Assalamu Alaikum,

The IFANCA family endured another sad day on July 8 with the news of the passing away of Br. Ali (Allen) Hamood. I have known Br. Hamood for nearly 35 years, as we met in Chicago in 1980 to create a halal awareness group. He became one of the founders of IFANCA and served on the Board until his passing from this world.

With his training in commerce and experience in the meat industry, he was intimately familiar with the practices in the commercial beef industry. He recognized the difficulty Muslims had in finding quality halal meat and wanted to do something about it through creating awareness among Muslims and those in the meat industry. We joined together with the other founders to establish IFANCA with the goal of educating halal consumers on the suitability of commercial products and ingredients. Br. Hamood’s industry experience and knowledge, combined with the food science and religious scholarship other founders had, gave the group all the elements needed for a competent organization. Besides myself and Mr. Hamood, other notable founders were, Dr. Ahmad Hussain Sakr, Mr. Mahmood Ali Baig, Rashid Ahmad Chaudary, Syed Hassan Anwar, and others.

With his knowledge of the meat processing industry, he helped devise a halal inspection and certification program, in use even today. Before working with IFANCA, Br. Hamood had established a business to produce and market halal meat products. His vision was to make halal meat products readily available to the marketplace. After several successful years in the meat business, he turned his attention to establishing a successful baking company, producing lawash bread products. Throughout his life Br. Hamood had been a trusted friend who was always available and who shared his knowledge and advice with anyone who wanted to establish a halal business. Farewell, Dear Friend. Your friendship and wisdom will never be forgotten. May you enjoy the fruits of your efforts in the highest levels of Paradise!

Sincerely,

Muhammad Munir Chaudry, president