Kufic Script Adopted By Indonesia's New Halal Logo Explained

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The halal logo that was just introduced by the Ministry of Religious Affairs created quite the controversy as many argue that the Arabic calligraphy is much more difficult to read compared to the previous halal logo issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

The widespread protest could be caused by the adoption of the Kufic script (khat kufi) in the new logo, which is one of the oldest Arabic scripts. 

Citing the online library of Unikom (Indonesia Computer University) elibrary.unikom.ac.id, Kufic is one of the world’s oldest calligraphy that paved the way for the evolution of calligraphies. The name was adopted from the city where Kufic was born in Iraq. 

The city of Kufic is one of the cities of the caliphate in addition to Baghdad, Damascus, and Medina, which developed rapidly to become a pioneer of other calligraphy arts.

Compared to other types of scripts, Kufic has its own distinct uniqueness. The hallmark of Kufic is in the method of writing Arabic letters. While other calligraphers often use curved lines to write Arabic letters, Kufic is written dominated by straight and stiff forms. 

Citing asc.ukm.ac.id, the key to the beauty of Kufic scripts are tamatsul and tanadzur. The former is a method of making calligraphy through balance on opposing sides while tanadzur is a technique to make the balance face each other.

Apart from being used as a writing method in calligraphy and the latest Indonesian halal logo, the Kufic script was also used to write the holy verses of the Qur'an during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the caliphate.

Read: BPJPH Claims Halal Certification Label Resembling Mosque's Dome

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