Indonesia's MUI Warns Against Buying US Goods Lacking Halal Clarity

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A senior cleric at Indonesia’s top Islamic authority has urged consumers to avoid purchasing United States (US) products that lack halal certification, stressing that compliance with Indonesia’s halal law is mandatory for all goods sold in the country.

Asrorun Ni’am Sholeh, chair of the fatwa division at the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), called on the public not to consume products whose halal status is unclear.

“Avoid consuming food products that are not halal and whose halal status is uncertain, including non-compliant products from the United States,” Ni’am said in a written statement on Sunday, February 22, 2026.

He said every country is obliged to ensure that products entering, circulating, or being sold in Indonesia are halal-certified in accordance with national law. This requirement, he stressed, applies universally and is non-negotiable.

“Our laws on halal product assurance clearly state that every product entering, circulating, and/or traded within Indonesian territory must be halal-certified,” he said.

Indonesia’s halal certification framework is governed by Law No. 33 of 2014 on Halal Product Assurance, which mandates certification for a wide range of consumer goods. Ni’am said the regulation reflects the state’s responsibility to protect citizens’ constitutional right to practice their religion.

He added that under Islamic commercial jurisprudence, or fiqh muamalah, trade is judged not by who the trading partner is, but by whether the rules are followed. Indonesia, he said, should conduct trade based on mutual respect and benefit, free from political pressure from any country.

Ni’am also noted that he has visited several US states to explore cooperation with halal certification bodies and observed that halal systems are recognized there.

“If America speaks about human rights, then halal certification is part of respecting and acknowledging one of the most fundamental rights, namely religious freedom,” he said.

He emphasized that consuming halal products is a religious obligation for Muslims and cannot be compromised.

“This cannot be negotiated or exchanged for economic considerations. Even if a product is cheap or given for free, if it is not halal, it should not be consumed,” Ni’am said.

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