TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH) under the Religious Affairs Ministry, Muhammad Aqil Irham, emphasized that the new halal certification label resembles the dome of mosques.

He made the statement in response to criticism voiced by a number of people who consider the purple logo to depict a Gunungan or mountain of Wayang (Javanese traditional shadow puppets) which tend to be Java-centric rather than representing the national archipelagic culture.

“I need to provide additional information that the Gunungan shape does not only represent wayang but also the dome of a mosque,” said Aqil when contacted on Tuesday, March 15.

Aqil asserted that the shape of domes of mosques in any country is similar, which is a pointed dome, such as those in Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern regions.

“Let's look at the domes of mosques in several mosques in this archipelago and in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia also has a dome shape like that, pyramidal, pointed upwards,” he explained.

Thus, Aqil argued that the new halal certification label which replaces the current label from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has an element of global or international Islamic characteristics. The new halal logo is mandated to be used in product packaging starting March 1, 2022.

Read: MUI Criticizes New Halal Certification Label Shape

ARRIJAL RACHMAN