Muslims regard Halal champagne as misguided

By Ferry Biedermann, TheNational.ae

After the Halal burger and Halal foie gras became a hit with Muslims living in western countries, it is now the turn of champagne – or something vaguely like it – to try.

Trumpeted by its manufacturer as one more way that Muslims can integrate into European society, especially during the holiday season, the drink has been widely derided as a misguided and ultimately demeaning attempt to imitate non-Muslim habits.

JAKIM would never approve such drinks. Even root beer can't be Halal certified, what more Halal champagne.

“I do hear that,” said Rashid Gacem, one of the partners in Night Orient, which is being marketed as a halal-certified, zero per cent alcohol “festive drink”.

At a tasting in a suburban shopping mall on a snowy Paris afternoon, he passionately disagreed with his critics: “Muslims in Europe wear western clothes, buy western products and have western friends. What makes our halal drink different from that”?

Orient Drinks SPRL, the Belgian manufacturer of Night Orient, is using the Christmas and New Year holiday season for a promotional push for the first time after being launched in 2009. It is also targeting Arab and Muslim countries, including the UAE.

Standing next to a stack of champagne look-alike bottles, with shiny foil tops and gold and blue labels, Mr Gacem and his wife, Nadia, tried to interest Parisian pre-Christmas shoppers in a sip. It showed the difficulty of steering a course between the glamour of champagne and the non-alcoholic safety of fruit juice.

In March, Night Orient was the recipient of the first European halal certificate issued by the Brussels Chamber of Commerce. But when it comes to an imitation champagne, many Muslim shoppers reacted with disbelief to the halal claim.

“What? Champagne without alcohol? That cannot be,” said one Muslim woman in her 20s who refused to give her name. On tasting it after being reassured she pulled a face. “Bitter,” was her judgment. Mrs Gacem was unfazed. “Mix it with cassis and you’ll have a kir royal, very chic and much sweeter,” she said.

According to Mr Gacem, many Muslims feel pressured to drink something festive on occasions that are traditionally marked with champagne in France, such as “weddings, births or New Year”. Rather than being singled out by drinking water or fruit juice, they could now fully participate with their non-Muslim friends and colleagues, he said.

Read the rest here: ‘Halal champagne’ falls a little flat by TheNational.ae