LOCAL NEWS

@ Halal | September-October. 2026

GLOBAL ISLAMIC LEADER: Malaysia continues to strengthen its standing across key sectors of the Islamic economy.

This year, the allocation for Islamic affairs has risen from RM1.5 billion in 2023 to RM2.6 billion, signalling the MADANI Government’ s unwavering commitment to the sector’ s growth.

Minister in the Prime Minister’ s Department( Religious Affairs), Dr Zulkifli Hasan, said the higher allocation underscores the government’ s commitment to advancing Islamic affairs in Malaysia.

Malaysia demonstrates its strength in several areas. The nation’ s haj management has been recognised as the best in the world for five consecutive years, while its halal industry consistently ranks at the top globally.

According to Zulkifli, Malaysia’ s Islamic banking sector has also remained the world’ s leading Islamic banking market for the past decade.

Speaking at the MADANI Kita Programme( PM) 2026 at the Lembah Pantai Community Centre, he emphasised the government’ s ongoing efforts to develop the Islamic affairs agenda within the nation’ s legal framework.

He also highlighted the importance of respecting diversity and differences within Malaysian society.

The MADANI Kita Programme, which is an initiative by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia( JAKIM) and other agencies under the Religious Affairs portfolio, is designed to bring government services closer to communities.

Rather than focusing solely on information-sharing, the programme offers opportunities for public engagement and access to services such as advice, health screenings, education, training, and career development.

This increased funding arrives as Malaysia continues to bolster its halal, haj management, and Islamic banking sectors, while maintaining an approach to Islamic affairs that operates within the nation’ s legal framework and embraces social diversity.

UNIVERSITI Malaysia Perlis( UniMAP) seeks to collaborate with Vietnam in halal technology, with a particular focus on halal certification processes.

Raja Muda of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail, who also serves as UniMAP Chancellor, said that the university’ s research expertise creates strong opportunities for practical partnerships with Vietnam, especially in halal technology, standards, and industry development.

He highlighted that UniMAP previously conducted a working visit to the Osaka Halal Centre in Japan, where discussions centred on opportunities for students to participate in industrial training and gain firsthand exposure to halal operations.

“ Based on the experience in Japan, it is hoped that similar expertise-sharing can also be implemented here( Vietnam),” he said during a courtesy call by Vietnam

Halal Certification Authority( HAL- CERT) director Ramlan Osman.

The Japan programme, initiated by UniMAP’ s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Prof Ir Ts Dr Shahriman Abu Bakar, and his team, involved students from business management and the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, including those studying food technology.

This experience could serve as a foundation for similar knowledgesharing initiatives in Vietnam, particularly as both countries explore practical opportunities within the halal sector.

Ramlan said HALCERT could help bridge cooperation between Malaysia and Vietnam on halal technology, standards, and industry development.

He explained that HALCERT operates under Vietnam’ s Ministry of Science and Technology and that its team refers to the procedures of the Department of Islamic

HALAL, REDEFINED: Research and technology open new possibilities for halal certification and industry growth.

Development Malaysia( JAKIM) when determining halal criteria for products.

Ramlan also emphasised the importance of halal logistics in maintaining integrity across the supply chain, stressing that halal requirements must be observed from logistics through to the dining table.

Potential areas of cooperation include halal certification and processing, value-added agricultural products, padi technology, aquaculture, and innovations in cold storage and logistics.-