The Beijing Education Commission has issued a decree to completely remove "Halal" and "Hui" labels from school canteens, and to ban the use of any religious or ethnic elements.
• The Beijing Education Commission has issued a decree to completely remove "Halal" and "Hui" labels from school canteens and to ban the use of any religious or ethnic elements.
• This is not mere "secularization," as some might call it; rather, it is a blatant policy of assimilation (or, in Arabic, tahawwul).
• 1: It prevents minority groups from openly expressing their dietary culture and their way of life (sunnah).
• 2: It is a complete erasure of the term Halal (the Divinely permissible) from the canteens, dining tables, and the entire campus environment.
• 3: It compels our Hui Muslim students to lose their separate space for their religious diet (Tayyib and Halal) by forcing them into a "mixed dining" arrangement.
• Internal Document (or: Confidential).
• The Beijing Municipal Education Commission (BMEC).
• Notice on Carrying out an Inspection, Investigation, and Rectification of School Canteens Involving Ethnic and Religious Matters.
• To the Education Committees of all Districts, Yanshan Education Committee, Social Affairs Bureau of the Economic Development Zone, all Universities and Colleges, all Secondary Vocational Schools, and all Directly-Affiliated Schools:
• Recently, some isolated localities and schools across the country have faced issues regarding the management of on-campus dining for ethnic minority teachers and students who observe Halal dietary practices, leading to some public controversy and media attention.
• Based on the requirements of relevant directives, and in order to ensure sound ethnic and religious work in schools, proactively resolve potential risks related to ethnic and religious issues in the education sector, and prevent the over-generalization (or "abuse") of the Halal concept, we are hereby issuing this notice regarding the inspection and rectification of issues in Halal canteen management:
I. Manifestation of Issues
• First, connecting the Halal diet exclusively to a specific ethnicity and simply labeling canteens as "Hui Canteens."
• Second, failing to consider the actual proportion of students in the school, and instead either exclusively running a Halal canteen or solely providing Halal meals.
• Third, using inappropriate language in canteen publicity materials, bidding announcements, and other procedures, which highlights religious factors like Halal or "Hui ethnicity."
II. Scope of Inspection
• A comprehensive investigation is to be launched across all types and levels of schools throughout the city to ascertain the complete situation, leaving no blind spots.
III. Principles for Rectification of Identified Issues
• First, Respect for Customs. This means respecting the customs and traditions of ethnic minorities and fulfilling the normal meal requirements of ethnic minority teachers and students who observe the Halal diet.
• In schools where Hui (Muslim) and other ethnic minority teachers and students are relatively concentrated, we should not impose a one-size-fits-all approach by providing only Halal meals. Instead, we must diversify the meal options through multiple channels to satisfy the dining needs of all ethnic groups, and promote mixed dining.
• Second, Accurate Definition. We must define and manage Halal food from the perspective of ethnic minority customs, strictly limiting Halal food to only those items containing animal meat or its derivatives.
• This must not be defined by Islamic religious law (Shari'ah). Food items that do not contain meat, animal fats, or dairy ingredients are not allowed to be labeled with the term "Halal."
• Third, Halal dining must not be tied to a specific ethnicity, and canteens should not be simply named "Hui Canteen" or similar.
• Fourth, for any current labeling such as Halal (Hui) Canteen, Hui (Muslim) Meal Counter, Halal (Hui) Cooking Area, or any other signs bearing the terms Halal or Hui, and any Islamic symbols (Shu'ur Islamiya), the school canteens must be thoroughly purged of these religious markers. These can be adjusted to be named Local (Ethnic) Restaurant, Local (Ethnic) Flavor Counter, or similar.
IV. Work Requirements
• First, Pay Attention to Methods. The inspection and rectification work is quite sensitive, so during the process, we must focus on the methods used, adhere to a cautious and stable approach, ensure meticulous planning and comprehensive coordination. We must adopt the principle of 'Do More, Say Less,' and 'Act, Don't Talk,' to prevent public controversy.
• Second, Ensure Harmony and Stability. All districts must strengthen policy guidance for key schools, and all units must genuinely engage in ideological work with teachers, students, and parents. We must use the summer break to actively and prudently advance the rectification to ensure harmony and stability.
• Third, Strict Deadlines. All units are requested to report the inspection results and the corresponding rectification of any issues (see Appendices 1 and 2) to the Commission via email by July 18th.
• The email subject line must specify "** School Canteen Inspection" or "** District Canteen Inspection," to be sent to the email address [email protected]. All district education committees must compile the information by district and then submit it to the Commission.
• Contact Person: Chang Yong (Higher Education) 55530245
• Zou Xiang (Primary and Secondary Schools) 55530249
• Cao Tiange (Information Submission) 1811570681
• Appendix: 1. Inspection Report Form (Primary and Secondary Schools)
1. Inspection Report Form (Higher Education)
• Beijing Municipal Education Commission
• July 15, 2025
• This is not mere "secularization," as some might call it; rather, it is a blatant policy of assimilation (or, in Arabic, tahawwul).
• 1: It prevents minority groups from openly expressing their dietary culture and their way of life (sunnah).
• 2: It is a complete erasure of the term Halal (the Divinely permissible) from the canteens, dining tables, and the entire campus environment.
• 3: It compels our Hui Muslim students to lose their separate space for their religious diet (Tayyib and Halal) by forcing them into a "mixed dining" arrangement.
• Internal Document (or: Confidential).
• The Beijing Municipal Education Commission (BMEC).
• Notice on Carrying out an Inspection, Investigation, and Rectification of School Canteens Involving Ethnic and Religious Matters.
• To the Education Committees of all Districts, Yanshan Education Committee, Social Affairs Bureau of the Economic Development Zone, all Universities and Colleges, all Secondary Vocational Schools, and all Directly-Affiliated Schools:
• Recently, some isolated localities and schools across the country have faced issues regarding the management of on-campus dining for ethnic minority teachers and students who observe Halal dietary practices, leading to some public controversy and media attention.
• Based on the requirements of relevant directives, and in order to ensure sound ethnic and religious work in schools, proactively resolve potential risks related to ethnic and religious issues in the education sector, and prevent the over-generalization (or "abuse") of the Halal concept, we are hereby issuing this notice regarding the inspection and rectification of issues in Halal canteen management:
I. Manifestation of Issues
• First, connecting the Halal diet exclusively to a specific ethnicity and simply labeling canteens as "Hui Canteens."
• Second, failing to consider the actual proportion of students in the school, and instead either exclusively running a Halal canteen or solely providing Halal meals.
• Third, using inappropriate language in canteen publicity materials, bidding announcements, and other procedures, which highlights religious factors like Halal or "Hui ethnicity."
II. Scope of Inspection
• A comprehensive investigation is to be launched across all types and levels of schools throughout the city to ascertain the complete situation, leaving no blind spots.
III. Principles for Rectification of Identified Issues
• First, Respect for Customs. This means respecting the customs and traditions of ethnic minorities and fulfilling the normal meal requirements of ethnic minority teachers and students who observe the Halal diet.
• In schools where Hui (Muslim) and other ethnic minority teachers and students are relatively concentrated, we should not impose a one-size-fits-all approach by providing only Halal meals. Instead, we must diversify the meal options through multiple channels to satisfy the dining needs of all ethnic groups, and promote mixed dining.
• Second, Accurate Definition. We must define and manage Halal food from the perspective of ethnic minority customs, strictly limiting Halal food to only those items containing animal meat or its derivatives.
• This must not be defined by Islamic religious law (Shari'ah). Food items that do not contain meat, animal fats, or dairy ingredients are not allowed to be labeled with the term "Halal."
• Third, Halal dining must not be tied to a specific ethnicity, and canteens should not be simply named "Hui Canteen" or similar.
• Fourth, for any current labeling such as Halal (Hui) Canteen, Hui (Muslim) Meal Counter, Halal (Hui) Cooking Area, or any other signs bearing the terms Halal or Hui, and any Islamic symbols (Shu'ur Islamiya), the school canteens must be thoroughly purged of these religious markers. These can be adjusted to be named Local (Ethnic) Restaurant, Local (Ethnic) Flavor Counter, or similar.
IV. Work Requirements
• First, Pay Attention to Methods. The inspection and rectification work is quite sensitive, so during the process, we must focus on the methods used, adhere to a cautious and stable approach, ensure meticulous planning and comprehensive coordination. We must adopt the principle of 'Do More, Say Less,' and 'Act, Don't Talk,' to prevent public controversy.
• Second, Ensure Harmony and Stability. All districts must strengthen policy guidance for key schools, and all units must genuinely engage in ideological work with teachers, students, and parents. We must use the summer break to actively and prudently advance the rectification to ensure harmony and stability.
• Third, Strict Deadlines. All units are requested to report the inspection results and the corresponding rectification of any issues (see Appendices 1 and 2) to the Commission via email by July 18th.
• The email subject line must specify "** School Canteen Inspection" or "** District Canteen Inspection," to be sent to the email address [email protected]. All district education committees must compile the information by district and then submit it to the Commission.
• Contact Person: Chang Yong (Higher Education) 55530245
• Zou Xiang (Primary and Secondary Schools) 55530249
• Cao Tiange (Information Submission) 1811570681
• Appendix: 1. Inspection Report Form (Primary and Secondary Schools)
1. Inspection Report Form (Higher Education)
• Beijing Municipal Education Commission
• July 15, 2025
