Fadli Zon: Indonesia's New Halal Logo Appears To Hide 'Halal' Writing

New/intermediate Halal Logo

JAKARTA - The new halal logo released by the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) did not escape criticism from a member of the House of Representatives from the Gerindra faction, Fadli Zon. On social media, netizens are busy saying that the Halal Indonesia logo seems too imposing Java-centric because it is shaped like a puppet mountain. Meanwhile, according to Fadli, the new logo seems ethnocentric and hides the words 'halal'.

The chairman of the DPR BKSAP said the 'halal' writing in the halal logo should be clearly legible. He then alluded to other countries in the world that use calligraphy writing in logos.

"The word 'Halal' should be clearly legible (informative) and isn't there a rule in writing calligraphy? Therefore, the 'Halal' logo around the world remains clear in Arabic, with a green brand," he explained.

The Deputy Chairperson of Gerindra assessed that the old logo issued by MUI was much clearer and more reliable than the new logo issued by the Ministry of Religion. He reminded once again that the words 'halal' in the new logo were not clearly legible.

"The MUI guarantee is more reliable. The new design with the words 'halal' is not clear," explained Fadli. Previously, the Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the DPR from the Golkar faction, Ace Hasan Syadzily, emphasized that the issuance of the halal logo was a mandate from Law No. 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Product Guarantee. Where is the obligation of BPJPH to make a halal logo that is valid nationally. The question of the logo is interpreted or interpreted differently, according to Ace, of course it depends on the point of view of each person who evaluates it.

"For me, the most important thing is that the Arabic script contains the word "halal" and it is already contained in Arabic writing which means it," said Ace to reporters, Sunday, March 13. To the knowledge of the Golkar politician, the type of halal writing on the new logo in Arabic calligraphy is included in the category of khat kufi.

"The question of interpreting it depends on how we look at it. What is clear is that the creator of this logo has the aim of adapting the local wisdom of our nation's culture," he explained.

For people who are used to reading Arabic letters with various types, said Ace, of course it will be easy to read that it is an Arabic letter which means halal. But for those who are not used to reading Arabic, it must still be very foreign.

"Therefore, it needs to be disseminated to the wider community about the logo," concluded Ace.