Elman NECEFZADE (Foreign Relations Officer and Deputy Director of Daru’l Helal Madrasah)
GIMDES (Association for the Inpection and Certification of Food and Supplies) made an important visit to Macedonia with the aim of spreading the Halal and Tayyib lifestyle on a global level. As part of the visit, GIMDES External Relations Officer Mr. Elman Necefzade first visited the Macedonian Islamic Religious Union. Then, he took part as a speaker at the 5th International Food Technology and Nutrition Conference held at the University of Tetovo.
RAIS AL ULAMA MR. FETAİ RECEIVED THE GIMDES DELEGATION IN HIS OFFICE
GIMDES representative Necefzade was received in his office by the Rais al Ulama of the Islamic Religious Union Mr. Hafız H. Shakir ef-Fetahu before the conference. Halal Standard Agency Director Mr. Driton Dikena and IDB Foundation Director Mr. Fehmi Ebibi were also present at the meeting. Rais al Ulama Mr. Fetai emphasized that GIMDES is an effective and pioneering institution not only in Türkiye but also internationally regarding halal standards, and thanked GIMDES for its warm interest.
Fetai said, “The halal standard is not only technical; it is a spiritual principle that guarantees purity, safety and justice in production and consumption. These principles bring science together with faith, technology with conscience.”
CALL FOR UNITY IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA FROM GIMDES
In the conference organized in cooperation with Tetovo University Faculty of Food Technology and IDB Halal Standard Agency, GIMDES External Relations Officer Mr. Elman Necefzade made a presentation titled “The Importance of Halal and Tayyib Certification Under a Single Standard Roof – One Voice, Full Unity”.
Drawing attention to the concepts of “Halal and Tayyib” in the Quran in his presentation, Mr. Necefzade underlined that halal food is not only a religious obligation but also a global lifestyle that expresses healthy, clean and fair production processes.
Mr. Necefzade stated that despite the increasing demand for halal products on a global scale, the implementation of each country and institution’s own standards creates great uncertainty and reiterated GIMDES’ “One Voice, Full Unity” call that was launched 10 years ago.
A PROPOSAL FOR A TRANSPARENT STANDARD SYSTEM THAT RESPECTS DIFFERENCES
A transparent certification system that respects the views of different sects was also proposed in the presentation. Stating that there should be boxes indicating sectarian differences in every product document, Mr. Necefzade said, “This approach is not divisive; on the contrary, it is a system that strengthens the unity of the ummah and enables conscious choices.”
At the end of the conference, Mr. Necefzade emphasized that the halal certification process is not just a technical application, but should be seen as an Islamic mission and a global responsibility, and repeated his call with the words, “This is a cause. Let’s speak with One Voice, let’s act with Full Unity. Let’s raise the global banner of Halal and Tayyib life together.”
