make money off Muslim consumers. . . . This law raises the level of comfort for Muslims." With the help of Steele, Sen. John A. Girgenti, D-Passaic, and lobbying from the Muslim community, the bill was passed unanimously by the Legislature. Steele and Girgenti said the bill shows that the state is responding to the concerns of the Muslim community and giving their religious practices the same attention as Jewish traditions. "This not only provides protection to the Muslim community but it demonstrates that they are very much a part of government in the state of New Jersey," Girgenti said. "Just as the state ensures that the kosher designation is being used properly, it now provides an important consumer safeguard to members of the Islamic community." Complaints about suspected halal fraud should be directed to the Division of Consumer Affairs at (973) 504-6327. Staff Writer Michael Casey's e-mail address is [log in to unmask] Copyright © 2000 Bergen Record Corp. Permission requested and authorized Habib Ghanim ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------