Daily Times

There are eight billion people on this planet, of whom two billion are Muslims. Muslims are the majority in 50 countries. Approximately 90 per cent of the population in 30 countries is Muslim, and Islam is the state religion in 20 countries.

Therefore, Muslims represent a global community with their histories, ethnicities, cultures, languages, foods, and ways of life. Islam, however, unites them all and creates the Muslim Ummah (Muslim World). By faith, Muslims are obligated to use halal products and services and follow a halal lifestyle.

Providing halal products and services to all Muslims and passing down a halal lifestyle from generation to generation is the responsibility of Muslim muftis, leaders, entrepreneurs, industrialists, academics, scientists, researchers, technologists, writers, journalists, scholars and thinkers.

The use of digital technology, business channels, online communication, and electronic trade requires Muslims, especially millennials, to compete continuously with Western society in the modern world. Living a halal lifestyle and attracting halal products are huge challenges for Muslim millennials. The reason for this is not just because it is an obligation for Muslims, but because it is the most beneficial way of life for everyone on this planet.

The generation after the baby boomers (early 1960s to late 1970s) appears aimless according to the technological trail. GEN X is an informal term used to describe them.

Living a halal lifestyle and attracting halal products are huge challenges for Muslim millennials.

The following generation was born in the 1980s to 1990s, mostly children of baby boomers, who were viewed as more technologically savvy. They are referred to as Generation Y or GEN Y.

Millennials – people born between 1981 and 1996 – were followed by Generation Z, or GEN Z. These are people born between 1997 to 2012. Satellite TV, mobile phones, and digital networking became part of GEN Z’s lifestyle.

Following Generation Z, the most recent generation born in the 20s is Generation Alpha. B They can access the digital world at their fingertips by using mobile phones. While there are some regulatory watchdogs, they can access Halal and Haram content. In addition to being able to purchase consumables and non-consumables online, they have access to all kinds of content regardless of their age, gender, or religious beliefs (halal or haram).

In today’s borderless digital world, Islamic media content, focusing on Islamic culture, values, and a halal lifestyle, has grown exponentially. The business model is seeing a shift from high-budget production houses to the emergence of independent content creators thanks to platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok.

Nonetheless, the million-dollar question is what Muslim Millennials (educated, tech-savvy, and modern) will bring to Muslim society as role models for the Halal lifestyle.

Through the innovations of modern digital technology, technologists have transformed the world of marketing, media, and entertainment. These modern tools of businesses must motivate and empower Muslim Millennials to drive Halal Products and Services for the Ummah.

In today’s modern world, Halal media and entertainment connect and entertain the new generation of Muslims on a deeper level. There needs to be more innovative security checks on prohibited content and to make sure that whatever is being marketed as halal is genuinely halal.

The Muslim millennial generation must make sure their marketing strategy utilises modern technology and addresses viable future challenges to market Halal goods and services in today’s modern technological world.

Keeping up with the environment, supply chain, sustainability, and other ethical issues in the halal industry is crucial in today’s modern world.

To promote Halal Products & Services and the Islamic lifestyle according to Islamic codes of conduct, Muslim scholars, muftis, journalists, writers, anchors, and presenters must work with the modern generation of Muslims.

In Australia, I have found websites that display halal products without displaying any certification from the halal authentic certification body. Websites like these can mislead Muslims in non-Muslim countries who want to use halal products and services.

Since these products are easily available to view and purchase through a growing number of e-commerce businesses internationally, GEN Alpha, a new generation of millennials, is not protected from haram or prohibited items in the context of Islamic codes of conduct or Shariah.

Different online sites offer halal food items, medicine, educational materials, fashion, cosmetics, perfume, lifestyle products, and travel & tourism services. Have these products and materials been halal certified by an internationally recognized halal regulatory body before being displayed for trading online? This is again a crucial matter of today.

Hence, it is necessary to raise awareness among the modern Muslim generation about the promotion of true Islamic websites for halal products and services. This is especially true of those displaying certification logos and contact details.

Many sellers of Islamic products and services claim their products and services are halal certified through Facebook or online certifications. This is a very serious issue, especially for Muslim Millennials and Generation Alpha. This is a critical issue for the Islamic Ummah today.

Online Islamic products offered by large companies are particularly attractive to Generation Alpha, but their halal authenticity is still debatable.

American, European, and Chinese companies sell Islamic products online. The most common products are prayer mats, Islamic hats, bandanas, clothing, abayas, turbans, scarves, burqas, jewellery, cosmetics, perfumes, children’s games, Islamic books, and materials.

Etsy, an e-commerce company based in the United States, sells craft supplies and handmade goods. Jewellery, bags, clothing, home décor, furniture, toys, art supplies, and tools are among their products.

(To be Continued)

The writer is a Sydney-based journalist and columnist and can be reached at shassan @tribune-intl.com.