Halal Easter Bunnies?

Happy Islamic Easter

Halal refers to food that is considered "pure" by Islamic standards, so when I first heard about halal Easter bunnies, I figured somebody was pulling my leg . . . off. I checked the internet and found this image at a site with the humorous name "Sheik Yer'Mami," but the image is obviously digitally altered, so I was about to conclude that this all a joke -- except that I noticed other sites with similar assertions, minus the image, however. I therefore went to the source, Cadbury, and discovered that these "Dairy Milk" Easter Bunnies are halal:

Seasonal (Easter and Christmas)
Cadbury Dairy Milk Seasonal and Novelty products

Okay, this is kind of funny, but what's the big deal, I wondered. Well, Sydney Morning Herald columnist Paul Sheehan is suspicious:

Cadbury will sell a mountain of chocolates this Easter, as it does every Easter. It has been careful to make sure that its products are certified as halal, even though it is not necessary. Hundreds of companies in Australia do the same. Halal certification has become a big business.

A big business is one that involves a lot of money, so the Muslim authorities who certify halal products must be doing well. My guess is that Cadbury simply wants all of its chocolate products certified to ensure that its products will sell in the Muslim world, which is an enormous market even if no pious Muslim is interested in purchasing Easter bunnies, so I can't fault Cadbury for considering its business interests.

But Sheehan reports that some people think more is at stake, so take a look at his report . . .