Does halal certification discriminate against other religious groups?

Now something that got quite a few of our listeners riled up last week was this issue of Christian consumers complaining over the so-called religious tax on halal certified products. Last week, we reported that the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) Commission has been flooded with letters from Christians complaining about the prevalence of halal certified food and beverages in well-known supermarkets. One of the groups we spoke to is the Christian Democratic Party who feels that the cost of halal certification is being passed on to all consumers and that this is an unfair and discriminatory practice. Of course, there were other claims that the halal industry makes R45 billion a year, some of which is spent on building mosques or paying for Islamic ‘clergy’. The CDP for one, feels this would amount to blatant discrimination against the Christian community as the same privileges are not afforded them.
Well that’s the question we asking tonight: Does halal certification discriminate against other religious groups?
Guests: Sheikh Thaafir Najaar - Islamic Council of South Africa (ICSA) director & Shaykh Achmat Sedick, director of the MJC halal trust