Faith in Motion: Practising Halal Beyond The Certificate

This is where this article chooses to situate itself. While the concept of halal is established in Islamic scripture, there is growing concern that many Singaporean Muslims may be over-relying on halal certification for assurance without individual understanding of permissible and non-permissible food. Platforms like Muslim.sg by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) have had to clarify that a lack of a halal certificate does not automatically make the food product 'haram,' responding to frequent public inquiries about consuming non-certified items. To this, MUIS states that “The consumption of food is an individual responsibility. Muslims can opt for food that is not endorsed as halal by any Islamic body as long as they are confident and can ensure that the food has been prepared according to the Islamic Law.”⁴. There are ultimately many ways that one can determine whether something is halal, and this is put into practice especially during travel where the absence of such assurances necessitates a more nuanced, individualised approach to dietary practices. 

Grey Areas

The interviews and focus group discussion found variations in comfort level when it came to grey areas, specifically with regard to cross-contact with non-halal meat and alcohol.  

For the interviewees, there was unanimous consensus and understanding regarding the acceptability of meat during travel (and otherwise) - i.e. they would not consume pork, and other meat must be slaughtered according to Islamic principles. However, opinions diverged when it came to halal food in contact with non-halal meat, be it pork or meats that were not slaughtered according to Islamic law.  

According to one respondent, 

“If the whole place is not halal, for example, [if they sell] beef sandwich and salmon sandwich, I'll eat the salmon sandwich. So, I won't eat pork or non-halal meat, but if it's at the same place with seafood, then I'll eat the seafood. Some people won't eat it at all because they’re all prepared in the same kitchen.”  

Another respondent shared a location specific example:

“[There’s this] hotpot place that I really like in Melbourne. [...] They really care about your allergies. So, they have vegan Mala soup also but I know some of my Muslim friends in Melbourne they die-die don’t want. But I’m okay with it, even though there’s meat (that includes pork). I have faith in them for allocating different (utensils).”

Another respondent shared her experience at a Mala place:

“I asked if the Mala place was halal, and (my friend said the place) uses beef from Australia - and beef from Australia is … halal. But then when I went there, the beef was right beside the pork. I don’t want to eat that, it’s at your own discretion.” 

These anecdotes show that for some, the contact with non-halal food products is a blanket no even if the meat in question is halal, which might lead them to not patronise the place in question, while others might still consume the halal meat. Others choose to opt for a more discerning take — by either opting for the seafood or vegan option. Ultimately, when perceived cross-contamination is low, interviewees may still consume from such places overseas — signifying some level of flexibility in consumption habits.

Another contentious item when it comes to cross-contact is alcohol, be it in food or drinks. An interviewee noted:

“I have been to restaurants where they have (alcoholic) drinks, but then they don't have pork on the menu, and they said that the chicken is halal. That one is okay because the alcohol doesn't enter the food.” The same interviewee also shared, “I have a (Muslim) colleague (who) doesn't eat muffins from this place that I eat at, because she's very concerned about the vanilla extract. To me, I feel like it's negligible. Because even if there's vanilla extract in that, it's to a certain level where it's not really alcoholic. To me, that's my thought process, so it's okay to eat. But of course, obviously I'm going to avoid things like tiramisu, sometimes there is alcohol in it, or like rum cake.”

A different interviewee noted that they would not patronise an establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, while others referenced specific examples such as ‘tapai’, which is a fermented delicacy in the Southeast Asian region made from a starch base, which may have trace alcoholic qualities due to its fermentation process. Ultimately, whether locally or overseas, interviewees’ practices remain consistent regarding alcohol. Consistent with Lee & Iesham (2019)⁵, Singaporean Muslim travellers largely presented high tolerance for places that offer alcoholic beverages, but would proactively avoid consuming obvious haram products such as pork and alcoholic beverages. However, our interviews reveal a nuanced notion of negligibility, where specific contexts and concentration of alcohol significantly influence an individual’s decision to consume.

Collective Assurance: The role of Social Circles and Digital Communities

A significant factor in navigating halal overseas is also the influence of social networks. This assurance is often derived from immediate circles such as family upbringing and travel companions, or through broader networks where travelers can access community-sourced data and peer recommendations regarding Muslim-friendly options abroad.

An interviewee noted that their upbringing taught them strict halal/haram basics (i.e. look for halal certification), but weekend Islamic classes introduced the concept of waswas, or uncertainty. They noted that while halal/haram basics taught since young were largely adhered to in the Singaporean context, when it came to overseas travel without their parents, they had to navigate on their own and use their own discretion when making dietary decisions. Another interviewee recalled having to sertu (ritual cleanse) utensils at an Airbnb when travelling with their family. However, after gaining new knowledge about what needs to be ritually cleansed through trusted sources, they became less particular, illustrating how increased religious literacy can shift one’s boundaries.

Travel companions also matter. The consensus across interviews was that respondents usually cater to the ‘most strict’ in their travel group when eating together. For instance, an interviewee observed, “For my dad at least, it has to be a kebab place. If there's no other halal, Muslim-owned place, it will be kebab only. So for me, my sister, and my brother, we'll be like, "Okay, never mind. This one we can eat because it's pescatarian." But if we brought up that same restaurant to my dad, he will say "Oh, cannot”, because they sell chicken and it's not halal-certified.” Another shared that while they catered to the ‘most strict’ in the group, specifically when travelling with friends, they would also expect them to do their due diligence, especially in a place where it is more difficult to find strictly halal-friendly options. In sum, while consuming halal is a highly individual decision, travelling can be an inherently social experience that requires certain negotiations and compromise based on each other’s tolerance and comfort levels when it comes to halal food. 

When preparing for travel, while interviewees did place some importance on the availability of halal food when choosing a destination for travel, interviewees seemed to practice a more adaptive approach. Lee & Iesham (2019) noted that, “If halal food is scarce in the destination, (Singaporean Muslim travellers) seem to be pragmatic and consume other food alternatives instead, such as dried foods, instant noodles, and instant packaged food brought from home or store bought.”⁶ This seems to be echoed by our interviewees, who noted “Depending on which country I'm travelling to, I have the habit of deciding whether I'm going to make my own food, or I'm going to buy my own food. If I'm travelling to Western countries, especially, I tend to make my own food more or limit my habits to such that I'm gonna eat a meal once a day outside.” This was also in consideration of cost – the cost of food in Western countries were deemed more expensive, and thus it was more economical to make their own food. Others were decidedly less choosy: “I would go to the same halal place for 10 days straight if that's the only option. I'm not that choosy when it comes to food." Part of preparing for travel also involves relying on social media platforms such as TikTok to find halal-friendly food establishments abroad, followed by a quick Google search to corroborate the findings.  

 This article reveals that the grey areas of travel are, in fact, catalysts and opportunities for increased religious literacy.  While this article has only begun to scratch the surface of these complexities, it invites further inquiry into other aspects of halal travel such as the generational shift in halal preferences, or the rising influence of food content creators and social media figures in influencing food decisions abroad. As these 'digital authorities' increasingly verify establishments abroad, they may be reshaping the traditional burden of due diligence, shifting it from the individual to a community-sourced network. As such, further examination of these practices of Muslim youth – from a reliance of halal certification and toward a more active halal literacy practice – can reveal the diverse ways that one can embody Islam, shedding light on what it means to practise faith in today’s globalised world.