In strict accordance: as L.A.'s Muslim population grows, family-run butcher shop helps satisfy growing demand for meat prepared according to the Islamlic law of halal. (Small Business).

MOHAMMAD Hussein's life changed over the course of a single month in 1999. The owner of a struggling convenience store in South Central L.A., Hussein, then 35, was robbed at gunpoint five times. "That was a very upsetting experience and I decided I just had to get out of there," he said.

It just so happened that one of the few butchers in L.A. who prepared meats according to the strict Islamic law of halal was moving his family to a community near Bakersfield, where he set up a halal slaughterhouse. The L.A. butcher shop was located on Vermont Avenue across the street from a mid-Wilshire-area mosque that guaranteed a captive customer base.

Hussein, who with his family immigrated to Los Angeles in the 1980s from Bangladesh, couldn't resist the opportunity. Two years ago he bought the store with some help from his father and his three brothers and named it Makkah Meat.

It's been an up-and-down venture, with revenues this year projected to be under the $365,000 generated in 2001. But Hussein is looking ahead--he wants a separate, sit-down halal restaurant, something he says is lacking in Los Angeles.

Earlier this year he opened a tandoori buffet at the front of his small store that has proven especially popular on Friday afternoons as worshippers come out of the nearby mosque after prayer service for a $6.95 all-you-can-eat lunch.

Motel worker Gage Khasru-Noman, who came to L.A. from Bangladesh, said he's been a customer for two years. "The food is very good--just like home," he said.

Much like meats prepared in accordance with the Jewish laws of kashrut, halal meats must come from animals slaughtered under the supervision of a cleric. They cannot come into contact with any animals or ingredients prohibited under Islamic law.

Since halal is an expensive and time-consuming process and the Muslin community is widely dispersed, few exclusively halal establishments have thrived. "There are many stores that sell both halal and non-halal meats, but you're never sure of which you're getting at those stores," Hussein said.

In L.A. and Orange counties, there are an estimated 50 to 60 halal stores, according to Sabiha Khan, spokeswoman for the Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. "If there's a mosque, there's probably a halal store within walking distance," Khan said.

Rise in demand

For the first year or so after purchasing the store, business grew modestly, thanks to increasing numbers of Muslims eager for halal meats. Gradually, Hussein began selling spices, breads, rice and other products designed to complement the meat.

To keep up with growing demand, Hussein relied on help from his three brothers and some cousins. "It became a real family operation," he said. One of those brothers, Zaman Kashruz, currently runs the business along with Hussein.

But then came Sept. 11.

Business plunged 50 percent as Muslims stayed home for fear of being targeted after the attacks. For the first time, Makkah Meat's proximity to a mosque was a hindrance because there was so much police activity on the block.

"The L.A. police were actually very nice and very understanding and nothing actually happened," Hussein said. "But the overall climate was just not good."

Hussein had to call his most frequent shoppers to let them know that it was OK to return to his store. "That won some customers back, but we're still not at the levels of customers we were before Sept. 11, and it's now almost a full year afterward," he said.

The buffet has helped Hussein's business get back on track, even drawing non-Muslim people in from the adjacent community seeking the tandoori food. But it only makes up a fourth of the store's roughly $360,000 in annual sales. The rest is in halal meats and related products.

One potential problem for Makkah Meat is its reliance on a single slaughterhouse near Bakersfield. Hussein is wary of other meat wholesalers, many of whom don't keep strict halal standards. There also has been a growing problem in the Muslim community of butchers and other distributors selling meats they claim to be prepared according to halal but in reality aren't.

Islamic organizations sought legislation in Sacramento making it a misdemeanor to sell meats or other products falsely represented as being halal. The legislation passed and was signed last month by Gov. Gray Davis at the mosque across the street from Makkah Meats.

"I attended that bill signing and am now more reassured that if I have to go elsewhere for my meat, it will be halal," Hussein said.

RELATED ARTICLE: PROFILE

Makkah Meat & Halal Tandoori Restaurant

Year Founded: 2000

Core Business: Retail sales of meat prepared according to Islamic halal ritual.

Revenues in 2001: $365,000

Revenues in 2002: $300,000 to $350,000 (projected)

Employees in 2001: 4 full-time; additional help from family

Employees in 2002: 4 full-time; additional help from family

Goals: To become premier seller of halal meats in Los Angeles; to open first sit-down restaurant in L.A. that serves meats prepared only according to halal.

Driving Forces: Growing Muslim community in L.A.; increased observance among local Muslims of halal laws.