There is a great demand for Halal meat in Saint Louis. Unfortunastely given the lack of education, many products are sold claiming to be Halal while they are of dubious origin at best. This has created countless controversies over a matter that Islam considers black and white. Furthermore, this issue has had detrimental effects on the Muslim ummah in Saint Louis. The problem stems from not only misinformation on the side of vendors, but also a lack of education of the public. The words Halal and zabihah are thrown around, yet few understand the requirements of such. Although so many products are self-proclaimed “Halal,” very few fit the commandments of true Halal that are established in the Quran and Sunnah. Given the great importance Islam has placed on halal consumption, and the negative impact of consuming haram, a solution beyond self-labelling is desperately needed.

Issues such as mechanical slaughter, mislabeling “Halal”, and increased confusion has hurt Muslim businesses and consumers alike. STLHalal was founded in late 2010 to address this growing situation in the greater Saint Louis area. STLHalal continually works with scholars, vendors, restaurants, consumers and local community members to provide security and assurance for Halal products while lifting the burden of individual responsibility off of the consumers.

STL Halal is pending 501(c)(3), registered not-for-profit organization designed to serve the Muslim consumers and businesses in the greater Saint Louis area by bringing transparency to the Halal supply chain. We seek to certify those businesses whose foods conform to the Islamic regulations stated in the Quran and the Sunnah, working under the close supervision of contemporary traditional scholars.

We further aim to increase education and remove any misconceptions about what is Halal and Haram. We draw our academic resources from a diverse set of scholars ranging over 1400 years and thousands of miles to show what all scholars have unanimously agreed upon as a universal standard for halal. We extract our Academic Resources from the Quran, the statements of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the statements of the Sahaba (Companions), the Pious Predecessors (Salaf-us-Saliheen), the classical scholars (from the first 1300 years of Islamic scholarship), as well as today's contemporary scholars.

Our goal is to provide Muslims with security and peace of mind in choosing Halal eating options. Through our certification process, we hope to remove any doubts and suspicion placed on Muslim businesses and consumers, hence uniting the Muslims in the greater Saint Louis area.

We commit to follow that which Allah, Most High, has divinely decreed for Muslims to classify that which is permissible and impermissible. We aim to implement these principles in a standardized form and on an industry level, hence increasing the blessings, business, and consumption options of Muslims in Saint Louis. We seek to certify restaurants and vendors that follow the standards laid out by the Halal Food Standards Alliance of America, also known as HFSAA. This certification will be available on-site at stores and restaurants, as well as on our online listings.

STLHalal is a chapter of Halal Advocates of America.