In my opinion, the whole halaal gelatine issue is a sad reflection of how divided we are as Muslims. At the moment, there are 3 major Halaal "authorities" in South Africa, SANHA, MJC and NIHT.
SANHA approves only gelatine derived from Halaal animals as Halaal, while the other two certify gelatine derived from haraam animals as halaal. The reason given by MJC is that the gelatine undergoes significant change from its original state (bones) to make it irreversible.
My opinion is that this reason is dodgy and I seem to be in the minority on this one.
I have one question that no one at MJC / NIHT seem to have been asked. Why don't they then certify gelatine derived from Pigs as halaal? Surely it undergoes the same process? Is there a difference between consuming a haraam cow and a pig? The hadith used to justify "significantly metamorphosed animals" mentions a donkey that dissolved into a salt-pan. Would NIHT/MJC certify gelatine derived from donkies halaal? (ok, that was more than one question)
Sounds dodgey to me.
