While the Quran provides a detailed and, for some, infallible source of information about the origins of Islam, the Sunnah provides an account based on the application of the principles established in the Qur'an through the lived experience of the prophet Mohammed, as recorded in the Hadiths.
The Muslim population in the UK is very diverse, thought the vast majority have roots in South Asia, particularly Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
The population has increased rapidly over the last decade; between 2004 and 2008 it was reported to have grown by more than 500,000 to around 2.4 million, a growth rate ten times faster than the rest of society.
[12][13] As the UK's oldest and largest certification body, the HFA has been at the centre of much of the recent debate and controversy created by market expansion.
[14] Prior to this, many Muslims considered meat sold in mainstream retail outlets to be produced by people of the Book and therefore suitable for consumption.
[17] Research participants suggested that calls for better certification have also intensified during this period, and much like the UK this trend is reflected in the marketing strategies of French supermarket and fast food chains.
[21] The majority of Norway's 72,000 Muslims live in the capital city Oslo; most are of Pakistani origin, though immigration from Somalia has recently increased.
While the Jewish population still import kosher meat to bypass this stringent regulation, collaboration between the Muslim community and the Norwegian food authorities has facilitated an ongoing process of halal standardization that has been beneficial for everyone concerned.
[21] Unlike the EU countries discussed above, the grocery sector in Norway is horizontally rather than vertically integrated, with manufacturers and farmer's cooperatives rather than retailers dominating.
As the latter was not interested in dialogue, this was a difficult task and it took over two years to convince Norway's Imams that Alfathi halal was trustworthy.
Eventually a small number of Imams travelled to Nortura's abattoir to observe production procedures and soon afterwards a method of slaughter acceptable to all parties was agreed.
Dialogue has continued over recent years, primarily over the introduction of halal chicken into the Norwegian market, though there are worries that the encroachment of the European market and the emergence of a more mixed Muslim population — adhering to different schools of thought — will undermine the country's high animal welfare standards and challenge the halal consensus.