Malaysia mulls new logo for products made by Muslims

A Malaysian government official has said that the government is mulling a new halal logo proposed by two economic organizations to denote products made by Muslims.

Othman Mustapha, director-general of Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, warned that the new logo could be unlawful unless they are certified by existing regulatory authorities, according to a Tuesday report from Oriental Daily.

Othman also said he would seek further clarification from the Malaysia Institute of International Islamic Cooperation and the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) on their intentions to issue the new halal logo.

An earlier report from Malaysia's state news agency Bernama quoted Zahidi Zainul Abidin, chairman of RISDA as saying the new logo is to distinguish products that were produced by Muslims against that of non-Muslims and help Muslim entrepreneurs make forays into the halal markets locally and abroad.

Halal refers mostly to food products, but is also applicable to cosmetics and other consumer goods since they may contain animal-derived products. Halal logos can also be seen in food premises and slaughter houses in Malaysia.

According to the United States Halal Associations, over 1.6 billion or about 25 percent of the world population are Muslims while the global halal market is estimated to be worth more than 632 billion U.S. dollars a year.

Malaysia also launched its first carrier compliant with Islamic laws in last December, Rayani Air, but its operations were suspended in April. Endit