The Sri Lankan government said "Obtaining Halal certification is voluntary"

Obtaining Halal certification is voluntary

Halal certificate in sri lanka

The Sri Lankan government said that obtaining of the halal certificate is voluntary act and the entire process is based on International specifications.

Leader of the House, Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva told parliament that anyone had the right either to reject or accept Halal certified food items and nobody would be allowed to impose it on another.

The Minister made the statement in response to Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who asked the government to take steps to ease religious tension. In his statement the previous day, Mr. Wickremesinghe said that the ACJU, the apex body of Muslim clerics, had no legal power to issue Halal certification on business ventures.

the Leader of the House said that Halal certification is essential in international trade; it is followed by some European countries in addition to Muslim countries in the world.

Internationally, Halal certification is issued by the World Halal Food Council based in Indonesia. It has accredited worldwide organizations to issue such certification. In Sri Lanka,   ACJU has been accredited for it,” he said.

Addressing a news briefing, ACJU Halal division secretary Moulavi Murshid Mulaffer said he regretted the continuous false propaganda generated by various elements regarding the ‘Halal certification’.

Speaking at the briefing Moulavi Fazli Farook, of the All Ceylon Jamiyathu Ulama, called for religious tolerance.
“This country has suffered enough due to the brutal war now we have to move forward. Every Muslim in this country was born a Sri Lankan, will live as a Sri Lankan and will die as a Sri Lankan” he said.