JAKIM still turning a blind-eye to Halal integrity issues

JAKIM knows the problems but doing nothing to solve them

Introduction – a long history of denials

Corrupt and irregular practices going on within the international halal certification process originally exposed by the Asia Sentinel back in 2019, are still continuing according to witness admissions and financial documents.

At the time, these allegations were strongly refuted by the then minister responsible for the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) Mujahid Yusof Rawa, and eventually led to two inquiries spanning over a year at Singapore’s Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), leading to the conclusions that no improprieties occurred.

Most of these renewed allegations still centre around the Australian certifying body Supreme Islamic Council of Halal Meat in Australia (SICHMA), where it appears nothing has been done to investigate or stop these regularly occurring breaches of Halal certification protocols at the time of animal slaughter. SICHMA is also a foreign certifying body (FCB) for Singapore’s Islamic body MUIS.

Halal integrity protocols breached

A shocking series of photographs and videos taken clandestinely at the Thomas Foods International (TFI) plant at Lobethal, South Australia, during February and March, support witness accounts of breaches in halal slaughtering protocols. According to corroborated reports by witnesses, lambs are all forced to drown in blood in the blood that accumulates from previously killed ones. Animals are not bled-out, as is required in halal slaughtering requirements.

Four person teams are required to undertake the above process, two slaughtermen, one halal checker, and one supervisor. However, in order to save cost to the manpower company that supplies the slaughtermen, only three workers conduct the process are used, unless an audit team from JAKIM is scheduled to visit the plant. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, and Food Industries, the Halal approval under SICHMA for the TFI plant was issued on 22nd July 2019.

The author also provided the evidence gathered to an expert on abattoir operations, who drew attention to lapses in veterinary health issues. Abattoir working areas are usually sprayed down with water every 15-20 minutes to prevent the build up of fat and blood, which very quickly become breeding grounds for harmful bacteria like Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, which can very easily contaminate meat.

Major sanitation issues

The mandatory minimum “bleeding time” required by JAKIM is 4 minutes. The “bleeding time’ is a period of allowing blood to drain out before any other processes can be performed on the slaughtered animal. Bleeding Time is essential as it confirms that the animal died due to proper slaughtering. Sadly, as seen in the photos, these animals died due to drowning in blood of other animals that were slaughtered earlier.

In the photos submitted to the author, these animals died due to drowning to hasten their death. Thus these animals should be classified as “bangkai”, an animal/carcass that died not from slaughtering in accordance to Islamic/Shariah regulation but, other causes rendering the carcass haram, or forbidden for Muslims to consume.

Lambs forced to drown in blood, thus accelerating death.

The big question here is why SICHMA and its sub-contractors have knowingly allowed such practices to occur which render meat non-halal? In addition, why haven’t Australian veterinary, health and safety authorities stepped in on health and general sanitation grounds?

Complaints about the lapses in adhering to Malaysian halal protocols and requirements were made by a concerned slaughterman direct to JAKIM in 2017. However, these complaints were left unanswered, nor were they followed up by JAKIM.   

Financial integrity issues with a major Australian certifying body

Although JAKIM’s former head of the Halal Strategic Unit, Sirajuddin Suhaimee, and now deputy director general for operations, knew about SICHMA’s shortcomings, he stated on video in 2019 that he wanted to build SICHMA into the best halal certifying body in Australia. In the light of continuing issues and claims concerning lapses of financial and Halal integrity, due to alleged corruption, questions about Sirajuddin’s motivations must be asked here.

SICHMA has been utilizing a number of delisted companies for the purposes of supplying slaughtermen to abattoirs and undertaking halal supervision of slaughter operations. Halal Help, and Halal Care Pty Ltd are both delisted companies, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) database. According to witnesses, this is allowing the owners of these defunct companies to operate without paying income and goods and services taxes (GST). Payment records seen by the author of slaughtermans’ wage payments appear to support that claim.

The slaughtermen don’t enjoy the same conditions of work TFI employees do, as they are contracted to the plant by SICHMA’s sub-contractor Halal Help Pty Ltd, a defunct company.  A number of slaughtermen employed by the above companies have supplied Asia Sentinel with screenshots of online wage payments, with commissions deducted by their direct employer who they know as Ali. These commission amounting up to AUD 350 per week deducted from the slaughtermen’s wages is a charge they must pay for the privilege of having the job.

Others, through statutory declarations claim they were denied medical expenses for onsite work-related accidents. Sometimes payments to slaughtermen come from other business entities including Zia’s Industrial and Agricultural Suppliers and Alis Land and Industrial Services.

In a high-profile arrest, the Smithfield Mosque Mufti Jasmin Bekric was arrested last October and charged with seven counts of fraud for allegedly misappropriating donations for overseas charities. The mufti is a member of the SICHMA fatwa council. It is understood that police are still continuing investigations of other improprieties.

There are many questions about financial integrity, where delisted companies hired by SICHMA are clearly carrying out the certifying body’s responsibilities on the plant floors.  

Conclusion – Halal integrity at stake

JAKIM have been made aware of the above issues for years now. There has been no attempt to correct these threats to halal integrity and the basic health and safety of meat destined for Malaysia and Singapore. The evidence provided to Asia Sentinel indicates some meat coming into Malaysia is clearly not halal. Much of it, can be classified as “bangkai”, which is clearly haram, or forbidden. In addition, hygiene and financial irregularities within JAKIM’s appointed foreign certifying body SICHMA leaves many questions to be answered.

An interview request was made to JAKIM director general Hakimah Mohd. Yusoff and MUIS president Mohamed Sa’at Abdul Rahman. Neither replied.

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