Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Halal Matters: Clarity Amidst Controversy

HALAL MATTERS CLARITY AMIDST CONTROVERSY

An In-Depth Workshop on the Halal Industry by Hamzah wald Maqbul

This Saturday at ICOR From `Asr till `Isha' 3:15-8:00PM

18080 NE 68th St, Suite D 140
Redmond, WA 98052.

For Further Details Contact: 425.829.2107 or 425.974.9322 or email info@thawr.org

Workshop Details

This Saturday-evening workshop will help the seeker of knowledge go beyond the emotionally driven quasi-intellectual mosque-foyer debates about eating at McDonalds and “Zabiha vs. Halal,” and explore some of the most pertinent and relevant issues that face the halal consumer in our time, place, and context.Attending this seminar will ready one to understand what the debate is among scholars, producers, and businessmen, and how this mix of ancient fiqh with modern industrial methods of mass production and the demands of corporate business models directs the struggle for the future of halal standards for generations to come.Topics discussed will include:An overview of the legal requirements for animal slaughter and how they relate to modern industrial techniquesMechanical Slaughter vs. Human Slaughter: Can a machine affect ritual slaughter processes?The Vertical Cut: How do traditional methods of slaughter fare with other techniques?Ingredients: Gelatin, Cochineal, Lecithin, Glycerin. etc.; what are they and where are they from?Tayyib: What does it mean? Can it be standardized and drive the market in a different direction?

Guest Speakers

Shaykh Hamzah wald Maqbul. Shaykh Hamzah was born in Whittier, California and lived in Southern California until the age of ten when he moved to Blaine, Washington. After graduating from Blaine High School, he attended the University of Washington and in 2004 completed a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and a Bachelors of Arts in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.After graduation, Shaykh Hamzah went on to pursue traditional Islamic studies, which took him to Syria and Egypt where he studied the Arabic language; Morocco, Mauritania, and the UAE, where he studied the madhab of Imam Malik, grammar, usul al-hadith , and the two renditions of the qira’ahof Imam Nafi ‘, Warsh and Qalun; and Pakistan where he had the opportunity to study tafsir, usul al-hadith, hadith, ‘ilm al-rijal and Hanafi fiqh. All of these studies culminated in him receiving an ijazat al-tadris, literally meaning “a license to teach.” This is the equivalent in Pakistani Islamic seminaries to a Masters of Arts in Arabic and Islamic studies, as well as receiving an unbroken chain of transmission by which to narrate the hadith of such books as the Muwatta’ of Imam Malik, the Sihah al-Sittah (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah), and the Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar of Imam al-Tahawi.Since his return from overseas, Shaykh Hamzah has been involved with the Halal Advocates of America and their industry-facing verification program (HFSAA); worked with the Muslim Students Associations throughout the Pacific Northwest; taught and gave Khutbah at masajid throughout the Greater Seattle area; been invited to numerous speaking engagements all along the west coast which include classes, guest khutbahs and conferences; and served as Imam in Redmond, WA, Chico, CA, and Mountlake Terrace, WA.

He is currently the Director of the Thawr Institute, thawr.org.
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