Halal, Says the President
On 5 March President Nazarbayev addressed the republican agroindustrial complex meeting, and said among other things: “Kazakhstan needs to develop halal-industry. Kazakhstan still lacks of producing experience of halal meat for muslims, and there is no one company, producing halal under license.”
Well, it seems that either the President has decided to get even more in touch with his Muslim-self, or he is trying to reflect and answer to a general trend in the country with 47% of Muslims, according to the 1999 census.
A reminder from the past: By the mid-1990s, Nazarbayev had begun occasionally to refer to Allah in his speeches, but he had not permitted any of the Islamic festivals to become public holidays, as they had elsewhere in Central Asia.
Not until 2006, when, in the beginning of 2006, shortly after the presidential elections, Majilis declared the Muslim festival of Kurban Ait (Eid al-Adha), and the Russian Orthodox Christmas public holidays.
As Ben previously wrote on this blog, “The [Kazakhstani] government’s position on religion in general can be described as cautious, and one cannot see the same level of state-intrusion as in neighbouring Uzbekistan.”
I wonder if anyone in Kazakhstan, apart from Sourthen regions, actually prefers halal meat. “I’m sure the majority of population doesn’t have an idea about what the difference between Sunnis and Shias actually is”, Baktygul thought a while ago. Those people who own their own cattle do halal meat themselves, but hardly anyone would ask at the bazaar or in the shop, if the meat is halal or not. Or is it true that Kazakhs “have been long ago transformed into a faceless mass, without roots and soil, without names and a destiny”, as Auezkhan Kodar wrote?
Hm, if not the name, then the menu in this place run by Turkish company can change slightly in the near future:
on March 12th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
It’s not true that Kazakh doesn’t ask in market halal meat. There are several halal restaurants and cafe in Almaty. Also there is a special halal meat store. Many Kazakh students practicing Islam. On every Juma pray a lot of Muslims in the mosques. Nazarbayev said that we have potential to export halal foods to our neighbor country with Muslim majority. I think we should use this one.
on March 13th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I agree with brother Aqsat. Of course you will not find halal meat stands in the posh centre and in the elitnii doma quarters of Almaty. But I saw a couple around the Zelyonii bazaar and north of Raimbek and Gogol — ‘the other Almaty’ that the oil expats and local elite don’t (want to) see.
References to Islam and Islamic identity by the power elites was more common in the early ‘90s than after that, but this kind of remarks actually does not surprises me. Maybe it indicates that even part of the Soviet-shaped elites start to realise that Islam will, like it or not, unavoidably be part of Central Asia’s identity and society in the future.
BTW, Nazarabyev’s nephew and KGB man Kayrat Satibaldy (Kayrat Nazarbayev) seems to be on the issue:
http://www.islam.ru/pressclub/gost/nazarbaev/?print_page
Amother old cliché that no longers fits IMO is, that Islam in Kazakhstan is only st. that happens “in the Shymkent region”. Although this is still largely the case, there are certain dynamics going on in places and among people where you would not expect it, eg. some parts of Almaty and even Northern Kazakhstan.
“Or is it true that Kazakhs “have been long ago transformed into a faceless mass, without roots and soil, without names and a destiny”, as Auezkhan Kodar wrote?”
In a way, yes — it is true. And not only for the Kazakhs even though ex-nomadic people like Kazakhs-Kyrgyz seem to have been much more uprooted by Soviet colonialism than others. This is why Islam is one of the few realistic options to build a new identity, self-respect and a destiny instead of surrogate culture, pornocracy and a bad imitation of the West and the ‘new Russians’. The alternative is marginalisation.
on March 14th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Asqat, it’s true, I was writing from the point of view of a non-Muslim, and there is a majority in my surrounding. Someone who goes to mosque on Fridays would write a different article! Where are the halal restaurants and shops? I am curious.
on March 15th, 2007 at 9:49 am
The ones I saw were kiosk-style structures around the Zelyonii bazaar.
on April 26th, 2007 at 8:33 am
Hello, I am a muslim from morocco, i am in Almaty now and will stay here for 2 months. I need some information about mosques in Almaty and halal meat restaurants. I am very surprised to find no reference to halal meat in restaurant. please help me. Any contact will be also great
on October 27th, 2007 at 3:51 am
Halal standard basically ensures that food is clean and safe. Malaysian halal standard (MS 1500:2004) incorporates GMP (Good Management Practices), GHP (Good Hygienic Practices) for cleanliness and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) for safety. GMP, GHP & HACCP are world standards for cleanliness and safety. If you take halal food, you are protected from cronic deaseses such as cancers or food & mouth deaseases. Cleanliness and safety are part of Islamic traditions.
on December 9th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
I am a muslim from South Africa, like Adil, I will be in Kazakhstan for two months beginning in January 2008. I also need some information about mosques in Almaty/Astana and halal meat restaurants or butchers. I havent been able to find any references on the internet. Please help…..
on March 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am
i was in kazakhstan. halah meat is available in the hotels as well as in dthe restaurants. in almaty there are uzbek hotels and restaurants which serve uzbeks dishes. in the southern kazakhstan ,i taraz and shymkent halal is served to the satisfaction of the customers. it takes some time for a foreigner to adjust to the local food .
on April 1st, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I am an electrical engineer working in Kumkol PKKR resources. Its a remote site almost 160 km from Kzylorda. I don’t find halal meat. I work here for 28 days rotation and I prefer to eat only vegetable. I would advice all of you to avoid it unless you are sure that its halal.
on April 10th, 2008 at 11:43 am
i am working in the centre of central asian studies , university of kashmir, Srinager, India.I was in Kazakhstan in connection with my field study regarding my project.
There is wrong notion among the foreigners that Halal meat is not available in Kazkahstan. In Almatay there are UZbek restaurants where Hala meat is served in the shape of kebeb, pulao and other dishes.
Kazakhs are very conscious of their identity and roots . with the religious freedom they are trying to learn the tenants of Islam and try to follow them .
the people of western Kazakhstan are more aware of their reiligious duties and obligations.
The government should issue instructions to the concerned officials to make on the packing with printred HALAL with manufacturing date also.
for a foreigner especially of indian subcontinant a thing of surprise is that when they come to know that in the Kazakh markests along with beef, and sheep meat there is also horse meat. the horse is slaughtered in the Islamic way.
i would also like learn from anybody who has been to Kazakhstan about his travel, experience especioally regarding islam in post Soviet Kazakhstan, during his stay there.