The Islamic development department (Jakim) has dismissed suggestions that halal certification be extended to cover matters of national governance.
Its director-general, Sirajuddin Suhaimee, said issues such as corruption, integrity, and justice were already under the responsibility of ministries, enforcement agencies, and the judiciary.
“We take note of views suggesting that our halal certification role should be broadened beyond food to also include governance.
“In this regard, Jakim stresses the importance of distinguishing between the broad Islamic concept of halal, which encompasses justice, integrity, and good governance, and the process of halal certification,” he said in a statement today.
While Jakim did not name the source of such calls, former law minister Zaid Ibrahim made a similar suggestion in an X posting on Sept 3.
Zaid had said that if Jakim wished to act as the nation’s moral guardian, it should declare corruption, abuse of office, and misuse of public funds as haram, and apply halal standards to governance.
Sirajuddin said halal certification remains an official mechanism to regulate industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, logistics, and halal slaughter, ensuring compliance with shariah standards and protecting Muslim consumers from confusion or exploitation.
“In the context of governance, the responsibility to fight corruption, strengthen integrity, and ensure justice lies with ministries, government departments, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, police, and judiciary,” he said.
He said this was in line with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s directive to strengthen transparency and integrity in public administration.
At the same time, he said, Islam clearly prohibits corruption, abuse of power, and betrayal of trust.
Sirajuddin said Jakim will continue to convey these messages through sermons, community programmes, awareness campaigns, and other dakwah channels.
“Therefore, expanding the scope of halal certification to cover national governance does not arise, as the area is already addressed through existing authoritative mechanisms,” he said.
He said Jakim would instead focus on enhancing strategic cooperation to maintain Malaysia’s halal certification as a global benchmark.
