NEWS (English)

High-school Students Create Halal Map

Halal Map
Halal Map

Rizwan Umme Hani, a daughter of Pakistan-born parents, grew up in Yokohama and now attends a girls-only high school in the metropolitan city. Along with another Muslim student in the same school, she is surrounded by friends and teachers who have sufficient knowledge about Muslims.

To help the dining out of Muslims

High-school Students Create Halal Map

“I decided to create a halal map for my school project. For my daily meals, I can eat whatever my mother makes for the family, but I thought it would be nice if we have a list of halal-compliant restaurants when we go out to eat.”

ハラルマップ発表の様子

“This photo was taken at the Sustainable Brand 2021 Yokohama where I gave a presentation. The program was held to give roughly 40 students selected from all over the country, or SB Student Ambassadors, an opportunity to learn about the most up-to-date insights about the sustainability initiatives, as well as to present to companies the new value proposition and what the society needs. Because there are a lot of people coming from abroad working and living in Yokohama, I have encountered many occasions where I was compelled to think about the sustainable international society. We decided to talk about Muslims who cannot eat pork and how difficult it is for them to find Muslim friendly restaurants, and started looking for halal restaurants in Yokohama that are serving food with ingredients that are compliant with the Islamic law. In addition, we gathered information about prayer rooms, hospitals where the staff can communicate in English, and tourist spots, put them on the map, and distributed it at the event. While this information is useful and can give people a sense of comfort, we also emphasized that this can be used as a tool for the hospitality industry to secure new customers.”

Different opinions formed the map

Students gathering to create the map
Students gathering to create the map

“It was fun to work with my friends. I understand it is not possible now, but I hope it will be useful when tourists start coming back. It will be great if I can one day start a website for Muslim tourists in English.”

A brilliant student born in the new millennium, Rizwan already has her eyes set for her part to contribute to the society. We will continue to support her future activities and when she starts the website, we will be sure to report on it.