United Nations University hosts discussion on directions for the region post-Arab Spring

On 27 January 2017, the United Nations University (UNU) will host The Arab Spring: Six Years On, a conversation with Professor Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Professor of International History of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Visiting Professor at the Doctoral School of Sciences Po Paris and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mauritania.




Professor Mohamedou is well-positioned to discuss the topic as the author of Iraq and the Second Gulf War: State Building and Regime Security (2002) and Understanding Al Qaeda: The Transformation of War (2011), as well as Co-editor of Democratisation in the 21st Century: Reviving Transitology (2016). His research focuses on political violence and transnational terrorism, the transformation of warfare, political liberalisation and transitions to democracy, and contemporary Middle Eastern and North African sociopolitical developments and conflicts.

In the early months of 2011, the Middle East and North Africa embarked on a historic process of sociopolitical transformation, the “Arab Spring”, which sent large-scale reverberations throughout and beyond the region. In rapid and unexpected succession, long-established and seemingly well-entrenched authoritarian regimes collapsed, opening the way for difficult and often-violent transitions.

Professor Mohamedou will join UNU Rector David Malone in an exploration of the current state and future prospects of the region. The conversation aims to answer the questions:
 
Six years later, how do the “Arab Spring” social movements continue to fare?
Where are these political transitions heading, and what shape have the power configurations and the social pacts taken?
What are the implications for the rest of the world?

The event is part of the UNU Conversation Series, which encourages the audience to engage with the speakers during the conversation and at the reception after.

Interested?

UNU Conversation Series: The Arab Spring: Six Years On
Date: 27 January 2017
Time: 6:30 pm
Venue: UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan

The event will be in English only; Japanese interpretation will not be provided.
Advance registration by 26 January is required. Register

Halal Expo Japan debuts November 2016, includes modest fashion show

Source: Tokyo Modest Fashion Show website. Halal Expo Japan debuts this November.

Halal Expo Japan 2016 takes place in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan this November. Themed 'halal for all', the event will also host the first modest fashion show in Japan, Tokyo Modest Fashion Show 2016, featuring 10 fashion designers.

Interested?

Halal Expo Japan runs from November 22 to 23 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Taito-kan. View the list of exhibitors for Halal Expo Japan

View the agenda for Tokyo Modest Fashion Show 2016

Contribute more event listings to the Suroor Asia events page

CrescentRating reviews Narita Airport Rest House

CrescentRating, the authority on halal travel, has published a review of Narita Airport Rest House, the only hotel in Narita Airport. The which it says is an ideal option for Muslim travellers looking for accommodation close to Narita Airport. The company gave it a Muslim-friendly rating of 4*.

Prayer facilities at Narita Airport Rest House include prayer mats, prayer timetables, female prayer dresses and marked prayer directions in rooms. The hotel staff is also knowledgeable about the nearest mosques in the city.

Two restaurants served by halal kitchens at Narita Airport Terminal – Kineyamygimaru on the 5th floor of Terminal 1 and Agetatenoaji, Tentei at the 4th floor of Terminal 2 offer dining options. 

Interested?

Read the CrescentRating review

Read Narita Airport Rest House's page for Muslim travellers (PDF)

*CrescentRating's rankings for hotels go from 1 to 7, with 7 being the most Muslim-friendly. A hotel rated as 4 will be able to provide information regarding prayer times and prayer direction as well as information on nearby halal food and mosques. They will also have some level of halal food services; either halal breakfast and/or room service. Or it may claim all food in the hotel to be halal, but this is not independently verified by a halal food certification authority.

AEON woos Malaysian halal brands ahead of Tokyo Olympics

Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and AEON have organised a briefing on export opportunities in Japan for Malaysian companies. Held in Menara MATRADE on 21 December 2015, the initiative is part of MATRADE’s efforts to encourage Malaysian companies to tap into the emerging halal industry in Japan and to leverage on the demand expected for halal products and services during the Tokyo summer Olympics in 2020. 

AEON is one of the major retailers in Japan with businesses covering general merchandise stores, convenience stores, specialty stores and also real estate for retail, with more than 5,000 outlets in Japan. At the session, attendees were briefed on ideal ways to access Japan’s market through AEON and the requirements and procedures to supply to AEON’s supermarkets in Japan.
Japanese companies have been working to ensure that there are halal products for the sporting communities, tourist and Muslim populations in Japan ahead of the Tokyo summer Olympics in 2020, which will take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020 in Japan. They have focused on Malaysian halal brands given that Malaysia is one of the world’s top halal products and services providers.

Japan is Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner for exports. In 2014, Malaysia's exports of processed food to Japan was valued at RM620.3 million, an increase of 32.7% compared to the previous year. The top five products that showed a significant increase were cocoa and cocoa preparations, prepared cereals and flour, edible products and preparations as well as sugar and sugar confectionery. For the first 10 months of 2015 (January-October 2015), exports of processed food showed an increase of 25.3%, valued at RM654.7 million. 

Japan Halal Summit kicks off on August 4

The Japan Halal Summit, organised by the Halal Development Foundation Japan and the Halal Development Council,  expects to capitalise on Japan's interest in penetrating the global halal market and prepares for the Olympics in 2020. Running from 4 to 6 August, the event is themed 'We Connect Islam and Japan', and is to be held at TKP Garden City Shinagawa in Tokyo, Japan.

According to the organisers, the halal market goes beyond food and beverages to Islamic banking, Islamic tourism and halal pharmaceuticals, and targets about 1.6 billion Muslims globally, or 23% of the world’s population.

The event site notes that Muslims make up the majority of the population in 49 countries around the world, with Indonesia at the top, counting 209 million or 87.2% of the population as Muslim. Pakistan has the second-largest Muslim contingent with 179.2 million, and India is third roughly 176 million Muslims. In terms of geographies, the Middle East-North Africa region has the highest concentration Muslims anywhere in the world. The organisers say that 93% of approximately 341 million inhabitants are Muslim in this region, compared with 30% in sub-Saharan Africa and 24% in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Key statistics for the halal market listed on the event site include:

• The global halal industry is valued at US$2.77 trillion and is growing at 20% annually
• Globally, Muslims spent US$1.1 Trillion on food and beverages in 2012, which is forecast to reach US$1.6 Trillion by 2018.
• The Islamic world imports most of its food, especially the Middle East, valued at US$15.4 billion and the halal food market is set to grow at the rate of 4.44% over the period of 2012-16.
• The halal food industry accounts for 20% of the global F&B industry. It was worth US$5.7 trillion in 2008 and is expected to increase to US$7 trillion by 2014.
• The Islamic finance market is estimated at $1 trillion.
• The global halal cosmetics market is estimated at US$13 billion and in the Middle East, the market is estimated to be worth US$2 billion. The global cosmetics market is worth US$334 billion.
• The shari'ah-compliant Islamic tourism sector is valued at US$100 billion, while the halal pharmaceutical industry is estimated to be worth US$500 billion.

A hundred delegates from around the world are expected to attend the summit, with representatives from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries, the Islamic Development Bank, Malaysia's JAKIM, Indonesia's MUI and UAE's Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology among others.