| Danial Norjidi |

August 10, 2018 - THE 3rd International Seminar on Halalan Thayyiban Products and Services (SAPPHAT III) 2018 rolled into its second and final day yesterday, mirroring the opening day’s packed schedule, with a fourth session of paper presentations as well as a forum being held.

Held at the International Convention Centre, the two-day seminar was co-organised by the Faculty of Syariah and Law, Halalan Thayyiban Research Centre, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) and the Global Halal Industry Development Division of the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry.

Yesterday’s session featured four presentations, one of which was entitled Perception of Halal Among Consumers in Brunei Darussalam presented by Pengiran Dr Hajah Siti Norainna binti Pengiran Haji Besar and Noralipah binti Mohammed, a lecturer at the Academy of Brunei Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

Pengiran Dr Hajah Siti Norainna’s presentation focussed on a study UBD conducted to gauge the perception and understanding among Bruneian consumers on the concept of Halal food. Findings from the study indicated that the survey participants are reasonably well-versed when it comes to determining whether a particular food item is Halal, with most knowing what to look for in terms of the items’ packaging and Halal indicator information.

One of these is the Halal logo, widely accepted to be the number one indicator of a food item’s “Halal-ness”. During her presentation, the speaker shared that food labelled with unknown Halal logos adversely affect consumers’ confidence in them.

She added that Halal packaging is not the only factor that is important when filtering for Halal food: The religious status of the food item’s producer and its country of origin play a major part as well. Consumer confidence in food products is also influenced by long-standing trust in food product manufacturers – brands which are long trusted for their Halal status and quality draw the highest customer loyalty.

The presentation concluded that all the aforementioned factors show that Bruneian Malay Muslims still take very seriously the issue of Halal food, due to their adherence to the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) national philosophy.

Another presentation featuring at the event was that of Associate Professor Dr Nurdeng Deuraseh and Raihana binti Mohd Raffi from the Halalan Thayyiban Research Centre, titled Preservation and Protection of Environment and Health as New Essential Value of Maqasid Syariah.

The third speaker, Dr Nurol Huda binti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Seri Utama (Dr) Haji Ismail, a lecturer at the Faculty of Syariah and Law at UNISSA, delivered a presentation entitled Kehalalan Rezeki: Analisis Sumber Pemilikan Harta, which highlighted the ownership of Halal assets.

The session’s final speaker was Haji Suhaili bin Haji Momin, a Syar’ie lawyer from Tetuan Peguam Syarie Al Wady, who delivered a presentation on advocate and solicitor services from Syariah law firms.

This was followed by a forum titled Shaping the Halalan Thayyiban Industry in Realising the Country’s Vision, featuring panellists Dr Rushdi Siddiqui, mentor at Islamic Economy Startups, Questventures (Singapore) and Moulana Mohamed Saeed Navlakhi, theological director of the South Africa National Halal Authority, Johannesburg.

Moderating the forum was Haji Sabri bin Haji Mohammad Taha, Head of the Global Halal Industry Development Division at the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry.