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Maldives Halal-Haram Committee researching Golden Churn Butter

Spokesperson for the Islamic Ministry, Sheikh Ahmedulla Jameel, has said that the Halal-Haram Committee of the Maldives has begun to determine whether ‘Golden Churn Creamy Butter’ contains any unlawful substance in it, after Malaysia’s Islamic Ministry declared that the product contains the deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) of swine and may be haram for Muslims.

The product is a popular food commodity in the Maldives and found in many local convenience stores.

Jameel said that the Islamic Ministry had received no official information from the Malaysian authorities, and was going by media reports.

‘’The Committee will declare whether it is haram or halal, as it is the committee that determines the status of food products in the Maldives,’’ he said, adding that the Islamic Ministry did not have further information to share on the matter.

Malaysian newspaper reports said the issue came in to light in April 18 when the Johor State Religious Department (JAJ) circulated a memo within its department to alert them of a swine DNA finding in Golden Churn Pure Creamery Butter products.

“There has been much confusion regarding the Golden Churn product. We have released a media statement before stating that the product contains pig DNA but many doubted it,’’ the newspaper quoted the Assistant Islamic Minister Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman saying.

President of Religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Ibrahim said he heard about this incident but did not have any official information on the issue.

”These kind of issues do occur in the Maldives, in many cases these companies produce both types of the same product, one type which is for Gulf countries,” Sheikh Abdulla said. ”But the Maldives have sometimes received stocks produced for the Europe.”

He said the NGO has recently discussed the issue with the Islamic Minister.

”The ministry told us that because the cost of establishing a laboratory was expensive they were were many challenges they faced in solving the issue,” he said.

Andrew Ballantyne, Executive Chairman of the Australian company that produces the butter, Ballantyne Foods, said in a statement that both Ballantyne factories in Australia and New Zealand had been certified halal by halal certification authorities for all the butter brands produced and distributed by the company.

“It is important to understand that each delivery of butter out of Australia and New Zealand carries mandatory quality standards from relevant Government Food Authorities including Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, (AQIS) and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) in additional to strict Halal certification requirements. We confirm that our Golden Churn butter complies with the requirements of these authorities,” Ballantyne stated.

“Ballantyne only use high quality milk to make cream that is churned into butter. Ingredients are: cows milk, milk solids (non fat), moisture and 1.5-2 percent salt. No other additions, colours or preservatives are permitted.”

The particular canned butter variety under question in Malaysia had been certified halal by New Zealand Islamic Processed Food Management, “a recognised Islamic authority in New Zealand. NZIPFM is duly accredited by Jakim to certify products that are produced in New Zealand.”

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Public Accounts Committee to dismiss claims against governor

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has claimed that a motion of no-confidence against Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) governor Fazeel Najeeb is baseless.

Haveeru reported that four out of five members of a sub-committee tasked with evaluating the motion had claimed there was no reason for it to go ahead.

President Mohamed Nasheed had sent a letter to the parliament claiming that the MMA was not executing its legal responsibilities, and neither was its governor.

“We didn’t notice anything significant from [the letter] at all to justify a motion of no confidence against him,” a member of the committee told Haveeru.

The committee will review the report from the sub-committee and make a decision next week.

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Release of 47 inmates proceeded “without complaint”, says State Home Minister

State Minister for Home Affairs Mohamed ‘Monaza’ Naeem has told Haveeru that the release of 47 inmates has proceeded “without complaint”, reports Haveeru.

The inmates are part of the government’s ‘Second Chance Programme’, which is sponsoring the rehabilitation and release of 400 inmates into society.

Naeem yesterday told the paper that the inmates are currently undergoing mentor training before entering the job market. This training follows a life skills programme and religious classes.

Inmates were selected for release according to their crime and behavior in jail. Naeem told Haveeru that those convicted of paedophilia, illegal drug trade, gang violence, or who have been offered clemency while in jail, were not included in the Second Change Programme.

Deputy Health Minister Lubna Mohamed Zahir Hussain told Haveeru that the second round of releases has not been scheduled yet.

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STO profits rise 79 percent in first half of 2011

The State Trading Organisation (STO) saw a 79 percent increase in profits in the first half of 2011. STO earned Rf39 million (US$2.5 million) more in the first half of 2011 than in the same period last year.

According to second quarter earnings published by the government company, STO made a half-year net profit of Rf88.4 million (US$5.7 million) this year.

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Family of murder victim demand death penalty

The heirs of Mariyam Sheereen, who was found dead at a construction site in Male’ on January 2, 2010, have asked for the death penalty against the accused.

Under Islamic sharia, the victim’s family or heirs are given a choice to either insist on the death penalty, or to pardon the perpetrator and accept monetary compensation for their loss (Quran 2:178).

According to newspaper Haveeru, Sheereen’s heirs appeared in court yesterday and demanded the death penalty be enforced against Mohamed Najah, Sheereen’s former boyfriend.

Following the investigation, police revealed at the time that her body was put into a small suitcase and transported to a construction site by taxi cab.

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Brand of butter commonly used in Maldives declared non-halal by Malaysia

The Islamic Development Department of Malaysia has declared the ‘Pure Creamery Butter-Golden Churn’ as non-halal (forbidden under Islamic sharia). The brand, widely used in the Maldives, was found to contain pig DNA.

According to media reports, the department’s director general explained that the product was the same brand that had been previously banned but had been brought into the country by different importers.

Meanwhile, local daily Haveeru reports Ibrahim Arif from the Olympia Shop as insisting that the New Zealand company that manufactures the butter had guaranteed it was pig-free.

“The company has denied the reports as baseless. As the company has guaranteed [that the product is free from pig DNA], we have recently placed an order worth US$100,000,” he said.

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Six injured in accident at sea

Six people sustained varying degrees of injury in an accident at sea between Male’ and Dhoonidhoo at about 9:00pm last night.

According to police, a speedboat from Reethi Rah Resort transporting staff to Male’ collided with a dhoni (traditional boat) carrying cargo from the airport to Thilafushi.

All six injured were traveling on the speedboat, while one person whose injuries were serious was taken to ADK hospital for treatment.

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Police searching for missing tourists from Adaaran Hudhuranfushi resort

Police are searching for two tourists who reportedly went missing on the Adaaran Hudhuranfushi resort on Lhohifushi Island.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that police had received a report of the missing tourists, but could not provide any further details.

Local newspaper Haveeru has reported that the missing couple were Japanese, however this was not confirmed by police.

The two tourists were reported to have been last seen at dinner on Tuesday night, but it was believed that had not returned to their villa afterwards, Haveeru reported.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) is on standby to begin a search effort at sea if police and resort management were unsuccessful in locating the guests.

“We’re usually tasked to search for people who go missing while they’re at sea. We’re ready to search the resort’s lagoon if the police fail to find them from the island,” an MNDF official said.

Minivan News contacted the resort to clarify the story but was referred to its head office in Male, which had closed for the day.

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UNDP to fund US$3.3 million project to help tourism sector adapt to climate change

The Ministry of Tourism and UNDP have signed a US$3.3 million project to help the Maldives tourism sector adapt to climate change.

UN Resident Representative Andrew Cox said that as tourism represented 30 percent of the economy and 60 percent of the country’s foreign exchange receipts, “the future of the Maldives is wrapped up in the tourism sector.”

“Right now there is a great deal of variety in how resorts handle the environment and climate change issues,” Cox said. “Some have this as their focus, the basis of their product, while others, it’s fair to say, do not.”

The project, he explained, would seek to help the Ministry of Tourism develop its own regulation, in partnership with the industry.

As well as developing building and planning codes for new resorts, the project included scope for developing environmentally-sound physical infrastructure, energy efficient buildings and practices, climate resilient fresh water management, flood-proofing, waste water management, protection of coastal ridges, reefs and vegetative belts, and diversification of energy sources.

“We are also looking at assessing market-based risk financing,” Cox said. “The Maldives is very vulnerable to natural hazards and disasters, but there are insurance products that can reduce that risk.”

The project will establish “at least 10” community-based adaption projects between tourism-associated communities and operators.

“We often hear of tensions between resorts and communities,” Cox noted, during the signing ceremony today. “This [project] will focus on common responsibility, the management of common resources. What is good for a resort can be good for the island next to it. Rather than have a charity relationship between resorts and local islands, we want to try to build stronger partnerships.”

Asked why the tourism sector required UN involvement if the funding of such adaptation was in the long-term financial interest of the industry, Cox noted that “what we have seen in other countries is that something that seems obvious doesn’t always happen. But this is not something that will be done without the partnership of the industry, and it will depend on investment from the private sector.

“One particular area is decarbonisation – hundreds of millions of dollars will have to be spent on energy, and the cost equation of carbon based fuels is going to become more and more negative so resorts will have to go in the direction [of renewables] anyway.”

He noted a huge demand for such a group response to the challenges, with resort managers expressing frustration at problems relating to issues such as waste management and recycling, and the lack of appropriate infrastructure and regulation at the state level: “Is it really worth continuing to shipping waste to Thilafushi without any recycling or economic benefit?” he asked.

Environmental achievements already reached, such as the recent designation of Baa Atoll as a UNESCO biosphere, “are not just for propaganda value. It will have a marketable effect on the ability to sell tourism in Baa Atoll.”

Tourism Minister Dr Mariyam Zulfa noted that the Maldives already had many resorts that had taken the lead in incorporating environmentally-sustainable measures into their design, operation and management.

“We have resorts in the Maldives that are held up as among the best examples in the world,” Zulfa noted.

“The Maldives has risen to the top among the world’s most exclusive destinations due in no small part to the competitive position derived from its unique natural island environment and surrounding underwater beauty. Climate change threatens to destroy this beautiful environment and along with it, the livelihoods of many Maldivians.

“This project aims to address ways in which the Maldives and especially its tourism industry can minimize its vulnerability to climate change,” she said.

“This project will contribute to the government’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2020, and will support the integration of adjustment measures which need to be implemented in response to climatic changes into development policies, plans, programs, projects and actions.”

Following consultations throughout the rest of this year, the first wave of projects is expected to begin in early 2012.

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