http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=98446 <http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=98446&ran=81487> &ran=81487 Proposed law protects Muslims from false labeling By STEVEN G. VEGH, The Virginian-Pilot C January 22, 2006 VIRGINIA BEACH - At Sunrise Indian Groceries & Spices, owner Salim Ali walked past a selection of bagged curry and plucked a box of pineapple gelatin mix off a shelf. He pointed at a block-lettered label on the colorful cardboard: HALAL. <!--[if !vml]--> <file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cgreyowl%5CIMPOST%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Ccli p_image002.gif> <!--[endif]--> For Muslims, Ali said, the term offers assurance that the food was prepared according to Islamic dietary rules. That guarantee was surely true for the gelatin, which was made in predominantly Muslim Pakistan . But to give the state's growing Muslim population equal assurance about food sold or produced in Virginia, Del. Kenneth C. Alexander has proposed a law making it a misdemeanor to fraudulently label products as halal. Alexander, D-Norfolk, said he filed HB153 after Muslim constituents asked for the bill. "This is by request," he said. "I don't know anything about the religion." But Alexander said he knows that in Virginia, it is illegal to fraudulently sell or advertise food as kosher if it does not conform to Jewish dietary regulations. Offenders face a misdemeanor charge and a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Alexander's bill would impose the same punishments for halal infractions. Enforcement probably would fall to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees Virginia's kosher law. Spokeswoman Elaine Lidholm said that although the department has occasionally investigated complaints of false kosher products, she knew of no confirmed violations. Alexander said his bill does not oblige the state to intrude into religious affairs any more than it already does with the kosher regulation law or the ban on concealed weapons in churches. But the Rev. Barry W. Lynn said that the halal bill and the kosher law both verge upon empowering the state to police compliance with religious law. "I'm just concerned that this gets law enforcement officials and judges engaged in the review of religious practices," said Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State , based in Washington, D.C. He said enforcing religious laws should be the domain of religious communities, which could confront alleged offenders. Kosher or halal laws are on the books of at least a dozen states, and some have been challenged in recent years. The legislature in New York rewrote that state's kosher law in 2004, for example, after courts ruled it unconstitutionally entangled the state in religion. The law now requires that food producers and vendors inform the state how a product was deemed to be kosher. That information is then posted on a Web site. Muhammad Munir Chaudry , president of the Chicago-based Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, said halal laws have gained momentum recently because "people are getting disgusted with distributors and retailers making false claims." California, Illinois and Michigan are among states with halal statutes. Syed Ismail , a leader at the Islamic Center of Tidewater in Norfolk, said the Virginia bill would offer observant Muslims extra confidence when buying halal food. Demand for halal meats, in particular, is growing, said Azizur Rahman Khawaja, president of the center. "A lot of Muslims are here now, and they are asking suppliers to supply halal food also in their stores." Estimates of the country's growing Muslim population range from 3 million to 7 million. There is no authoritative Muslim census for Virginia, where the largest Muslim community is found in the Washington suburbs. In Hampton Roads, Khawaja estimated, there are as many as 9,000 Muslims. Observant Muslims try to comply with Islamic dietary laws that categorize certain foods, such as pork, as "haram," or prohibited. Food that is permitted is called "halal" and includes all plants and marine animals. Certain animals, such as cattle and goats, can become halal meat if slaughtered in a prescribed manner. Livestock must be slit through the windpipe and neck arteries, Khawaja said, and "it has to be cut so fast the animal should not feel any pain." At the moment of slaughter, the butcher also must declare, "Bismillah Allah Akbar," or "in the name of God, God is great," Khawaja said. The animal's body is then bled out before being cut up. If halal meat is unavailable, many Muslims accept kosher meat, as prayers to God are said during the kosher slaughtering process, Khawaja said. The Jewish slaughtering requirements also include the same high standards of cleanliness Muslims prefer, he said. Ismail said some Muslims believe meat is halal as long as it is butchered by "people of the book," which includes Jews and Christians as well as Muslims. Muslims who hold this interpretation may have no reservations about buying meat at American supermarkets, because they regard the United States as a God-respecting society, Ismail said. "Look at all the coins: It says, 'In God We Trust,'" he said. Ali, the storekeeper, said he was among Muslims who believe that praying over a meal before eating suffices when it is unclear whether the food complies with halal rules. "It's all about your conscience," he said. "If you say your prayers before you eat, it will be OK ." Ali, who immigrated to South Hampton Roads from Pakistan 11 years ago, said he began receiving customer requests for halal meats after he bought the 1,800-square-foot grocery near Newtown Road about five months ago. Some local Muslims were traveling to Washington or Maryland to get it, although at least one store in Newport News sells halal meats. To satisfy his clientele, Ali now takes their orders and travels weekly to a halal slaughterhouse in Fredericksburg, where he watches the butchering to ensure the ritual is observed. He returns with about 100 pounds of mostly goat and chicken, and a little beef, for a couple dozen customers. Ali expects that number to grow as more local residents discover his store and the fresh halal meat . "Word is still spreading," he said. Reach Steven G. Vegh at (757) 446-2417 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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