MAE’S HIGH SCHOOL

SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
2018

Candidate’s Name: _ Sayyid M Aqeed Aabidi

Candidate’s Number: _ 0900760010
Centre Name: _ 090076
Title of Project: Halal and Haram Foods in Islam
Territory: Georgetown, Guyana
Date of Submission: December 20, 2018
Name of Teacher: Shiek Musab Yusuf

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 CARIBBEAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL
Religious Education (SBA)
To be attached to each requested sample script
Teachers are advised to make a duplicate copy for each student
To be completed by February 28, 2018 (teacher will suggest date)

NAME OF CANDIDATE: Sayyid Aabidi CANDIDATE NUMBER: 090076

NAME OF TEACHER: Musab Yusuf NAME OF SCHOOL: MAES SCHOOL
YEAR OF EXAMINATION: 2018 SCHOOL CODE: 090076

AREA OF RESEARCH:
How the industrialization of food has affected the observance of laws pertaining to Halal and
Haram foods by Muslims
BASIC OUTLINE OF STUDY:
1. What is the rationale/aim of your study?
● Explain the terms Halal and Haram
● State general rules on Halal and Haram Foods
● Outline some “hidden” ingredients on food items
● Explain the impact of industrialization of foods on Muslims
2. How will you obtain your information?
Information will primarily be collected by research using the internet and books. Checking the
ingredients and food facts of certain food items will also be necessary in the completion of this
project.
3. How do you intend to present the information?
Information will be presented in an essay form. Graphics may be used to make the presentation
easy.

Teacher’s Signature: Candidate’s Signature: Date: November 1, 2017

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 Table of Contents

Acknowledgement 4
Title 5
Introduction 6
Statement of Aims 7
Data Collection Procedure 8
Summary of Findings 9
Analysis and Interpretation of Information 11
Conclusion 12
Bibliography 13
Appendix 14

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 Acknowledgement

The successful completion of this project could not have been completed without a number or
persons. First and foremost, the researcher thanks God Almighty, for giving him strength, and
wisdom to properly carry out this research. Alongside that, the family and friends of the
researcher are also a part of the project, whereby guidance and help were given by them.
Special thanks are extended to the teacher, who has given utmost attention and help in this
project.

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 Title

How the industrialization of food has affected the observance of laws pertaining to Halal and
Haram foods by Muslims

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 Introduction

This is a research project examining how the industrialization of food has affected the
observance of laws pertaining to Halal and Haram foods by Muslims. Islam is presently the
second most populated religion. Islam, like other religions, has its own rulings in terms of
consumption of food. Food is either classified into Haram (prohibited), or Halal (permissible). It
is sometimes further classified into Makruh (allowed, but disliked). The industrialization of food
has brought about to sustain the high amount of human population, but along with that, has
brought about the violation of laws of Islam on food. The researcher has therefore taken the
initiative to aid the Muslims residing in the non-Islamic countries on this issue.

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 Statement of Aims

● Explain the terms Halal and Haram

● State general rules on Halal and Haram Foods
● Outline some “hidden” ingredients on food items
● Explain the impact of industrialization of foods on Muslims

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 Data Collection Procedure

DATE TASKS DONE

SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 The topic was chosen and approved by the
teacher.
Information was collected
OCTOBER 9, 2017 Introduction and Acknowledgement were
done.
OCTOBER 31, 2017 Summary of Information was done.
NOVEMBER 20, 2017 Analysis and Interpretation of Information
were completed.
DECEMBER 4, 2017 The conclusion was completed.
Entire SBA was recapped
DECEMBER 25, 2017 SBA first draft was submitted
Corrections were made after return
JANUARY 15, 2018 Second draft was submitted.
Corrections were made after return
FEBRUARY 28, 2018 Final SBA was submitted

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 Summary of Findings

‘Halal’ comes from an Arabic word, which means permissible. Therefore, Halal Foods simply
means any edible thing, that is permissible according to the laws of Islam. ‘Haram’ on the other
hand literally means forbidden, and Haram Foods refer to any edible thing, that is forbidden
according to the laws of Islam. In general, foods can be categorized into 3 groups: Halal, Haram,
Makruh. ‘Makruh’ means disliked, and refers to any foods that are allowed, but disliked by God
Almighty. It is even recorded, that sometimes Makruh can have a punishment that is indefinite.
The general rule for Halal and Haram foods is that everything is Halal to consume, except that
which is defined as Haram.
According to Halalcertifiering.se:
[The Commission of the European Union assigns e-numbers after the additive is cleared by the
Scientific Committee on Food (SCF), the body responsible for the safety evaluation of food
additives in the European Union. The convention for assigning E-numbers is:

E-Number Substances
100-199 Food Colors
200-299 Preservatives
300-399 Antioxidants, Phosphates, and Complex
Agents
400-499 Thickeners, Gelling Agents, Phosphates,
Humectants, Emulsifiers
500-599 Salts and Related Compounds
600-699 Flavor Enhancers
700-899 Not used for Food Additives (Used for Feed
Additives)
900-999 Surface Coating Agents, Gases, Sweeteners
1000-1399 Miscellaneous Additive
1400-1499 Starch Derivatives
Table Showing the Content that is Represented by the E-Number
E-numbers are only used for substances added directly to food products, so contaminants,
enzymes and processing aids, which may be classified as additives in the USA, are not included
in the E-number system.
Additives which are ALWAYS of animal origin:
● E120 Cochineal: a red color obtained from female insects
● E441 Gelatin: derived from the bones and/ or hides of cattle and/ or pigs
● E542 Edible Bone Phosphate: an extract from animal bones
● E904 Shellac: a resin from the lac insect]

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According to Al-islam.org:
[All kinds of packed food with the exception of meat, fat and their extracts, are permissible for
a Muslim, even if he doubts that its ingredients might contain what is forbidden for him or even
if he doubts that the cook —whosoever may be— had touched it with wetness. It is not
obligatory on him to inquire about its ingredients to ensure that it does not contain anything
that is forbidden to him. It is forbidden to drink wine, beer, and everything that causes
intoxication or drunkenness in solid or liquid form. Almighty Allah says in the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! Intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and
(dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the Shaytan’s work; shun it therefore that you
may be successful.”1]
“He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swine flesh, and that which hath been
immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither
craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” 2.

1
Quran: (Ma’idah:90-91)
2
Quran: (Baqara:173)

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 Analysis and Interpretation of Information

Prior 21st century, most of the farming was done manually. Although conditions like these still
do exist, industrialization has taken place over the agricultural sector vastly, to improve
efficiency, in terms of dollar per cost. However, the public health does not reflect in the prices
of foods. The main aim of industrialization was automation, and higher production to suffice
the ever-increasing population of the world. This however has brought about a number effects
along health issues.
Islam, the second most populated religion, like all other religion has its code of conduct, laws,
and rulings. Foods are categorized either Halal (permissible), or Haram (forbidden), or even
sometimes Makruh (allowed, but disliked). Different sects within Islam have slight differences,
but the general rules are outlined in the summary of findings.
One aspect of industrialization was storing of foods for long periods of time. Preservatives are
used for this purpose. What is astonishing is that the minute chemicals used in the process of
sorting and packing of food items are not listed clearly, if not listed at all. Preservatives and
additives are generally classified by E# (# represents numbers), and in most instances, these
combinations are not stated as to what were used, which makes it difficult for the consumer to
really know what is in the food. Moreover, some industries label their food product as Halal,
while it contains additives that are derived from pork. All these are factors that a general
(Muslim) consumer is not aware of, while he is disobeying his/her own laws.
It is important to note that since it is a halal animal, it means that it will be halal to consume. The
method of getting the meat is also a factor that makes it permissible. A lot of times, in stores,
meat packages are labelled halal, and just because some Arabic writing is there, doesn’t mean
that the product is halal to consume. An example is a bacon packaged and have a halal stamp.
Pig’s meat is haram, and no matter how much Arabic writing there may be, it is always
considered haram.
Some snacks, in their ingredients, list artificial flavors as a general ingredient, but little do the
consumer know what really is added. “Artificial Flavoring” or “artificial colouring” are the
general terms used to concise the additives, preservatives, and is acceptable by food security
agencies and public health organizations. However these may be in violation of many people’s
dietary restrictions such as Halaal & Haraam. This can be seen from figure 1 of Appendix.
All these restrictions, and rulings are not there to add burden to Muslims, rather, they make life
easier and increase their spiritual strength. The effects of eating haram, although they may not be
noticed by an individual, negatively affects a Muslim’s life. Forty days’ worth of prayers are not
accepted, yet you are still obligated to pray nevertheless. Dua’s will be shun back to the person,
and his heart will start to become hard, in that he will support evil, reject goodness, and will
become weak in rejecting the whispers of Shaytan.

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In the case of life or death, whereby only haram food is available, and if not consumed, one may
die, in that instance, the haram food is not considered haram, since it is said in the Quran (2:176),
that the one who is driven by necessity (death), there is no sin for him.

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 Conclusion

In conclusion, every consumable food is either categorized as Haram (forbidden), Halal

(permitted), or sometimes Makruh (disliked), and that there are special cases where Haram foods
are permitted under critical circumstances. Industrialization has taken a different approach to
handle food security, and efficiency, while placing the Muslims in a situation which most likely
will result in violation of the Islamic laws consuming Halaal only foods.

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 Bibliography

● Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project. Eating & Drinking. Retrieved from:
https://www.al-islam.org/a-code-of-practice-for-muslims-in-the-west-ayatullah-
sistani/eating-drinking
https://www.al-islam.org/islamic-laws-ayatullah-ali-al-husayni-al-sistani/rules-things-
allowed-eat-and-drink
● Wikipedia. Makruh (2017). Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makruh
● Johns Hopkins. Industrialization of Agriculture (Unknown). Retrieved from:
http://www.foodsystemprimer.org/food-production/industrialization-of-
agriculture/index.html
● MuslimConsumerGroup. Food Ingredients Numbers (E-Numbers). (Unknown).
Retrieved from:
http://www.halalcertifiering.se/halal_haram_e_nummer.pdf

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Appendix

Figure 1

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Application
Criteria Max Score

Presentation 6 6

Statement of Conclusions 8 8

Logic & Grammar 6 6

Total 20 20
Analysis
Criteria Max Score

Statement of Aims 3 3

Description of Data collection procedures 4 4

Summary of Findings 5 4

Analysis & Interpretation of Data 8 8

Total 20 19
Overall Total
Total Score

40 39

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