Government Halal certification needed, says EOC member

Equal Opportunities Commission member Rizwan Ullah has added his voice to calls for a government-led Halal certification system. "The accreditation system in Hong Kong, that has to be led by the government because the trust issue is very important," he said while appearing on RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme. "Because this is something new, if we want to have this, we had better do it well from the beginning." He made the comment after the Hong Kong Tourism Board on Monday said it hoped to promote the SAR as a Muslim-friendly travel destination. Ullah said some Halal restaurants here did good business and the large Muslim population here meant there was a market. He was asked how much of a challenge it would be to become Halal certified. "There are some rules. Things should not touch pork and in the restaurant you should have a separate section. If these things can be accommodated, the key thing is to get the restaurants to understand what Halal is," he said. Ullah also said other changes could also be considered to make Hong Kong more Muslim friendly. He highlighted the interest created in Islam after the bus stop outside Kowloon Mosque, was given the name Kowloon Mosque, whereas previously it had just been known as Kowloon Park.