Friday, August 5, 2005

Religious food gets protection

Under new Wayne Co. ordinance, those who falsely claim meat is halal, kosher face penalty.

By Joel Kurth / The Detroit News

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Wayne County butchers selling bogus blessed meat soon could find themselves in trouble with the law.

Acting on a string of complaints, the County Commission on Thursday made it a misdemeanor for food sellers to falsely claim their meat is halal or kosher. Halal food includes beef, lamb or chicken slaughtered according to Islamic law. Kosher food is prepared under strict Jewish rules.

When the ordinance takes effect in 44 days, violations will be punishable by $500 fines or 90 days in jail.

Although it applies to kosher and halal food, the ordinance was prompted because of the popularity of halal food. Once hard to find, the blessed meat now is available at Metro Detroit chain supermarkets, Asian restaurants and even two McDonald's restaurants in Dearborn.

It's so ubiquitous now that some of southeast Michigan's 100,000 Muslims have trouble trusting the meat that claims to be halal.

"You wonder if they're just saying it's halal," said Bushra Alawie of Dearborn, who shops at a small butcher in the city's south end. "It's a gut instinct. You wonder if those huge supermarkets are really following the Islamic way."

The ordinance requires stores making the halal or kosher claim to post conspicuous signs identifying the slaughterhouse and wholesaler. County health inspectors would respond to complaints about scofflaws and issue citations, said county Executive Robert Ficano.

"As the popularity of halal has increased, so have complaints," Ficano said. "Butchers now can simply say their meat is halal and charge a premium price."

Price vary, but a whole halal chicken sometimes can cost 10 or 20 cents more per pound than one that isn't blessed, according to an informal Detroit News survey of butchers and supermarkets.

Wayne County's ordinance doesn't wade into the sometimes contentious debate about how halal food should be prepared. Most Muslims follow similar procedures, but slight variations exist throughout the religion, said Imad Hamad, Midwest regional director of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

At Rizk's Fish and Poultry in Dearborn, a Muslim male faces east and says a prayer in Arabic praising God before slaughtering chickens, said Nabiha Rizk.

Rizk's family owns the butcher shop. The chickens have to be killed with one blow or the meat isn't halal, she said.

"The ordinance is good," said Rizk. "If you are advertising something, it's the only right way to do things to be honest about what you're selling."

The Muslim holy book, the Quran, spells out what can and can't be eaten. While halal is permissible, food such as alcohol, pork and improperly slaughtered animals are considered "haram" or forbidden.

"Islam is based on faith," said Rafael Narbaez, a Garden City career counselor. "If the store says in Arabic they sell halal, you have to trust that they, as your brother, tell the truth. The burden is on them on the day of judgment if they are wrong."

As with other emerging industries, however, some regulation keeps merchants honest, Hamad said.

"You never know when you're dealing with an open market," he said. "Sometimes, they say it's halal, but you wonder. It can be deceiving. Regulations are needed to make sure it's valid and legit."

Ficano proposed the ordinance after meeting this winter with community leaders in Dearborn. The ordinance is based on a similar state law passed in 2002. That law, however, leaves enforcement to sheriff's deputies and police. The county ordinance allows health inspectors to issue fines.

The 15-member County Commission unanimously approved the ordinance without debate.

You can reach Joel Kurth at (313) 222-2610 or jkurth@detnews.com.