Claim: The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) and International Qura’nic Studies Association (IQSA) have revoked the halal certifications of McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Starbucks.
Fact: The claim that the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) and International Qura’nic Studies Association (IQSA) have revoked the halal certifications of McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Starbucks is a recurring hoax. This claim has been circulating as early as 2013 and has since been debunked by the MJC in South Africa, JAKIM in Malaysia, and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Each of these organisations confirmed that the fast food chains still held valid halal certifications in their respective countries.
Soch Fact Check received a viral WhatsApp message containing a video, accompanied by a message in Urdu that read, “ بریکنگ نیوز:-
پورے پاکستان میں شئیر کریں، ہر فرد کم از کم ایک گروپ میں ضرور شئیر کریں، یہ بھی جدوجہد کا حصہ اور ایمان کا تقاضا ہے
یہ سچی خبر ہے سوشل میڈیا کمپین نہیں ھے”
[Translated from Urdu: Breaking News :-
Share all over Pakistan, everyone must share at least in one group, this is also a part of the struggle and a requirement of faith.
This is real news, not a social media campaign]
The video (archive) claimed that the Muslim Judicial Council and IQSA have revoked the halal certifications of several fast food chains. According to the video, an investigation by the kitchen staff at a restaurant in Florida found strong evidence that LM10 pork ingredients are present in McDonald’s products. It further claimed that McDonald’s officials confirmed all ingredients in their frozen chutney sauces are acquired from the American government. Based on these findings, the video directs Muslim consumers to avoid these brands entirely.
This message was marked “Forwarded many times” indicating that it was shared widely over the past few weeks.
What are MJC and IQSA?
The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) is a non-profit organisation or what it calls a “Muslim Judiciary” based in South Africa. According to their official website, the organisation’s main functions “relate to religious guidance, education, Fatawa, Da’wah, Halaal certification and Social Development (especially marriage counseling).” Muslim Judicial Council Halaal Trust is a subsidiary of the MJC that was established in 1945. “It formally adopted its legal status in 1986 as a legal ḥalāl authority, namely: the MJC Halaal Trust (MJCHT), to endorse and certify ḥalāl products and consumables for the Muslims of South Africa and beyond its borders.” The organisation’s halal product logo is currently legally registered with the South African authorities.
The International Qur’anic Studies Association (IQSA) is a network of scholars of the Quran that is based in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 2012 as a consultation leading to an independent learned society for scholars of the Qur’an from institutions around the world. IQSA advocates for Qur’anic studies “in higher education and in the public square”. It envisions an interdisciplinary approach to Quranic studies involving specialists in literature, history, archaeology, palaeography, and religious studies, and invites both academic and public engagement with the subject.
Fact or Fiction?
To investigate the claim, we conducted an online search using the key terms ‘Muslim Judicial Council’, ‘IQSA’, ‘KFC’, ‘Mc Donalds’, ‘Pizza Hut’, ‘Domino’s’, and ‘Starbucks’, and found reports debunking the message as early as September 2016.
IOL, a South Africa-based platform for news, current affairs and content, published an article, headlined “McDonald’s halaal warning a hoax”, about a WhatsApp message that alleged McDonald’s is no longer halal-certified. Sourced from The Daily Voice, “a Cape tabloid newspaper”, the article stated that the messages, purportedly sent by an individual called “Yusuf Essa”, had claimed that the MJC and the IQSA revoked McDonald’s halal certification due to the presence of a pork-based ingredient called LM10 in mayonnaise imported from the US. The MJCHT, however, quickly dismissed this as a “malicious hoax,” reassuring the public that all McDonald’s locations in South Africa have been certified halal since 2008, with rigorous compliance to halal standards, the article added. The MJC Halaal Trust also clarified to the publication that it does not certify any McDonald’s beyond the borders of South Africa.
In 2021, the same message went viral in Indonesia. In response to this, the Halal Majelis Ulama Indonesia, which is the halal certification authority under the Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia or MUI), clarified that the issue applies to restaurants in America and South Africa, not in Indonesia. According to the statement, audits in Indonesia had confirmed no pork was found, and these chains continued to hold MUI halal certification:
“McDonald’s: Halal Certificate ID00410000002031019
KFC: Halal Certificate ID00420000185770121
Domino’s Pizza: Halal Certificate ID00420000187430621
Pizza Hut: Halal Certificate ID00410000275770621”
In January 2024, an article in Sinar Daily, a Malaysian news publication, also addressed the claim that halal certificates of fast food establishments were revoked when the rumour began circulating on social media in Malaysia. According to the article, JAKIM’s Halal Management Division clarified concerns regarding the ingredient “LM10,” which allegedly contained pork fat, and was found in products from McDonald’s, Starbucks, KFC, and Pizza Hut. They confirmed that all these establishments in Malaysia still held valid Malaysian Halal Certification (SPHM). The publication quoted a statement by JAKIM which emphasised that halal-certified premises in Malaysia adhere to stringent standards, and noted that halal compliance can vary between countries. The statement was intended to address public concerns following viral news about the withdrawal of halal certificates in the US, the article added.
According to a recent fact check published by AFP in June, the MJCHT informed the news agency that it did not revoke the chains’ halal certification and it “is not responsible for certification in the US”.
For further investigation, we scoured Pakistan Halal Authority’s (PHA) website to verify whether such a development had taken place locally. However, we did not find any recent statements regarding the revocation of halal certification for KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s.
An official from the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) confirmed to Soch Fact Check that they have not received any notification regarding the revocation of halal certification for these brands. They also clarified that halal certification oversight falls under the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA), and not the SFA.
Virality
The WhatsApp message we received was labelled “‘forwarded many times’” indicating that the message has gone significantly viral in Pakistan.
The claim was shared here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook.
It was also shared here, here, here, here, here, and here on X. Archived here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The claim that McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Starbucks have had their halal certification revoked by the Muslim Judicial Council and IQSA is false. It has been circulating since 2013 and has since been debunked by multiple halal certification bodies, including those in South Africa, Indonesia, and Malaysia. According to several news outlets, these organisations confirmed that the aforementioned fast food chains retained valid halal certification within their jurisdictions. Additionally, Pakistan’s Halal Authority has not officially announced revoking the halal certificates of KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s in the country.
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Background image in cover photo: Wikimedia
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