Hi Innovating global Halal industries!!!

Hi Innovating global Halal industries!!!

As the $2 trillion Halal industry, which includes food, finance and much more, grows, many call for new ways to develop coherence and diversity.

“Demand is increasing and we now must focus on developing our products. I am not saying forget about being Halal, but we must start innovating,” says Saleh Abdullah Lootah, Managing Director of Islami Foods.

Speaking at the WIEF conference in Dubai, which ended on October 30, Lootah went on to stress the need to get rid of Halal complexes: “There are different norms and cultures across different regions, so it is difficult to apply one model of Halal-compliant business.”

This comes at a time when the Muslim world is looking at itself in hopes to develop the cross-border trade of Halal-certified goods. Media reports this week claim that a series of memoranda of understanding and agreements have been signed by Dubai Exports in partnership with Malaysia’s Halal HDC, and the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC).

Lootah goes on to talk about the need for the Halal industry to innovate the consumer experience. “The next step is to focus on innovating the Halal experience and, making it attractive to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.”

In his closing address, HE Hamad Buamim, President and CEO at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the co-organizers, said that the forum marked the “start of a new chapter of cooperation between Dubai and the world, as part of Dubai: Capital of Islamic Economy vision.”

“We must also harness technology, which is driving progress in the global economy, to ensure the future development of Halal industries,” he notes.

Overall, the rhetoric coming from leaders of the Halal industries was based around developing the right technologies to enhance and innovate the Halal products to globalize the industry.

The WIEF conference attracted more than 2,000 participants from all around the world. Organized in a collaboration between the WIEF Foundation, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Dubai Capital of Islamic Economy, the event was held at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre Dubai on October 28-30, 2014, with the arching theme ‘Innovative Partnerships for Economic Growth’, which seeks to position Dubai as a leader of global Halal industries.

Hi Green, - "Green energy plans in Saudi Arabia to result in eco-friendly mosques."

Hi Green, - "Green energy plans in Saudi Arabia to result in eco-friendly mosques."

Green mosques: the future of Saudi Arabia;

As part of a bid to gain green building initiatives national attention, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is planning to make over 90,000 mosques friendlier to the environment through the use of solar power and other green energy sources.

Green building focuses on promoting resource efficiency and pro ecological practices.

Following a joint meeting that took place between Saudi Green Building Forum and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, it was agreed to make mosques more eco-friendly. “This was a strategic decision when compared with other buildings, because mosques are buildings which have the most influence on people’s lives due to the large numbers of worshipers who visit them”, the secretary general of the Saudi Green Building Forum, Faisal Al-Fadl told the Arabic national newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.

Green building technologies involve the use of practices that are resource-efficient and are ecologically beneficial and these practices are utilized throughout the entire life cycle a prospective building may have. It begins with the planning, carries through into the construction phase and continues once the building has been built and in how it is used. According to Al-Fadl, “Green building has qualities that are more pertinent to mosques than other forms of construction”.

Green energy may lower electricity consumption in 

mosques by 40%;

In addition to reducing power consumption by an estimated 40%, Faisal Al-Fadl also said that if advanced green technology is utilized in building, it may be able to decrease consumption by as much as 80%. Furthermore, by equipping mosques with water filtration systems, water use may be lowered by anywhere from 30 to 40%. Likewise, air filtration systems could improve the overall health environment of a mosque by decreasing the risk of contamination and transmitted infections.

Al-Fadl has confirmed that an agreement to implement the green building initiative that will convert mosques into green energy buildings exists. This will help make sure current mosques that have been well established for years can become more environmentally friendly. He also presented Sheikh Saleh Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Islamic Affairs, with the green building initiative and its goals, for which the minister has expressed his support.