Govt. to control issue of halal certification
The Cabinet subcommittee has recommended authorising the Department of Muslim Religious Affairs to issue the Halal certification of food items, leaving aside the All Ceylon Jammiyathul Ulama (ACJU) from the task, informed sources said yesterday. The cabinet subcommittee comprising Ministers Dinesh Gunawardane, Rauff Hakeem, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Rishad Bathiudeen and Wimal Weerawansa after consultation with the relevant stakeholders, has prepared a draft seeking Cabinet apporval.
According to the draft, the committee has accepted the right of anyone to purchase halal certified food from the market or to reject them. Yet, it recommends that only the Muslim Religious Affairs Department, a government institution, should be given powers to issue halal certification for productions, particularly for the export market.
The Cabinet appointed this committee chaired by Senior Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake to study the matter and recommend measures to solve it after a Buddhist pressure group Bodu Bala Sena campaigned against the halal issue.
According to sources, the draft recommendations are now being studied by the members before presenting them for approval by the Cabinet of Ministers.