Zakiah Samori

Understanding the Development of Halal Food Standard: Suggestion for Future Research

Islam is a comprehensive religion. It urges Muslims to opt for the good and the best in every facet of life including food. Islam has outlined rules and regulations for food preparation which suggest the source, process and actors should conform to the principles of Islam. This article highlights these rules and regulation mentioned in the Quran and hadith, which are the two agreed primary sources in Islam. This article also elaborates the recent development in halal food industry which is the formulation of halal food standard gazette in 2004 by the Malaysian government. Finally, a review of the significance of halal logo is discussed reflecting a vast opportunity for future research agenda in the halal industry.

Ethical Aspect of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: An Islamic Overview

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an early form of prenatal diagnosis, in which embryos created in vitro are analyzed for well-defined genetic defects. With the advancements in science and technology, PGD can now be used to screen embryos for susceptibility and late-onset conditions, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching for tissue donation to an existing child, gender selection, and selecting embryos for certain traits. In Malaysia, PGD is being practiced especially in certain private fertility clinics and fertility centers. This technique, however, has raised certain ethical issues, particularly on its use to select the gender of ones’ children. Such controversy has prompted out due to the fact that there has been no clear ethical position. In view of the controversial phenomenon, this research attempts to explore the position of the uses of PGD from the ethical aspect with special reference to Islamic perspectives. The study will be conducted using qualitative research in which data are collected through library research. It is hopeful that the finding of this paper can provide the basic guideline to the authoritative bodies and policy makers in developing the legal provision of PGD by taking into consideration certain principles laid down by Islam.

Heritage Tourism at the Historical Town of Malacca: Examining Opportunities, Evaluating Challenges

Heritage tourism is one of the growing tourism products in Malaysia. Good marketing will increase the demand on heritage tourism and gives benefits to Malaysia tourism industry. This study seeks to explore the marketing strategies used by museums to market their product and examine the challenges faced in promoting and marketing the heritage tourism product. Data was collected using semi-structured interview method. Respondents consist of four museums including curators and operation assistant. Because of the respondent was selected at the location this study employs typical sampling. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis of Braun and Clark. Findings show that market segmentation, promotion and products/services were the marketing strategy employed by museums in this study. These museums faced several internal issues such as issues on employee and high operational cost as well as the external challenges includes changing environment. It is recommended that future research should be conducted at other state in Malaysia or other types of museum such as private museums so that knowledge on heritage tourism could be enriched.

Conceptual Framework for Shari’ah Governance with Special Reference to the Muslim Friendly Hotel Sector in Malaysia

It has been a goal of the Malaysian Government to establish Malaysia as a global halal hub. To achieve this objective, various initiatives have been undertaken which include the establishment of the Halal Master Plan, Halal Industry Development Corporation, appointment of Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) as the halal certification authority and development of a number of halal standards. This paper conceptually discusses the current legal and regulatory framework for the halal industry in Malaysia with special reference made to the Muslim Friendly Hotel sector. Reviews of various related documents demonstrate that there is a lacuna in the existence of a governance framework for the halal industry, which includes the absence of a halal standard for the Muslim Friendly Hotel sector. Another serious drawback identified in this regulatory framework is the lack of a clear and proper shari’ah governance framework for the halal industry. This paper therefore proposes that there is an urgent need for the policy makers to develop such a comprehensive halal standard for Muslim Friendly Hotels in this country. Establishing a comprehensive shari’ah governance framework for the halal Industry is inadvertently another crucial part that needs to be addressed by the relevant authorities to ensure further development of the halal industry in Malaysia. It is hoped that this paper will create alarm among the policymakers, key hotel operators, and regulatory bodies so that a more comprehensive and updated piece of shari’ah framework that governs the formation of the Muslim Friendly Hotels sector will be formulated.

Breastfeeding Practices: A Cross-Believed Perspective

Breastfeeding practices have been so common among Muslim mothers in the community that children are breastfed even after their baby phase. Breastfeeding can contribute to mental and physical growth of children. The significance and benefits of breast milk have not only been recognized in Islam, but also by medical science and nutrition research. This article aims to discuss the infant feeding practices based on religious and scientific foundation in the Muslim community, with a primary focus on the advantages of breastfeeding as well as syariah-related issues on breastfeeding. The research methodology used in this paper is the analysis of books and papers related to breastfeeding. The results of this discussion have confirmed the benefits of breastfeeding from the Islamic and scientific perspectives.

Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD): Halal Perspective

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an early form of prenatal diagnosis, in which embryos created in vitro are analysed for well-defined genetic defects; only those free from the defects are replaced into the womb. The ability to screen for a variety of characteristics has led to disagreement over what conditions are acceptable for screening. From its emergence, PGD has been opposed by a variety of parties and groups who advocate several grounds and reasons. The disagreement focuses especially on the new uses of PGD to screen embryos for susceptibility and late-onset conditions, for HLA-matching for tissue donation to an existing child, and for gender selection. This paper first describes the current and potential future uses of PGD and addresses some ethical issues which have arisen from this technique. It further analyses the position of this technique from the halal perspective. The finding of this study demonstrates that PGD is an acceptable technique, but with certain restrictions and conditions.