SINGAPORE, Feb 3 — For Muslims, it is acceptable to consume lab-grown meat if the cells come from a halal animal and the final raw material contains no non-halal ingredients. It will soon be permitted, meaning it will be Halal.
Singapore’s Mufti Dr Naziruddin Mohd Nasir said the decision was an example of how fatwa research must evolve to keep pace with modern technology and social change.
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He was speaking yesterday to launch a two-day conference on fatwas in modern society.
In Islam, a fatwa is a religious code to guide the Muslim community on various aspects of religious life and is a formal interpretation of Islamic law by a qualified religious scholar known as a mufti.
Islamic Affairs Minister Masagos Zulkifli told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting that the issue of lab-grown meat has been studied by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) since 2022, and the fatwa has been issued on the issue. Regarding this, he said: A decision by Muis is expected to be made “soon.”
“We can be one of the first countries in the world to actually lead in this field, not only in producing cultured meat, but in ensuring that the meat consumed by Muslims is halal,” he said. added.
Further details regarding this decision will be announced on the final day of the conference on Saturday.
Dr. Naziruddin and Dr. Masagos attended the event held at the Park Royal, Beach Road Hotel, where approximately 400 guests, including international religious leaders, ambassadors, and local religious and community leaders, attended the event. attended. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat also attended.
Dr. Naziruddin, in his speech to open the conference, said religious authorities should be allowed to adjust their rulings in response to technological developments and social changes.
“Rather than harboring exclusivist views that limit who and what we cooperate with, we strive for an Islam that seeks to preserve and protect all human life and ensure all forms of well-being. We can certainly strive to do so,” said a top Singaporean Islamic leader.
One such development is the development of alternative food sources. Singapore is the first country in the world to approve the sale of artificial meat.
Dr. Naziruddin said that while some argue that there is no need for such food sources and that the Muslim community should continue to enjoy “real” food such as real meat, Mui’s fatwa committee said He said that he had carefully considered whether or not the meat would be used. Consumption by Muslims is permitted.
Until now, there has been no Islamic ruling here on whether Muslims can consume meat grown in a lab.
Dr. Naziruddin said the committee he chairs visited a laboratory that grows meat in bioreactors. He acknowledged that “there are many new things to learn from the technology itself.”
“These are originally animal cells, but we are dealing with something fundamentally different in nature. So how does Islamic jurisprudence deal with something that seems familiar but is fundamentally different?” “Should I?” he said.
“When do we need to apply established principles and rules? When do we need to think anew?”
He said one option is to play it safe and leave it to future generations to deal with the problem, but doing so risks creating a bigger crisis down the line.
“The committee has determined that it is permissible to consume meat grown in a laboratory where the cells are halal or of Islamic permissible animal origin and where the final raw materials do not contain non-halal ingredients. “It has been decided that it is Halal,” he added. .
Artificial intelligence for fatwa research
Dr. Naziruddin also said that the Muslim community needs to grapple with new issues: the role of artificial intelligence (AI).
For example, generative AI such as ChatGPT can help facilitate fatwa research and dissemination efforts in an “inclusive and responsible” manner.
“There are many possibilities, but there are also minefields. The onus is on us to understand how AI can enhance our work. I’m not suggesting that… it’s part of who we are.” We still need our work for now. ”
He noted that research is underway on how to design and train large-scale linguistic AI models to consider the Singapore fatwa and its methodology.
“By doing this, generative AI can help us identify important aspects and aspects of new questions and issues that we want to address… We might want AI to issue fatwas. Instead, we want the AI to tell us the fatwas: the areas (we) need to respond to and discuss when considering a particular question.
“This will minimize the gap when issuing fatwas.”
To this end, his team at the Mufti’s office has embarked on an AI project with Google, with support from Smart Nation Singapore, the Singapore government’s initiative to create solutions using technology. .
The conference, the first in 2017, will continue on Saturday with further discussions on lab-grown meat, AI, finance, medical technology and more. – today