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The Covid-19 pandemic and latterly the Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked an increase in cybercrime and fraud, and the halal sector – reliant on compliance with detailed production and sales standards – is a soft target for commercial criminals.

This fact is compounded by the proliferation of halal certificates as the sector expands worldwide.…

The Indian Ocean archipelago Maldives is developing an Islamic finance sector, although it may need to strengthen legislation and local turnover to attract enough international players to develop an offshore hub. The government established in 2016 the state-owned Maldives Centre for Islamic Finance Ltd (MCIF) charged with developing the country’s capacity to be a “hub for Islamic finance”, primarily in south Asia.…

Many Muslim countries, their governments and businesses, have adopted an uneasy neutrality towards Russia, as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.

Malaysia is a case in point – its close relations with European, north American and Asian countries (such as Japan and South Korea) means it will not want to breach their sanctions on Russia.…

NEW Zealand’s butter industry is thriving, despite the disruption of Covid-19 and now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with strong export demand particularly from China but also from other markets worldwide, especially in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) bloc. Major exporter Fonterra is also looking ahead to a world that increasingly cracks down on carbon emissions, introducing the first carbon-zero certified organic butter made in NZ, reflecting how consumers are seeking more sustainability in their food purchases.…

Global haircare brands are starting to recognise a gap in the Muslim market as they launch products for hijab-wearing women and include them in marketing campaigns. L’Oréal’s Kérastase is the latest international brand to target this segment, having positioned its first anti-hair fall (loss) range, Genesis, to appeal to hijab-wearing women in Malaysia.…

The proactive move by the mainly Muslim south Asian archipelago of Maldives to boost halal tourism will make this country a larger market for halal-certified food imports. Imported food sold to its permanent population of 540,500 must be halal food under Maldives Food and Drug Authority (FDA) regulations, said Dr Abdullah Shiham Hassan a senior Maldives lawyer and past head of law in the faculty of Shariah law at the Maldives National University: “This is checked and monitored by the FDA regularly.”  …

The European Association of Sugar Manufacturers (CEFS) has attacked the UK government for extending until December 2024 an import quota of 260,000 tonnes for raw sugar, claiming this could disrupt the European sugar industry and market. “The UK’s approach is alarming, since it undermines existing concessions offered to sugar producers around the world,” said CEFS, notably European Union producers and those from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries who usually have some special access to EU markets (and formerly UK markets prior to Brexit).…

The international growth of media content focused on Muslim cultural and Islamic religious interests is burgeoning, with companies expanding the reach of their output across national borders, developing an increasingly comprehensive ecosystem of programming delivered by broadcasting and internet-based apps.

The opening of the Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) bureau of the Annahar Al Arabi digital news platform in January (2022) is one example of such cross-border growth, highlighting an appetite for regionally-relevant content in the Gulf region.…

When France’s fast-food chain O’Tacos (www.o-tacos.fr) announced in 2020 that it would be selling in Italy its halal-certified French-style meat and vegetable wraps, Italian Muslims took this as a sign that halal was going mainstream in their country. O’Tacos’ first Italian outpost will open in January 2022 in Rome (delayed by Covid-19) and more openings in 2022 are planned in major Italian cities, including Milan and Bologna, said Yassin Baradai, founder of Milan-based Meem Communication (https://meemcommunication.com/…

Malaysia is expected to launch in January a detailed (although voluntary) halal certification for medical devices in an innovative regulatory move, making the country a world leader in this segment.

Its government published a halal medical device standard in September 2019, known as MS2636, but the halal division of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) agency has since been enhancing “their online system” and staff, since the new “scheme for halal medical devices must comply with other requirements”, Johari Ab Latiff, senior assistant director at JAKIM’s Malaysia Halal Council Secretariat, told Salaam Gateway.…