Hassan Cheruppa

Saudi Gazette THE Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Saudi Arabia should take the lead in promoting halal industry to cash in on its vast scope in the global market, says Prof. Irwandi Jaswir, the winner of this year’s King Faisal International Prize in Service to Islam. “I see this most prestigious award as a wakeup call for all Muslim countries which are not seen taking advantage of the immense potential of the global halal market, whose value is amounted to trillions of dollars, by pooling their investments in halal industries,” he said. In an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette during his visit to Jeddah on Thursday, the renowned Indonesian scientist and researcher who dedicated his life to promote halal science, said this is the right time for Muslim countries to vigorously enter the halal market. He expressed happiness over the recognition accorded to halal science by the King Faisal Foundation. “I never imagined to get such a global recognition from the foundation, and I hope this honor would help boost halal science and industry to have a robust growth across the world. It is extremely gratifying to note that during the meeting with the foundation officials, the secretary general explained to me that the reason for picking me for the prestigious award was something unique that I looked into verses of the Holy Qur’an from the perspective of science, and came out with wonderful outcome.” He thanked the foundation for selecting this major area of science for the Service to Islam category award. “Normally the award in the Service to Islam category goes to great state leaders or world renowned Islamic scholars,” he noted. At present, Prof. Jaswir is serving as the deputy dean of the International Institute for Halal Research and Training and Secretary of Council of Professors at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in Kuala Lumpur. The KFIP committee highlighted his contributions in the establishment and development of ‘Halal Science’ through various publications and research studies. It also cited his valuable efforts in leading the international institute for halal research at IIUM to become a renowned center for research and services related to halal food and consumer goods. The committee also considered his work in developing new methods for analyzing substances used in the manufacturing of ‘Halal Food Alternatives’, as well as practical procedures for producing halal gelatin from various halal (non-porcine) sources, such as camel and fish. Prof. Jaswir was instrumental in developing “Portable Electronic Nose”, which detects within seconds the presence of alcohol in food and beverages, and the detection of lard (porcine derived fat) in them. His role was remarkable in Malaysia’s bid to become the ‘World Halal Hub’ as well as introducing halal industry to Indonesia. Prof. Jaswir has assumed many administrative and academic roles during his rich career. He has dedicated over 20 years of research to the establishment and development of the new discipline called “Halal Science,” and that brought him 60 awards and honors. The halal market is emerging as one of the most lucrative and influential arenas in the world. Halal is no longer just a purely religious issue, as it has become a global symbol for quality assurance and life