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The Council of Muftis of Russia proposes to introduce rapid tests to determine the presence of products prohibited by Sharia law

Devout Muslims who “shop” in Russian stores no longer have to worry - modern technologies will protect them from unintentionally violating food prohibitions prescribed by Sharia. The Council of Muftis of Russia intends to introduce a kind of rapid tests in the production of halal (permitted by Islamic laws) products, thanks to which it will be possible to determine whether there is pork among the ingredients of a sausage or other meat product. Zhafar Azizbayev, head of the center for certification and standardization of products operating under the Council of Muftis, spoke about this religious and technological innovation last Friday. “The principle of operation is that a 3 mm wide test strip is immersed in a special solution in which less than a minute ago there was a sample of meat products,” Mr. Azizbayev explained to RIA Novosti. The method for determining whether meat is halal is similar to how rapid pregnancy tests work, an expert from the Council of Muftis noted. If two colored lines appear on the test strip, “this means that the product contains pork.” If there is only one strip, then there is no pork.

Zhafar Azizbayev especially emphasized that the development of a “halal test” based on immunoassay methods is the merit of domestic biochemists, who in this case were ahead of the rest: similar foreign methods for recognizing “wrong” meat are not so effective. “They give results very slowly - after 24 hours,” noted Mr. Azizbayev. Despite the fact that the invention “requires more thorough research and refinement,” representatives of the global Islamic community have already become interested in Russian know-how. According to Azizbayev, the company that developed this test “received high marks at the international exhibition of halal products in Dubai in 2008 and was invited to the prestigious forum of halal product manufacturers in Malaysia in May of this year.” Three research laboratories are now working on finalizing the tests - in Moscow, Kazan and Kazakhstan, said a representative of the Council of Muftis of Russia. The fact is that during the development, immunoassays of animals such as horses, camels or kangaroos were not taken into account.

From the point of view of Sharia, the meat of a horse, camel and even a kangaroo is theoretically suitable “for domestic consumption”, because Islam does not classify these animals as unclean. It is common knowledge that Muslims, like Jews, do not eat pork. But to be precise, the Koran says the following regarding food prohibitions: “You are forbidden from carrion, and blood, the flesh of a pig, and that which is slaughtered invoking other than Allah, and that which is strangled, and that which is killed by a blow, and that which is killed by a fall, and that which is gored.” , and what the wild beast ate." As for alcohol, the Muslim holy book lists it among the “abominations of Satan” along with idolatry.

Mikhail MOSHKIN