DagangHalal organises Halal Assurance Management System Manual workshop

Source: DagangHalal eDM. Event poster.

Halal e-marketplace DagangHalal will be conducting Halal Assurance Management System (HAS) Manual in conjunction with DH Events and Jabatan Agama Islam Sarawak.

The workshop, to be held in Miri, Sarawak in Malaysia, will cover the requirements for:

• Establishing a HAS 
• Implementing HAS at participants' premises
• Performing internal halal audits on their premises

Business owners, senior managers, halal executives, halal committee members, chefs and F&B managers as well as others who want to learn more about HAS are welcome to attend.
Interested?

The workshop costs RM00 per person, and will be conducted in Malay

Halal Assurance Mangement System (HAS) Manual workshop
October 10 and 11 2017
9am to 5pm
Dewan Aras 1, Pejabat Agama Islam Bahagian Miri,
Lot 1242, Tower 5, Bangunan Kompleks Islam Miri,
Japan Miri Pujut, 98000 Miri, Malaysia

Register (PDF; document is in Malay)

DagangHalal launches workshop for hotel stakeholders

Source: DagangHalal eDM.

Halal e-marketplace DagangHalal will be conducting a halal assurance management (HAS) workshop on the effective management of halal documentation for hotels in conjunction with DH Events and Jabatan Agama Islam Banking.

The workshop, to be held in Kuantan, Pahang, will cover the requirements for hotels according to the manual procedure for Malaysia Halal Certification (Third Revision) 2014, guidelines on how to prepare HAS documentation, and implementing HAS in the kitchens and restaurants of a hotel.  Participants will also learn how to establish an internal halal committee, prepare relevant terms and references, and prepare documentation based on Malaysia Halal Certification requirements.

Halal executives, chefs, F&B managers, and halal committee members for hotels as well as others who want to learn more about HAS are welcome to attend.

Interested?

The workshop costs RM400 per person

Halal Assurance Mangement System (HAS) Documentation workshop for hotels
August 10 2017
9am to 5.30pm
Grand Darul Makmur Hotel, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
Lot 5 & 10, Lorong Gambut off Jalan Beserah,
25300 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Register (PDF; document is in Malay)

Learn about planning for wealth distribution in Islam this June

Source: Al-Mukminin Mosque. Poster for the Planning
of Wealth Distribution in Islam course.

There is a lot to consider to maintain the purity of property in accordance with the policies and guidelines of shari'ah.

The Planning of Wealth Distribution in Islam course by ADIL Singapore on 17 June will provide a clearer picture on money management from the shari'ah perspective alongside current issues, case studies and fatwas.

Conducted by Ustaz Irwan Hadi, the course will discuss are the concept of wealth, its importance, as well as the dimensions of wealth planning, which includes wealth accumulation, protection, purification, cleansing and disposition.

Interested?

Planning of Wealth Distribution in Islam 17 June 2017
9am to 5pm

Al-Mukminin Mosque
Register

DagangHalal holds halal certification workshop in Seremban

Source: Dagang Halal e-DM.

Halal e-marketplace DagangHalal will be conducting a workshop on the effective management of halal documentation in conjunction with DH Events.

The workshop will cover the requirements for halal certification according to the Malaysia Halal Certification Procedure Manual, as well as guidelines on how to prepare the required documentation and instructions on using the MYeHALAL system.

Interested?

Effective management of halal documentation workshop
May 17 2017
9am to 5.30pm
Sutera Hotel, Seremban, Malaysia
77 & 78, Jalan S2 B1, 70300 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Register (PDF; document is in Malay)

Register at Al-Ahdaf Academy for madrasah tuition

Al-Ahdaf Academy has opened 2017 registration for madrasah* tuition, conversational Arabic and preparatory courses for kindergarten.


Classes are either held in Paya Lebar or in Tampines. The Paya Lebar location is near Paya Lebar MRT station, at the Arab Association (Al-Wehdah), 11, Lorong 37, Geylang Road, Singapore 387908. The Tampines venue is at #07-06 Income @ Tampines Junction, 300 Tampines Avenue 5,
Singapore 529653.

The Madrasah Tuition Program caters to full-time Singapore madrasah students from primary up to secondary level. It aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary for their exams in Arabic and Islamic subjects.

There is a Weekday Tuition Program from Monday to Thursday at Paya Lebar. Students can choose from a twice weekly or weekly tuition programme.

A Week-end Tuition Program is held once a week on Saturdays or Sundays at Tampines, either at 9.30am to 11.30am or at 11.30am to 1.30pm.

A minimum of four students are required to start a twice weekly class. Lower primary students pay a monthly fee of S$180 each; upper primary students pay S$190 and secondary students pay S$200.
The weekly class requires at least two students. Lower primary students pay S$150 each a month; upper primary students pay S$160 and secondary students pay S$180.

The Kindergarten Students Preparatory For Primary 1 Madrasah course provides sufficient preparation in the Arabic language for K1 and K2 students to sit for the madrasah’s primary one entry test. K1 and K2 refer to the two years of kindergarten just before primary school, and would correspond to students of four to five years old, and five to six years old respectively.

This course is available all year round. K2 classes are held every Wednesday at the Paya Lebar venue from 3.45pm to 5.45pm. There are currently some vacancies.

A weekly K1 class at Paya Lebar will be beginning soon, with the days and times to be shared later. New once-a-week K1 and K2 classes are beginning in March at the Tampines venue.
Three or more students are required to start a class, at S$130 per month per student. Materials will be provided.

A Conversational Arabic course for secondary madrasah students is also available at Tampines on Sundays from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. The course is designed to enable students to converse in Arabic with basic vocabulary in three months (14 lessons). The course is tailored to help individual students on pronunciation, memorisation and general progress.

At least 10 students are required to form a class. The course costs S$80 a month for three months, and the books cost S$25.

There is a one-time registration fee of S$20 that is waived for those who register for any course by 11 March 2017.

Interested?

Register. Registrations will be confirmed via email, SMS or WhatsApp.

*An Islamic religious school is termed a madrasah in Singapore. There are six full-time madrasahs in Singapore:

1. Madrasah Al-Arabiah Al-Islamiah
2. Madrasah Al-Irsyad Al-Islamiah
3. Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah 
4. Madrasah Al-Maarif Al-Islamiah (this is a girls-only school)
5. Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah (this is a girls-only school)
6. Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah

Al-Ahdaf Academy opens applications for March Arabic courses

Al-Ahdaf Academy, which specialises in Arabic language tuition in Singapore, is promising that students will master basic Arabic conversation in two months with the Al Muhawarah Conversational Arabic course.

"We tailor the course to track students' pronunciation, memorisation and general progress to better cater to their varying personal needs," states an overview of the course, which focuses on listening, speaking, reading and writing proficiency in modern standard Arabic.

Teacher Mustafa Altahir graduated from Al-Azhar University of Egypt and attended The American University of Cairo for Translation (Arabic-English). He also attended Dar Almustafa, Tarim, Yemen and Darul Lughah in Indonesia.

The beginners' course is two months long, and a minimum of 10 students are required. Course fees are S$300 for 16 lessons, twice weekly. Books and course materials cost S$25*. It will cover:

- Use and understanding of common verbs in the present tense ✅
- Use and understand basic nouns such as family members, body parts and tools ✅
- Introduce themselves comfortably in Arabic ✅
- Share their daily activities in Arabic ✅
- Conduct casual conversations in Arabic, as opposed to formal reading and writing in formal Arabic ✅
- Greet and interact with guests with simple questions ✅
-Tell the time, days and be able to count ✅
- Construct basic sentences confidently ✅
- Tell a simple story ✅
- Describe objects and pictures ✅
- Recognise simple words and meanings found in the Quran ✅

Students are eligible for the beginners' level if they can recognise the different letters, sounds of the Arabic alphabet and read simple Arabic sentences.

Intermediate classes are two months long. Course fees are S$300 for 16 lessons, twice weekly. Books and course materials cost S$25*. The intermediate level will cover:

- Use and understanding of common verbs in the past tense, and their imperative forms ✅
- Use and understanding of basic nouns such as food, transportation and furniture ✅
- Sharing of experiences in travelling and favourite sporting activities ✅
- Sharing of daily activities in Arabic ✅
- Spoken Arabic (different from reading and writing in formal Arabic) ✅
- Tell the time, days and count ✅
- Construct more advanced sentences confidently ✅
- Converse in Arabic at restaurants, airport and hotels ✅
- Tell stories ✅
- Describe objects and pictures ✅
- Understand words and meanings found in the Quran ✅

At the intermediate level, students must already be able to introduce themselves in simple Arabic, and:

• Construct basic sentences using the present tense with pronouns such as أنا، نحن، أنت، هو، هي (I, we, you, he, she).
• Count to 100 in Arabic.
• Describe simple objects using tastes, colours, shapes and sizes.

Aspiring students must complete a simple written test before the class starts.

Advanced level students must first complete the intermediate level, and is scheduled after the intermediate level is completed, at the same venue. The advanced level course is one month long, and costs S$150 for nine lessons.

Interested?

Classes are held either in Tampines or Sembawang, at:
NTUC Income Building @Tampines Junction, next to Telepark building and opposite Tampines Hub.
#07-06

The Canberra Community Club, next to Sembawang Neighbourhood Police, 5 minutes' walk from Sembawang interchange 

The beginners' course will be held at

Tampines from 8 March, every Monday and Wednesday
6.30pm to 8.30pm (10-minute break for maghrib)

Tampines from 25 March, every Saturday
9.30am to 12pm (15 minutes' break)

Sembawang from 10 March, every Tuesday and Friday
6.30pm to 8.30pm (10-minute break for maghrib)

Intermediate classes will be held at

Tampines from 8 March, every Monday and Wednesday
8.30pm to 10.30pm (10-minute break included)

Sembawang from 14 March, every Tuesday and Friday
8.30pm to 10.30pm (10-minute break included)

Watch the promotional video

Register. There are discounts applicable for full-time students, registering with family members or friends, and early-bird registration.

Read reviews

*Course materials are from Darul Lughah wa Dakwah Institute in Indonesia. The textbooks are in Arabic and will be used until the Advanced course:
- AlMuhawarah Alhadisiah (Modern Arabic Conversation)
- Kalimaat Af 'aal Alyaumiyah (Daily Verbs)
- Kalimaaat Asmaa' Alyaumiyah (Daily Nouns)

INCEIF opens up part two of takaful MOOC

INCEIF has made part two of its Takaful massive open online course (MOOC) available.

Part 2 is about shari'ah principles and the practices underlying takaful, enabling students to determine forbidden elements as well as shari'ah compliance in the insurance business.

The course  instructor is INCEIF subject matter expert on takaful and risk management Ezamshah Ismail, who is also the Dean of School of Professional Studies at INCEIF. He was formerly the CEO of Hong Leong Tokio Marine Takaful and several industry-related institutions including Malaysian Institute of Insurance and the Financial Mediation (formerly known as Insurance Mediation) Bureau.

He holds a Masters degree in actuarial science from Northeastern University in the US and an LLM in business Law from the lnternational Islamic University Malaysia.

Interested?

Join the MOOC. It is self-paced, and free

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center receives two batches of student cultural guides

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE has hosted new batches of potential guides for the Ibn Elder and Junior Cultural Guide programmes, which were launched towards supporting and developing a qualified national workforce in the field of cultural guidance in the UAE.

The Ibn Elder programme provides the participants with an opportunity to work within its part-time scheme at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center upon passing a cultural guidance course. Participants carry out cultural tours in accordance with international cultural guidance quality standards that meet the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center's vision and objectives, and are trained by local national cultural guidance specialists affiliated to the Center. Training, over four weeks, covers conduct of cultural guides, information acquisition, discussions on frequently-asked questions and educational field trips to similar tourist and cultural destinations in the UAE.

The Junior Cultural Guide programme, held at the mosque's premises in Abu Dhabi will host 50 students between the ages of 11 and 15 till mid-August, over the summer break, in cooperation with both ADEC and Emirates Transport. It aims to highlight the profession of cultural guidance in the UAE, and the cultural and social role played by Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center.

A new theme to the Junior Cultural Guide programme this year is My lovely language, which coincides with the public reading initiative launched by HH Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. My lovely language will help the children to deliver the tours in precise Arabic. The children will be taught five new Arabic words a day and encourage to use them during their tours.

Another theme added to the programme is Community Service, and involves inviting guests with special needs to participate during the training sessions. This helps to highlight the importance of volunteering, introduces the services that are available at the mosque in this regard, and educates the children on the nuances of interacting with people with special needs.

Pakistan shares videos on preparing for Hajj

The Pakistan Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has released 22 videos informing Hajj pilgrims of what to expect for the trip. The videos, on Facebook, range from an introduction to Saudi Arabia to administrative procedures and what to pack for the pilgrimage.

Training sessions have been held for the pilgrims since May, and will continue till August.

Interested?

Visit the ministry's Facebook page and look for the entry of July 1, 2016. The videos can be viewed without a Facebook account, and are in Urdu.

Hashtags: #‎hajj‬, ‪#‎hajjtraining‬

HalalTalk offers training for halal audits, standards and management systems

HalalTalk's training schedule is available up till June 2016 in Dubai, UAE and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on its website.

The company, which was previously called AO Consultancy, offers the following courses:

Principles of Auditing (Operational)
This two-day programme covers the operational part of a halal audit, including how to perform a systematic audit while going through the principles of auditing, ethics, and audit activities. Participants should be familiar with shari'ah law and food science. 

Advanced Auditing (Operational)
This programme is for experienced auditors who wants to move into advanced auditing while promoting the concepts of halal and tayyib (طيب). As this course only covers the operational part of a halal audit, participants should be familiar with shari'ah law and food science.

Halal Food Laws & Standards
This one-day programme, open to all, covers policies and local regulations in different countries. This program is open to all.

Halal Management Systems
This course focuses on a systematic auditing tool first introduced in Singapore in 2007 which has since gained popularity in Southeast Asia, with the Islamic authorities in Singapore (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura or MUIS), Malaysia (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia or JAKIM), Indonesia (Majelis Ulama Indonesia or MUI) and Thailand (Central Islamic Committee of Thailand  CICOT) all using the technique when dealing with halal applications. This programme is open to all.

Internal System Auditing
This programme aims to equip a Halal Team Lead and/or Member in performing an internal halal system audit. This programme is open to all.

External System Auditing
Meant for Quality Controllers in a halal certification body and/or related organisations, this course covers third-party auditing, such as auditing by a halal accreditation body. Topics covered would include auditable filings, record keeping, and tracking audit findings.

The company's Principal Consultant and Global Halal Traininer is Azlan Oppier, whose bio online notes that he has been involved in governmental halal projects since 2007, with related work experience in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore among others. Oppier has audited abattoirs, food-processing factories, beverage processing plants, as well as international airports, the online bio said.

Interested?

Principles of Auditing (Operational) is 16 hours long and costs US$500. It will be held February 28 and 29 in the UAE and March 21 and 22 in Malaysia.

Advanced Auditing (Operational) is also 16 hours long and costs U$700. It will be held on March 6 and 7 in the UAE and April 1 and 2 in Malaysia.

Both Halal Food Laws & Standards and Halal Management Systems cost US$300 and run for eight hours each. Halal Food Laws & Standards is to be held on March 1 in the UAE and March 23 in Malaysia. Halal Management Systems is to be held on March 2 in the UAE and March 24 in Malaysia.

Internal System Auditing and External System Auditing are both eight hours long. Course fees are US$350 each. Internal System Auditing will be held March 3 in UAE and March 25 in Malaysia. External System Auditing will be taught on March 8 in the UAE and March 28 in Malaysia.

Email azlanoppier at gmail.com to register

E-modules available for seven IFSB standards

The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) has introduced the FIS E-Learning Portal in line with its efforts to facilitate the implementation of IFSB standards by member countries. The portal provides both IFSB members and non-member organisations with a learning and knowledge management suite to build awareness and understanding of IFSB standards.

Secretary-General of the IFSB Jaseem Ahmed said, "The development and introduction of an e-learning platform for the IFSB standards provides our diverse members, from 47 countries, with on-demand access to capacity development material for a wide range of standards.

“I am pleased to thank the Asian Development Bank for its provision of technical assistance support to establish the e-learning modules, and to the government of the Republic of Korea for the funding.”

A total of 14 e-modules have a collective seat time of 15 hours and cover seven IFSB standards:

IFSB-1: risk management
IFSB-6: governance for collective investment schemes
IFSB-10: sharī`ah governance system
IFSB-14: risk management for takāful
IFSB-15: revised capital adequacy
IFSB-16: revised supervisory review process and
IFSB-17: core principles for Islamic finance regulation

Interested?

The modules are available to both IFSB member and non-member organisations by subscription. As an extension of the IFSB membership benefits, a certain number of complimentary subscriptions are made available to organisations from the various categories of IFSB membership. Find out more about the FIS E-Learning Portal

Saudi Ministry of Health describes preparations for Hajj 2015

KSA's Assistant Deputy Minister of Health for Supportive Medical Services and Chairwoman of Supportive Medical Services Committee during Hajj (Nursing, Nutrition, Forensic Medicine and Pharmacy), Dr Munirah bint Hemdan Al-Osaimi, has revealed that more than 5,695 male and female nurses will serve in this year's Hajj season, 1436H, including 3,895 Saudis.

Dr Munirah stated during a press conference that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has reviewed and updated a Hajj guide and policies of nursing work procedures. Meetings for members of the nursing committee are scheduled with directors of nursing in KSA. The ministry has also completed the equipping of hospitals and manpower distribution. In addition, a field training has been conducted in preparation for emergencies.

Al-Osaimi said that, at the end of every Hajj season, the nursing and nutrition committees start preparations for the next season, through training of the manpower and distributing them as needed. She stated that the percentage of Saudi workers in the Hajj is on the increase from year to year, indicating that the selection of workers is based on the required efficiency and work experiences. She pointed out that the nursing committee will participate in transporting in-patient pilgrims and ensuring that convoys travel safely from the hospitals of Makkah and the Holy Sites* to Arafat to complete the stages of pilgrimage.

She explained that the Nutrition Committee secured the necessary equipment for the preparation of modern kitchens in health facilities in the Holy Sites, in line with the requirements of workflow, health conditions, safety and security. 

Contracts were concluded with companies specialised in the field of nutrition in hospitals to provide the best meals for workers and in-patients in the hospitals in Holy Sites, besides securing meals for eight sites of hospitals in the Holy Sites. This is in addition to securing meals for emergency field teams in the hospitals of the Holy Sites, and the direct supervision of the completion of nutrition work according to a specific plan set by nutrition specialists and technicians in the Ministry to be followed by contractors. It aims to ensure the application of the terms and conditions of contracts concerned with the provision of nutrition and follow-up on the nutrition of patients in health facilities in the Holy Sites. There are 132 nutrition specialists and technicians that have been nominated in accordance with the standards of specialised qualifications, competence and experience.

All workers responsible for preparing and serving meals have to pass a medical examination before starting work. They are also required to show a valid health certificate as per their work categories, in all the ten sites during the Hajj season.

In a separate announcement it was revealed that His Excellency the Minister of Health, Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, has completed an inspection tour through the health facilities of Madinah. Eng. Al-Falih visited Al-Safeyah Health Center, Al-Ansar Hospital and the health centre annexed to the airport.

Interested?

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about medical support at the Hajj
Read the Suroor Asia blog post about MOH's vaccination initiative

*More about the Holy Sites

More than 100 students participate in Dubai Islamic Bank's first Iktaseb summer training programme

Source: Dubai Islamic Bank.

Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the largest Islamic bank in the UAE, has inaugurated its annual Iktaseb summer training programme for young UAE nationals. The initiative is designed to train a new generation of banking professionals and support the country’s Emiratisation initiative by contributing to the development of the local community.

Iktaseb participants are introduced to the various concepts and principles surrounding shari'ah-compliant financial services, culminating in practical training in the day-to-day operations of a modern Islamic bank. Students completed two courses, Foundation and Principles of Islamic Finance which introduced them to the world of Islamic banking and finance, and Youth Empowerment, which focused on building self-motivation and accepting personal responsibility. 

Maryam Abdulla Ali, Manager-Talent Management, at Dubai Islamic Bank said: “DIB has always been a strong advocate of contributing to the local community by providing valuable training and practical work experience opportunities for UAE nationals. The Iktaseb programme is one component of our multi-faceted strategy that has been successful in creating a new generation of individuals interested in the Islamic banking industry. We are proud to continue training a new group of promising young students, as we look forward to building upon our extensive community engagement and enrichment efforts.”

In addition to gaining valuable insight and experience in the industry, graduates will receive a programme completion certificate and given priority in the bank’s future recruitment efforts. “Our programme provides these students the perfect platform to enhance their capabilities and launch a successful career in the industry,” noted Maryam.

Participating in the initiative for a second year running, AlAnoud Asaad Mohammad, said: “I would like to thank DIB for offering me the opportunity to receive this specialised training. A key challenge for any fresh university graduate is the practical skills and the theoretical knowledge required to start his/her career. Especially in today’s competitive market, a well-rounded education requires a good understanding of the basic skills currently demanded in the workplace. In this regard, the Iktaseb programme is an invaluable platform, as it will allow me to enhance my understanding of the Islamic banking industry, while increasing my knowledge of shari'ah-compliant products. Upon graduating, I look forward to an opportunity to join DIB and contribute to its ongoing growth.”

DIB has also created a range of comprehensive training programs across different levels of the bank. For the objective of engaging with the local job seekers, DIB has actively participated at the various career fairs across the country. 

First Islamic Finance and Muslim Lifestyle Sectors Convergence Training Programme launched

BIBF and DinarStandard have introduced the world’s First Islamic Finance and Muslim Lifestyle Sectors Convergence Training Programme. DinarStandard is a US-based growth strategy research and advisory firm with core experiences in halal economy sectors.

The burgeoning halal food and Muslim lifestyle sectors were estimated to be worth US$2 trillion in 2013, and are expected to reach US$2.47 trillion by 2018, based on the State of the Global Islamic Economy 2014 report, produced by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with DinarStandard. This represents a huge opportunity for Islamic finance, which has been for the most part untapped.

“Bahrain is well positioned to leverage its positioning as a regional financial hub with a well-developed banking sector and a growing Islamic finance industry to create an impact in the halal economy sectors; especially given that it has a well-diversified economy that does not heavily rely on the oil and gas sector. Finance, tourism and industrial manufacturing play a strong role in its economy. With growing competitiveness from the region, a key growth opportunity for its already robust Islamic finance sector, is the emerging global Halal economy space”, said BIBF Director Solveig Nicklos.

The Convergence of Halal Market Economy and Islamic Capital training course is a managerial level course tailored for Islamic finance and takaful executives and managers and lifestyle sector executives, managers and students. The course will give participants a summary of the halal market opportunity and focus on specific areas of financing/ takaful needs and gaps by the key halal economy sectors of food, pharma, personal care, travel and fashion. Specific focus will be on the halal food value chain opportunities. The course covers the six-core halal economy sectors beyond Islamic finance. These sectors covered include halal food, family tourism, clothing/fashion, media/recreation, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, and outlines their geographic and market potential profile.

The Convergence of Halal Market Economy and Islamic Capital course is scheduled for 7 and 8 June and will be held at BIBF premises.

Halal training goes online

Source: WHS website.

The third session of the Academics Forum, World Halal Summit (WHS) 2015, discussed the benefits of training online. Since the students do not have to be in a classroom, more students can be trained at one time, and from anywhere in the world.

"By investing in your human capital with training, you can improve your bottom line,” said Sameer Hassan, CEO of Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance, which provides online Islamic finance training from the UAE. Sameer also stressed that the courses need to be interactive and of high quality.

Zubair Moghal, Owner of the Halal Research Council, Al Huda CIBE of Pakistan has introduced a postgraduate programme that is delivered entirely online. “As the halal industry has very diversified topics, it took us two years to cover all the silos of the industry,” Zubair said. “But we must admit that halal training, be it online or offline, is definitely lacking behind Islamic banking. Only a handful of universities offer Masters level programmes, and these are mostly in Malaysia and Indonesia.”

The Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) offers traditional, online and blended learning. Professor Dr Faridah Hassan, Director, iHalal Management and Science, UiTM, stated that differing interpretations by madhabs (editor's note: schools of thought) could, for example, can be sensitive. “I would suggest for developers to develop modules for the region you are in. Once you go further, the content has to be generic enough to apply to everyone,” she said.

Register for the 2016 World Halal Summit here. 

Hashtag: #WHS

Australian Centre for Islamic Finance announces January Islamic finance course

The Australian Centre for Islamic Finance (AusCIF) is running four weeks of online classes about Islamic finance, with Q&A sessions from 21 January 2015.

Students spend four to six hours a week over four weeks on the class as they wish. There are live online classes every Wednesday and Thursday from 7 to 9pm AEST (Melbourne/Sydney time) with 12 months' access to all class recordings and lecture notes.

The course will provide practical training and opportunity to explore the key principles of Islamic finance, which AusCIF says is now a A$1.7 trillion-dollar global industry. The centre says those who want to understand more about the rules concerning wealth-related issues in Islam, Islamic banking and finance, are likely to benefit, including, but not limited to practitioners, professionals, lawyers, analysts, regulators, students and imams.

Almir Colan, Director of AusCif and an adviser to several institutions that provide Islamic finance and investment, will deliver the course. He was a consultant lecturer and board member for the Master of Islamic Banking and Finance Course at La Trobe University and a member of the Advisory Reference Group for the Bachelor of Accounting/Associate Degree of Accounting at NMIT. Most recently, he advised the Securities & Investments Institute Asia-Pacific in the area of sukuk and Islamic capital markets. Colan holds an MBA from Deakin University and a Master of Islamic banking and finance degree from La Trobe University. 

“The AusCIF course is spectacular; it provides the student with a concise yet holistic understanding of the vastly growing Islamic finance industry and its innovative shari'ah compliant products... what I mostly found intriguing was its practical approach on dealing with everyday transactions," said Sheikh Moustapha Sarakibi in a testimonial online.

The course is A$197, with an early bird discount of 25% if the registration is made with the using promotion code AUSCIF25 by 1 December 2014. More about a students' discount is available here.

Click here to register. 

*Images from the AusCIF website.

Moody's to conduct seminars on Islamic finance in Oman, UAE

Moody's is organising several seminars on Islamic finance from December 2014 to March 2015 in the Middle East. Islamic Finance: Risk Management is designed to help delegates understand the main risks involved with Islamic banks using recent developments in the industry. This two-day course is held in two locations, Oman and the UAE.

Location	Date	Price
Muscat	December 8 to 9, 2014	US$2,795
Dubai	March 15 to 16, 2015	US$2,795

Islamic Finance: Sukuk Theory and Practice discusses the need for an effective, structured approach to analyse and understand sukuk transactions. This two-day course in Dubai will help attendees assess different sukuk structures, compare those structures with conventional finance transactions, and review key provisions of sukuk documentation.

The course also includes an introduction to Moody’s methodology for rating sukuk issuances.

Location	Date	Price
Dubai	March 17 to 18, 2015	US$2,795

Islamic Finance: Contemporary Challenges & Masterclass events in Singapore, Malaysia

RHT Academy, RHTLaw Taylor Wessing, Taylor Wessing, and Azmi & Associates are co-organising two-day masterclasses on Islamic Finance in Singapore and Malaysia in March 2015. Both titled Islamic Finance: Contemporary Challenges & Masterclass, the Singapore event will be held on 26 and 27 March 2015 at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre while the Kuala Lumpur event is planned for 30 and 31 March at the JW Marriott, Kuala Lumpur.

The events are ideal for C-suites and business leaders as well as legal and compliance leaders, and will cover:

> Cross-border issues
> Conflict of schools of jurisprudence and how to address
> Varying regulatory approaches
> Islamic fund management
> Islamic private wealth
> Islamic insurance (takaful)
> Developing an Islamic Finance compliance framework

Speakers include Nizam Ismail, Partner in Banking & Finance and Corporate, RHTLaw Taylor Wessing and Director, RHT Compliance Solutions; Mohammad Ridzuan Abdul Aziz, Director, RHT Compliance Solutions; Sherroy Ong, Associate Director, RHT Compliance Solutions; Hamid Yunis, Partner, Head of Global Islamic Finance Practice (UK), Taylor Wessing; Habib Ullah, Partner, Head of Banking & Finance (Middle East), Taylor Wessing; Nada Jarnaz, Senior Associate, Taylor Wessing, and Ahmad Lutfi Abdull Mutalip, Partner, Azmi & Associates.

For more details, please contact Ms Raihan Roslan at +65 6381 6987 or email raihan.roslan@rhtlawtaylorwessing.com.

SGS courts food industry with halal awareness campaign

SGS, an inspection, verification, testing and certification company, is working in partnership with the Europe-based Halal Authority Board (HAB) to offer the food industry support for entering the global halal market. SGS’ halal audit, certification and training services are based on the HAB’s halal geographically neutral standard, the company said.

"Halal certification is not yet globally standardised but its need is internationally recognised," SGS said in a feature article dated October 8 on its website, pointing out that there are an estimated 122 certification bodies around the world. "Consumers have to largely rely on the seller and/or trust the information provided on the product label to guide their purchase."

The company noted that the global halal food and beverage trade is substantial, an an estimated US$1.4 trillion annually* (Farouk, 2013). It also quoted a 2012 estimate** that the global halal market is currently worth 16% of the entire global food industry and will soon account for 20% of the global food product trade in the near future with Asia accounting for 63% of the pie.

SGS has a presence in Asia Pacific and the Middle East, with individual office locations found here.

*Farouk, MM, 2013, Advances in the industrial production of halal and kosher red meat. Meat Science, 95, 805-820.

**Van der Spiegel, M, van der Fels-Klerx, HJ, Sterrenburg, P, van Ruth, SM, Scholtens-Toma, IMJ and Kok, EJ, 2012, Halal assurance in food supply chains: Verification of halal certificates using audits and laboratory analysis, Trends in Food Science & Technology, 27, 109-119.

IBFIM allows industry to trial Islamic finance e-learning platform

IBFIM launched its first online education platform, IBFIM Online, in April. Aimed at the Islamic finance industry, IBFIM Online offers students the flexibility to access training materials in their own time, place and pace.

Dato' Dr. Adnan Alias, IBFIM's Chief Executive Officer said during the launch: "As a start we will provide limited complimentary access to the industry to experience the system. If they feel the programme matches their desired requirements then they can have the option of subscribing fully on a personal basis or via their employers."