Dr. Hüseyin Kami BÜYÜKÖZER
Producing halal medicines and medical products for society is an important duty of a Muslim. If Muslims want to be leaders in the pharmaceutical and medicine industry, they must fully utilize the resources of their country. At the same time, if they do not have the knowledge to develop halal medical products, they should seek ways to acquire this knowledge to become more competitive.
Türkiye has the potential to further develop its biotechnology industry. “We are one of the richest countries in terms of genes that can be used for various purposes. So if we do not do it ourselves, others may come and take some of what they can develop. So we should use the resources in this country. So we should support the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry because it is an important source of wealth for this country.”
Muslims are very careful about halal and haram issues, so if the industry can provide them with products that do not arouse suspicion, they should prefer these products. Many people may call this obligation fard kifayah, which is an act of worship or action that will benefit the community and society at large.
Muslims are also required to consume halal products provided by the industry. Muslims have the responsibility to make halal products available and produce them, and consumers in turn must support the sector by purchasing them. He may not yet have the full capacity to produce halal products, but if he considers himself competent in this regard, it is his responsibility to learn the knowledge. “Go learn and open a factory.”
In order for GIMDES’ halal standards to be accepted worldwide, we must explain that “the food or product is prepared in accordance with Islamic rules and very clean (tayyib)” when defining halal food. In this way, people will turn to halal products. This is the same as Islamic banking, where banks lend money in a Muslim way. Non-Muslims have no problem accepting this. In fact, many non-Muslims are also supporters of Islamic banking.
The issue of halal and haram is not important for non-Muslims. Because it is only a concern for Muslim customers. Therefore, if halal products are produced, it benefits the producer because non-Muslims do not lose markets, but also gain the trust of the Muslim market.
There are a few companies in Türkiye that successfully produce and market halal pharmaceutical products. But they are definitely not enough.
