Artificial Intelligence in Halal Tourism Certification: Opportunities, Ethical Tensions, and Governance Frameworks for Muslim-Majority Destinations — A Systematic Literature Review (2023–2026)

Abstract

The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and halal certification has emerged as one of the most consequential and contested technological developments in the global Islamic economy. While AI promises transformative efficiencies — automated compliance monitoring, predictive anomaly detection, blockchain-integrated traceability, and personalized Muslim traveler guidance — its deployment in halal tourism certification contexts simultaneously generates profound ethical tensions rooted in Islamic jurisprudential principles. This systematic literature review (SLR) examines peer-reviewed scholarship published between 2023 and 2026, identifying 34 publications through a PRISMA 2020-guided search of Scopus, Web of Science, and specialized Islamic studies databases. Five thematic clusters structure the analysis: (1) AI applications in halal certification and tourism service delivery; (2) the Islamic ethical framework for evaluating AI governance — operationalized through Maqasid al-Shariah, Tawhid, Amanah, and Hifdh al-'Ird; (3) algorithmic bias and data sovereignty tensions in Muslim-majority destination contexts; (4) institutional governance architectures — Malaysia's JAKIM-AI initiative, Indonesia's BPJPH digital certification, and emerging OIC-level harmonization frameworks; and (5) the regulatory fragmentation challenge across Muslim-majority jurisdictions. A critical synthesis reveals that AI-halal tourism certification faces a structural trilemma: efficiency gains from automation, integrity requirements of Islamic jurisprudence, and inclusivity obligations toward diverse Muslim communities cannot be simultaneously maximized under current technological and governance architectures. The review proposes an Islamic AI Certification Governance Framework (IACGF) as a normative and operational model for responsible AI deployment in Muslim-majority halal tourism destinations, grounded in the principle that AI in this domain must serve maslahah (public benefit) without compromising 'adalah (justice) or hifdh al-'ird (privacy protection).

Keywords: artificial intelligence; halal certification; Islamic tourism; Maqasid al-Shariah; AI ethics; algorithmic bias; data privacy; JAKIM; BPJPH; governance framework; Muslim-majority destinations; halal tourism technology