Are We Heading in the Right Direction?
By Dr. Mohammad Abdullah
Mar/Apr 2024
The rising demand for beer labeled “non-alcoholic” is unsurprising, because apparently there is a market for it among those who want to reduce their intake. However, its rising demand in Muslim-majority Africa and the Middle East is surprising. According to an article in Impossible Brew, “though it is nearly impossible for non-alcoholic beer to make you intoxicated, the drink can be a powerful trigger, creating cravings that set up the circumstances for a relapse, and the risk is not worth sacrificing your sobriety over” (BRC Healthcare, Sept. 16, 2021). In Zero Point Beer, we read that “some people even report having a placebo effect of intoxication after drinking non-alcoholic beer, usually in an environment with others drinking too, and this can be strong enough to make someone feel like intoxicated” (https://zeropointbeer.com/articles/non-alcoholic-beer-makes-me-feel-drunk-why).
Observant Muslims are concerned about this rising demand and wonder if we are heading in the right direction.
What is Non-Alcoholic Beer?
Non-alcoholic beers have either had the alcohol removed or been brewed to contain less alcohol than the legal limit of 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). The processes used to produce them vary depending on the brand and their production method. However, generally speaking, non-alcoholic beer starts with the same ingredients and is brewed like regular beer. Then brewers use one of various processes to remove the alcohol. Yet some alcohol may be left in the beer.
Alcohol-free beers are some of the most popular drinks in this expanding category. More people than ever are giving them a try. However, people may not know that they may contain more alcohol than listed on the product label. One study of 45 beverages claiming to contain no/low alcohol content revealed that nearly 30% of them contained more alcohol than stated. Six beverages labeled 0.0% ABV contained alcohol at levels up to 1.8% ABV.
In addition, research has shown that drinking it can increase your blood alcohol level in certain instances and test positive for alcohol metabolites in the urine or breath. Therefore, labels of no/low alcohol should be taken with a grain of salt.
Nevertheless, some beer manufacturers view the social acceptance and rise of non-alcohol beer options as a positive shift that provides alternatives for many people. Some Muslims are concerned about the trend and don’t understand the need for it. They feel like the drinking culture is something they wouldn’t really want to participate in even if it were alcohol-free. However, halal-certified non-alcoholic beers’ rising demand in Muslim-majority regions is making inroads.
Why Alcohol is Forbidden in Islam
“They ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about intoxicants and gambling. Say, “There is great evil in both, as well as some benefit for people. But the evil outweighs the benefit” (2:219).
In verses revealed later, alcohol was forbidden completely to mitigate Makka’s then-prevalent drinking culture, “O believers. Intoxicants, gambling, idols and drawing lots for decisions are all evil of Satan’s handiwork. So, shun them so you may be successful. Satan’s plan is to stir up hostility and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling and to prevent you from remembering Allah and praying. Will you not then abstain?” (5:90-91).
Some argue in favor of liquor as “social drinkers,” claiming they have only one or two drinks, have self-control and never become intoxicated. Islam rejects such assertions because many alcoholics started as social drinkers. A small amount can lead to large amounts, until one becomes addicted. Alcohol is the root cause of several social problems. Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has said that: “Alcohol is the mother of all evils, and it is the most shameful of evils” (“Sunan Ibn-I-Majah” Vol.3, Book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith No. 3371). An article in the National Library of Medicine analyzing 113 fatwas issued by muftis illustrates how thoroughly this prohibition applies. It says that while all of the fatwas cite the Qur’an and Hadith, the muftis bring in rationales related to health, personal safety and better social relationships. This all-encompassing approach helps illustrate some of the social mechanisms that might be encouraging a life-long abstention.
While many religions have such injunctions, they vary considerably in terms of adherence and which social processes are involved. According to the National Alcohol Survey, about 80% of Muslims in the U.S. are life-long abstainers, one of the highest proportions of any religious group. Alcohol companies have probably noticed this untapped global market and are trying to get halal certification for their non-alcoholic beers.
Scientific Perspective
Many studies have proven that non-alcoholic beer contains around 0.5% alcohol. This is indeed a lower amount compared to the regular kind of beer, which contains 5% or higher. However, studies have shown that even this seemingly innocent amount can cause alcoholics to revert back to their addiction.
In January 2023, the WHO released a statement that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe when it comes to human health.” The NIH has also issued an advisory to medical staff, “Do not advise non-drinking patients to start drinking alcohol for their health. Past research overestimated benefits of moderate drinking, while current research points to added risks, such as for breast cancer, even with low levels of drinking.”
Despite non-alcoholic beers claiming to contain very low percentages of alcohol, experts don’t recommend allowing those under-age to consume it because it can increase the risk of addiction when they are older. It is heartening to see that in Malaysia, non-alcoholic beer carries visible disclaimer with clear signage indicating that the product is strictly for non-Muslims aged 21 and above.
Scientists now know that the human brain contains an inhibitory center that prevents people from doing things that are considered wrong. Consuming alcohol actually inhibits this inhibitory center. This is why intoxicated people often indulge in completely uncharacteristic behavior, such as using abusive language and not realizing their mistake even if addressing their parents. Cases of adultery, rape and incest are also found more often among alcoholics.
“Alcohol and the Brain: An Overview” published by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in 2022, states that alcohol makes it harder for the brain’s areas that control balance, memory, speech and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes.
One thing beer-drinkers like about drinking is that it gives them a reason to come together. Some people think that non-alcoholic beer, when available, can help them switch from alcoholic beer and still enjoy the company of others and enjoy beer’s taste without the negative health effects. However, it could have the opposite effect because while alcohol-free beer may not contain much alcohol, its packaging and the drink itself are almost indistinguishable from the alcoholic version. In addition, it often smells and taste like alcoholic drinks and can tempt a person to try real beer sooner or later.
Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Halal?
From the Islamic perspective, any amount of alcohol is haram: “Anything which intoxicates in a large quantity is prohibited even in a small quantity.” (“Sunan Ibn Majah” 3922, Book 30, Hadith 22 ) and “When you feel uncertain about something, whether it is halal or haram (mushbooh), avoid it”(Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 52, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1599).
Moreover, H. Hasanuddin (chair, Indonesian Council of Ulama’s Fatwa Commission for 2020-22), states that beer, even if it is claimed to be alcohol-free, cannot be declared halal because it uses a name that refers to a haram product.
Countries allow beers with up to 0.5% ABV be labeled “alcohol-free” because 0.5% ABV is well below the threshold for being considered alcoholic. Also, the country’s law allows it. As far as how some alcohol manufacturing companies are getting their beers certified as halal is concerned, there is no standardized halal standard and no regulatory entity with the power to actually enforce its authority to oversee the decades old halal certification system. Thus, it is a real challenge to maintain uniformity and consistency in the current system.
Moreover, improvements made at the individual level will become long-lasting only when adopted concurrently at the national and international level and enjoy the backing of a regulatory entity with enforcement authority. The current system is fragmented, unregulated and has no entity with enforcement authority.
Interestingly, consumers increasingly demand transparency, traceability and the upholding of Islamic law. Yet they don’t question or even try to find the name of the certification organization whose halal logo is on the product. Apparently all they want to see is a halal logo. These reasons demand that OIC fast track this issue and end this decades-long problem.
The Quran, the hadiths and fatwas clearly prohibit the consumption of alcohol. But even for the sake of argument, when looking at it through the eyes of science and taking a larger view of what we want our future generations to be, the negative effects of drinking non-alcoholic beers outweigh the positive ones. It’s clearly a red flag, one that we hope that halal certification organizations are paying attention to during their assessment process and before allowing their halal logo to appear on such products.
Dr. Mohammad Abdullah retired after serving 29 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the agency that regulates the meat industry. He is also the author of “A Closer Look at Halal Meat from Farm to Fork” (2016).
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