.halal Pre-Register Domain - .halal Domain Information

There are hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide, practicing their faith in a huge variety of different ways. They are a disparate group, yet they are united through their core beliefs. They are a group whose origins are found some 1400 years in the past, their ethnicity often inextricably linked with their faith. Hitherto, however, there has been no way to easily unify them and their common appreciation of Islam. The .HALAL gTLD will change this.
As Halal is one of the concepts of the Islam religion, the .HALAL gTLD is the perfect way to easily and simply tie together online the peoples of various nations connected religiously to the Muslim community which was first established more that 1400 years ago.
The .HALAL gTLD will be a community application with open to those who embrace the concept and requirements of Halal.
Islam is the monotheistic religion articulated by the Qurʹan, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: ‎ Allāh ), and by the teachning and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of Hadith) of Muhammad, considered by them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.
The majority of Muslims are Sunni, being 75-90% of all Muslims. The second largest sect, Shia, makes up 10-20%. About 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, 25% in South Asia, 20% in the Middle East, 2% in Central Asia, 4% in the remaining South East Asian countries, and 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sizable communities are also found in China, Russia, and parts of Europe. With over 1.5 billion followers or over 22% of earthʹs population, Islam is the second-largest and one of the fastest-growing religions in the world.
Halal (Arabic: حلال‎ ḥalāl, ʺlawfulʺ) is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law.
The terms Halal is also applied to many other facets of life; and one of the most common uses of these term is in reference to meat products, food contact materials, and pharmaceuticals. In Islam there are many things that must clearly be defined as halal.
The concept of Halal has slowly become accepted as a consumer lifestyle choice encompassing not only religious practices and food, but also finance, non-food products and logistics. Halal provides a set of laws and guiding principles, and separates out those animals that are prohibited (‘haram') and permitted (‘Halal'). As well as outlining methods of slaughtering, Halal prohibits consuming blood or blood products and intoxicants (e.g. alcohol) etc.The common understanding of Halal is still limited to religious needs and only applicable to Muslims. It is considered a given in Turkey and the Middle East, although consumers in this region generally do not place much importance on specific Halal branding, certification or country of origin.
A robust gTLD has the power to bring together Muslims across national borders in a free-flowing exchange of information and commerce. There is not a .COM or .ORG equivalent of .HALAL--a domain that has universal appeal across a common religion.
Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. (AGITSys) was founded in (as is headquartered in) Turkey (an Islamic nation that straddles Europe and the Middle East) by Muslim people with great affinity with their religion, which manifests itself in both pride and honor. Because of this, and their devotion to creating a quality online space for the Muslim faithful amongst others, AGITSys' founders have gathered together a highly experienced team with a variety of Internet-based expertise, a daunting but critical task. The team behind AGITSys has taken a leading role in working toward dedicated Muslim domain names for more than 8 years. No entity is better suited to manage the .HALAL gTLD, nor more dedicated to providing new online tools and services to facilitate the unification of the .HALAL community online. The .HALAL gTLD will increasingly open up the vast resources of the Internet and the interconnectedness it brings to the Muslims community, while stimulating the introduction of more information and resources among Muslims online. The .HALAL gTLD is designed to accommodate a global community, and AGITSysʹ team's work with ICANN has always looked not just to serving Muslim people but all users of the internet - thus serving Muslims and those interested in the Muslim faith all around the world - whilst simultaneously achieving ICANN's goal of creating greater competition in the gTLD space.

The benefits of the .HALAL gTLD will be manifold, not just to registrants but also to tens of millions of Muslim internet users, as well as many others with an interest in or curiosity regarding Islam. The presence of a Muslim-specific gTLD will increase the volume of online Islamic resources, as the emergence of .HALAL second-level domains sees a network effect kick in. This network effect will create an additional incentive for the digitization of existing Islamic materials, so as to facilitate their posting online as the demand for such material grows.
Consequently, the new .HALAL gTLD will also increase access to online resources as the tens of millions of people that read Islamic and Islam-related materials are able, for the first time, to find the material they seek within the sites operating under the .HALAL gTLD. Existing website registrants will be able to extend their presence to that audience with new .HALAL sites, while new registrants will emerge from those Muslim populations brought together by the .HALAL gTLD, adding to the value of the Internet in ways not currently possible.
As the global population expands, more people become willing Internet users and seek out second-level domains. The .HALAL gTLD is flexible, and is thus capable of being used for sites focused on ecommerce, information dissemination, charitable endeavors and many more functions among Muslims. A transformation in competition is anticipated for web sites within .HALAL, to depart from conventional methods of attracting new customers in this expanding market. This is because it will encourage competitors, targeting the extensive and diverse collection of global Islamic Internet users. This incentive doesnʹt currently exist in an online space devoid of the .HALAL gTLD, where competition amongst the already saturated existing TLDs is stagnant.
In terms of goals in the areas of specialty, service levels, and reputation for the proposed .HALAL gTLD, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. (AGITSys) is committed to offering choice in top level domain extensions among the Islamic community. AGITSys recognizes many new gTLDs will naturally have a relatively narrow appeal and audience. The .HALAL gTLD is different, as it not only targets a distinct online community, but one that spans the globe. AGITSys is prepared to utilize its home market of Turkey as a leading source of registrants and sites, while incorporating the power of the web to connect with myriad other registrants and Internet users beyond Turkey. Further, we intend to adopt and follow the highest standards in registry operations exceeding service levels and expectations thus producing a consistent reputation.
AGITSys has been at the forefront of the ICANN community effort in working to bring the Global Muslim community together through a dedicated gTLD, as well as bringing Muslims in to the larger online community. No organization has a greater understanding both of the opportunities a .HALAL gTLD will afford as well as the challenges that its adoption and spread will bring. AGITSys is prepared to ensure the success of .HALAL, such that it is a shining example of ICANNʹs wisdom in granting the gTLD.
The company is committed to bringing top-level domain registration services to registrants. To this end, AGITSys has contracted CoCCA Registry Services (NZ) Limited ("CoCCA") to provide hosted Registry Services for the .HALAL gTLD. CoCCA has over nine years experience authoring open source registry software systems and providing TLD registry support services. CoCCA was originally incorporated in Australia in 2003 as CoCCA Registry Services Limited, in January 2009 CoCCA re-located to New Zealand and trades as CoCCA Registry Services (NZ) Limited. CoCCA is a privately held NZ company.
CoCCA's clients are managers of county code top level domains (ccTLDs) as of 31 March 2012, 33 national country code top level domains ("ccTLDs") are have selected CoCCA's SRS technology or services to manage their critical infrastructure. Several other ccTLDs have committed to migration to CoCCA's "pamoja" EPP Shared Registry System ("SRS") in 2012 pending the outcome of re-delegations.
CoCCA's pamoja SRS is the most widely deployed, field-tested SRS in use today. CoCCA's SRS is a mature product that has grown organically over the past decade as new standards have been developed and published. It is doubtful any other Registry Services provider has accumulated CoCCA's level of experience operating multiple small to medium sized TLDs efficiently and securely.
AGITSys' team is also well-known in the ICANN community as a selfless champion of the interests of Muslims around the world, including communities tied to the Islamic heritage. We also have a long history of advising the Turkish internet industry. Our reputation is solid, and we have every incentive to maintain that reputation as we roll out the .HALAL gTLD.
Under the shepherding of AGITSys, the .HALAL gTLD will increase competition, provide more online differentiation for customers and consumers, while driving digital innovation. The addition of the .HALAL gTLD will create new competition for names within the domain name space. Not only will the offering of .HALAL domains create competition within content providers for users of Islamic content, but it is expected that competition will be enhanced among the varying service providers that users require to deploy said content.
As it is rolled out, the .HALAL gTLD will rapidly develop as the gTLD of choice among Muslims in all countries. The demand for Islamic content from this group isn't and wonʹt be satisfied by .COM or .ORG offerings within the current gTLDs and in fact has hampered collaboration and innovation. The Islamic people demand content that is tailored to their own unique needs and wants, under the umbrella of a dedicated gTLD. As stated in 18(a) above, as Islamic-content sites increasingly seek to differentiate themselves to consumers, and registrants seek to differentiate themselves to acquirers of second-level domains, the power to differentiate will come from innovative approaches to customer service and the creation of a trusted online environment.
It is AGITSys' mission that competition and differentiation of the .HALAL gTLD will be coupled with a user experience online that is reliable and predictable. To make this as likely as possible, AGITSys will work both with existing registrars seeking to reach new audiences, as well as new registrars that may emerge from within the global Muslim community, thereby supporting ICANNʹs mission to create more capacity in developing countries. AGITSys feels it can foster more competition at the registrar level by offering assistance and encouragement to new registrars in this way. We also believe that this should and will be coupled with a positive experience for Internet users. Indeed, this is critical to the success of the .HALAL gTLD. By working with the right registrars (who maintain the right, stringent) standards for adoption and use by their own customers, AGITSys can reach its goal of having the .HALAL gTLD become synonymous with a safe and trusted online experience.
As a part of this, since the .HALAL gTLD is community based and designed to serve those of Muslim faith, as well as to protect its good name, AGITSys intends to limit second-level domain registrations to those of Muslim faith, or those with a clear interest in serving the Muslim community and faith beneficially. Such a designation is almost impossible to police, because faith is a highly personal thing requiring no proof beyond belief, and to restrict, for example, registrations to those geographically located in predominantly Muslim nations would alienate the myriad Muslims in other nations. Thus, these limitations will mostly be self-imposed, with registrants agreeing themselves that they are either of Muslim faith, or have a clear interest in ameliorating the community. Equally, AGITSys will not tolerate radical content, nor will it tolerate content that criticizes Islam and the Muslim faith. Immediate and severe action will be taken against registrants promulgating either, and a black list will be created in an attempt to pre-empt any such attempts. Once content is registered, the community will be to an extent self-policing, with facilities to report abusive, irrelevant or anti-Muslim registrations available on the Registry website.
Because of its dedication to the Muslim community and the .HALAL gTLD which is intended to serve it, AGITSys will implement protection measures for registrations to ensure an abuse free environment whilst maintaining choice. This will be accomplished with Registration safeguards, wildcard alerts, name selection polices, all governed by an Acceptable Use Policy and post registration protections via Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy and Uniform Rapid Suspension. More details on these policies can be found in answer to Questions 28 and 29.
The privacy offered will be total, within the rules and procedures provided by ICANN. These policies will be transparent and rigorous, modeled after successful policies implemented by currently delegated TLDs and accompanied by vigilant processes and technologies to prevent unauthorized access to information. This is a manifestation of the larger goal of the .HALAL gTLD, that of a trusted source of safe online transactions, as stipulated in 18(a).
Privacy and security will be key elements of our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). The AUP will govern how a registrant may use its registered name, with a specific focus on protecting Internet users. AUP language would specifically address privacy by prohibiting a registrant from using a domain for any activity that violates the privacy or publicity rights of another person or entity, or breaches any duty of confidentiality owed to any other person or entity. The AUP also would prohibit spam or other unsolicited bulk email, or computer or network hacking or cracking, as well as the installation of any viruses, worms, bugs, Trojan horses or other code, files or programs designed to, or capable of, disrupting, damaging or limiting the functionality of any software or hardware. We would maintain complete enforcement rights over the use of the domain name. Should a registrant find itself in breach of the AUP, we would reserve the right to revoke, suspend, terminate, cancel or otherwise modify their rights to the domain name.
In terms of community outreach by the .HALAL gTLD, it is expected that the momentum around .HALAL will build quickly, given the pent-up demand that has been building for years within the ranks of the Muslim faithful and associated community. AGITSys, as its champion in gTLD discussions, knows full well how popular this service will be.
As more sites offer information, services, and opportunities for interconnection to the .HALAL community as a whole, more members of the community will navigate to those sites. Many of those will provide their own content, and their activity there will spark further growth of second-level .HALAL domains. At some point, Islamic information and service providers currently not offering sites, will see the demand for .HALAL-related content and will migrate their offerings to .HALAL sites as well, furthering the offerings to the community and further driving community members to .HALAL sites. The future benefits of interlinking this diverse and global community are incalculable but immense.
Augmenting this, AGITSys is also active in the business community within Turkey and Middle Eastern countries and interconnected across the spectrum of the Muslim community due to its promotional efforts with ICANN and elsewhere. It will leverage that network to spread the word of the .HALAL gTLD in order to promote adoption. The best steps AGITSys can take to ensure the gTLDʹs adoption and growth, however, are to ensure a system encouraging robust, safe and dynamic second-level domain sites. At that point, the word will spread through the network effect.

Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. (AGITSys) will endeavor to the utmost in order to minimize the social costs to registrants of a .HALAL second-level domain, not least because AGITSys has every incentive to encourage the adoption and growth of the .HALAL domain. AGITSys has chosen to adopt CoCCA's tested acceptable use based policy matrix, recommendations for minimizing harm in TLDs, and subject the TLD to the CoCCA Complaint Resolution Service ("CRS").
The CoCCA Best practice policy matrix has been developed over a decade and has currently been adopted by 16 TLDs. It was developed for (and by) ccTLDs managers that desired to operate an efficient standards-based SRS system complemented by a policy environment that addressed a registrants use of a string as well as the more traditional gTLD emphasis rights to string.
A key element of CoCCA's policy matrix is that it provides for registry-level suspensions where there is evidence of AUP violations. The TLD will join other TLDs that utilize the CoCCA's single-desk CRS. The CRS provides a framework for the public, law enforcement, regulatory bodies and intellectual property owners to swiftly address concerns regarding the use of domains, and the COCCA network. The AUP can be used to address concerns regarding a domain or any other resource record that appears in the zone.
The CRS procedure provides an effective alternative to the court system while allowing for Complaints against domains to be handled in a way treats each complaint in a fair and equal manor and allows for all affected parties to present evidence and arguments in a constructive forum.
AGITSys is also currently developing procedures for competition resolution regarding multiple registrations for the same second-level domain in addition to offering the required Sunrise offerings through general availability. AGITSys will model these procedures after the techniques and approaches that have succeeded best to date. The history of .COM will be of interest here, because .HALAL should grow quickly and face demand as high among the Muslim community as .COM has in the English-language online community.
In terms of cost, benefits, and incentives to registrants of the Islamic community, AGITSys will offer fair and competitive pricing campaigns for tens of millions of people, introducing them to the wonders of the Internet and the Muslim faith therein. Competitive pricing and/or discounts will be used and adjusted accordingly to ensure the right incentive matches the phase of operation and business goals. AGITSys' business plan increases our confidence in offerings that will encourage growing adoption of the .HALAL gTLD.
Each year, AGITSys will review its financial goals versus actual performance of registry operations. Output from the analysis will include the consideration of pricing versus demand for registrations. As with any for-profit entity, adequate cash flow and predictable revenue streams are essential to successful operations. As such, AGITSys may adjust pricing of domain registrations to align with evolving business goals. Adjustments can include not only price increases, but perhaps price decreases, but only current market analysis will dictate change. Therefore, AGITSys will document in the Registrant Agreement domain price change procedures and how they can be expect to learn about changes through our communications platform. In the end, serving the Islamic community through Internet technologies remains our first priority.

The word "HALAL": HALAL is one of the most fundamental concepts of the Islam religion. Halal (Arabic: حلال‎ ḥalāl, ʺlawfulʺ) is used to designate any object or an action which is permissible under to Islamic law. The term halal is therefore applied to many facets of Muslim life; one of the most common being in reference to meat products, food contact materials, and pharmaceuticals. The halal concept has slowly become accepted as a consumer lifestyle choice encompassing not only religious practices and food, but also finance, non-food products and logistics and this is a trend has gathered significant momentum recently. However, the common understanding of halal is still limited to religious needs and only applicable to Muslims. It is considered a given in Turkey and the Middle East, although consumers in this region generally do not place much importance on specific halal branding, certification or country of origin. The HALAL industry service providers Community: Halal industry service providers are the community that the .Halal gTLD is designated for. The Halal industry service providers' community consists of all those who do engage in: 1. Research, Development, Monitoring and Certifying of Halal materials, 2. Production of Halal Materials 3. Distribution of Halal Materials 4. Sales and Marketing of Halal Materials This will consist of a huge amount of industry role players which basically serve the 1.2 Billion Muslim population in the word, but the community's services is not just limited to Muslims, rather many non-Muslims nowadays who has accepted the halal concept as a healthy life style. Considering this, we can estimate the size of the community, and also the wide distribution of the community in the world. Since wherever a Muslim lives, there is a place for the Halal service providers to be active. It means that the Halal community is spread all over the world, and itʹs not necessary to describe that the community remains forever. Now, in the globalization age, the development of Halal standards sponsoring by standing monitoring centers in all aspects of life is a must, so that all products would be presented by special brands to guarantee the consumersʹ tranquility of mind at the global level especially in non-Islamic Countries. This certification brings an identity to the members of the Halal community as described later. The Halal Food Industry Halal Food industry can be named as the most important portion of the Halal service providers' community. In Muslim countries, the food industry is almost 100 percent based on the Halal food preparation methods, but Halal foods are becoming more and more popular even in non-Islamic countries every day. In South Africa most chicken products have a halal stamp. The South African National Halal Authority issues halal-approved certificates and products bearing this is logo range from meat to water, snacks, and even other meat free products (which may ordinarily contain non-halal ingredients). The South African National Halal Authority (SANHA) also licenses the usage of the Halal logo in restaurants where the food is halal and no alcohol or pork products can be served. Similar movements in the US, UK, China, Malaysia, Singapore and many other non-Muslim majority countries are equally, or ever better, established. One of the first halal food companies in the USA is Midamar Corporation, established in 1974. It is also one of the first companies in the USA to sell USDA approved and Halal certified US protein products to the Middle East and South East Asia. The Certification Agency Islamic Services of America was established in 2004 and located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Islamic Services of America certifications are recognized by some Islamic Countries. In Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.A (the home of one of the largest Muslim and Arab populations in the United States), and some fast food restaurant chains such as the McDonaldʹs Corporation have introduced halal chicken nuggets and other halal offerings. In a similar light, McDonaldʹs, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken have been declared to be halal in Sri Lanka by the Jamiyathul Ulama, the only authority able to give out the certification there. In the United Kingdom, China, Malaysia or Singapore, halal fried chicken restaurants having thousands of outlets serve halal foods, such as the Chicking Fried Chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Brownʹs Chicken, and Crown Fried Chicken companies. As of February 2009, Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in the U.K. began to sell halal meals in several restaurants. Also, in New York City there are numerous halal food carts in business which serve gyros, chicken platters, and other halal fast foods, whereas in Europe, there are many of the Muslim-owned Döner kebab shops. Thailand also has a noticeable population of Muslims and Halal-meat shops country-wide. Within the Peopleʹs Republic of China, which has a sizable Hui Muslim minority population, halal food is known as ʺQingzhenʺ (pinyin: qīngzhēn; literally ʺpure truthʺ). Halal restaurants run by Hui Chinese resemble typical Chinese food, except that they do not serve pork. Dishes specific to Hui Chinese are known as Chinese Islamic cuisine. Halal Certificates: Since the turn of the 21st century, there have been efforts to create organizations that certify food products as halal for Muslim consumers. Since 1991, mainstream manufacturers of soups, grains, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, prepared foods, and other products, as well as hotels, restaurants, airlines, hospitals, and other service providers have pursued the halal market. These companies purchase halal-certified products. Halal certification tells Muslims that their ingredients and production methods have been tested and declared permissible by a certification body. It also allows companies to export products to most Middle Eastern countries and South East Asian Countries. The oldest and most well-known halal certifier in the United States is called the ʺIslamic Services of Americaʺ. Something that companies which intend to export halal products must keep in mind, when choosing a certifier, is whether or not the certifier is recognized by foreign governmental bodies. In 1986, the ʺIslamic Meat & Poultry Companyʺ was founded in Stockton, California. Islamic Meat & Poultry is a halal-only, U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected, hand-slaughtering and meat-processing facility. This company follows the principles of slaughtering and meat-processing according to the Islamic Shariah. In 2011, Halal Products Certification Institute was established in California, United States of America and became the first worldwide corporation that Certified Halal Consumer Products such as Cosmetics, Personal Care Products, Perfumes & Fragrances, The institute was established by renowned Islamic intellectual scholars and top Muslim scientists in the world to assure the dissemination of halal consumer products. Also in Europe, several organizations have been created over the past 20 years in order to certify the halal products. A survey recently published by a French association of Muslim Consumers (ASIDCOM) shows that the market of halal products has been developed in a chaotic way. Islamic Chamber research & Information Center (ICRIC), affiliated to Islamic Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) and a member of the family of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) has embarked to study and research on the subject to meet the need in Muslim World. ICRIC has also embarked to adopt a monitoring system in ʺHalal Productʺ including ʺHalal Foodʺ and proceeded to research, development, information and support in this ground. The .HALAL gTLD will allow —the Halal industry service providers community to unite online as a full and robust community, enjoying the connection and exchange of information empowered by faith, and community in beliefs.

Relations to any community organizations. AGITSYS is founded, owned and managed by Muslim people. AGITSys uses the expertise of the Muslim technical men, and it is incorporated in Turkey, one of the countries with the majority of Muslim people (98% Muslims). AGITSys team is all from Middle East where Islam is the major religion, and the heart of Islam. AGITSys's location in Turkey, thanks to the close communication of Turkey with both Islamic and western courtiers, brings a brilliant opportunity to promote the .HALAL TLD both in the countries where Islam, is the main religion, and countries where Islam is not dominant, but many Muslims leave in to the main consumers of the .HALAL gTLD: the members of the Halal service providers community • Relations to the community and its constituent parts/groups. As stated above, AGITSYS has come from the heart of the Muslim community as defined both by geography and the nationality of the team members and as a result, the Halal service providers community as the adherent of the Muslim community, AGITSys has enough technical knowledge and expertise to run the .HALAL TLD and at the same time is supported by important well-known men of the Islam world, meaning that there would be trust and support from the Muslim community. • Accountability mechanisms of applicant to the community. AGITSys will oversee the formation of a .HALAL Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) populated by members of the .HALAL industry service providers community. AGITSys intends that the PAC be representative of the entire broad spectrum of the halal industry service providers' community. It therefore intends to engage religious figures, certification institutes and halal product manufacturers, distributors, retailers and service providers. The PAC would serve as a conduit for the community to weigh in on any policy matters that impact the operation of the gTLD. These can range from abuse prevention and mitigation to registration policies and the maintenance and structure of the .HALAL community. This advisory Board will also be critical for our continued outreach across the community as we spread the word about the .HALAL gTLD. It will serve as a key channel of communication with, and anchor to, the community which this effort hopes to serve.

• Intended registrants in the TLD. A .HALAL registrant maybe of one of manufacturers of soups, grains, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, prepared foods, and other products, as well as hotels, restaurants, airlines, hospitals, and other service providers, many of whom are not currently represented on the internet but would feel a newfound affiliation with a .HALAL gTLD. We can foster more competition at the registrar level through assistance and encouragement with new registrars. • Intended end-users of the TLD. For a fifth of the worldʹs population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith. Every Muslim or even non-Muslim man or woman in the world can benefit from .HALAL websites to catch the information and services offered by them. The spread of .HALAL TLD would be wide enough to cover all types of audiences and their needs, considering that all .HALAL websites in any case will be promoting HALAL concept and industry in different ways. Within all of these populations, the intended end users of the .HALAL gTLD are manifold: People with ties to the Islamic heritage: This would include a significant percentage of the population of Muslim Community along with other nations. Individual Muslims: As demonstrated above, this includes hundreds of millions of individuals around the world. Students: Those learning about different aspects of Islam, its concept, its laws, its culture and heritage, etc… would benefit from increased resources online that would help them learn and grow in their new studying. Islamic businesses: as like as every community, Muslims has also doing business among themselves as well as doing business with other communities. Muslim business men will the word "HALAL" as a symbol of honor and trust, and the witness of belonging to Muslim community. The word "HALAL" is used widely among Muslims' websites. A simple search for the word "HALAL" results more than 500 million web pages, showing the popularity of the word "HALAL". Halal industry role players: those businesses who serve the Muslim community by providing Halal goods would benefit .HALAL domain names as a symbol of trust and their Halal Certification. It is hoped that not only will these intended users derive individual benefit from the existence of a .HALAL community, but that they will also contribute in turn. This should create a group benefit, which will in turn feed back in to individual benefits - establishing a beneficial cycle. • Related activities the applicant has carried out or intends to carry out in service of this purpose. Anticipating the diversification of TLDs now being realized, and the consequent introduction of a halal-specific online space, AGITSys has been working with a wide variety of related parties for several years in preparation, and will continue to do so going forward. A key element for the success of the .HALAL gTLD is a strong and interactive community, which members of the community would be proud to associate with and keen to contribute to. To ensure this, AGITSys will sponsor community outreach and marketing, in order to raise awareness of the forthcoming possibilities. These possibilities are also highly appealing for Islamic businesses, and as such AGITSys will engage in dialogue with those businesses, and industry chiefs, regarding their ideas for how the .HALAL gTLD will take shape, and what they intend to subsequently give back to it. As this is a community directed effort, one of the first steps AGITSys would take would be to establish the .HALAL Policy Advisory Committee. AGITSys would recruit representatives from around the globe to ensure that a variety of interests and perspectives are represented. The PAC will not only serve as a key partner in the development of policies governing the operation of the gTLD, but they will be critical out our ongoing community outreach and marketing efforts. One key function for the PAC would be to aid in developing a list of reserved names which for a variety of reasons would be deeming of limits for registration. This list will ensure that key cultural icons, religious organizations and other entities of importance to the community could not be used in a way that is contrary to their wishes and desires. The PAC will be integral to our launch efforts and much of the initial marketing of the .HALAL gTLD will need to come from community related activities. Outreach would also include religious figures, community leaders, celebrities and any other prominent organizations or individuals who embrace the halal lifestyle. Quality content will also be fundamental to a thriving .HALAL community, especially because AGITSys is committed to ensuring that .HALAL is populated by quality second-level domain offerings. With this in mind, AGITSys will be talking with those most likely to contribute quality content, from news and media agencies to academics and others about how they can and will contribute, and what AGITSys can do to facilitate this process. Ultimately, however, religion will always be the most important element for a successful .HALAL community online. The entire gTLD concept is designed as a place of online respect; almost worship, for those who embrace the halal concept. As such, the involvement, blessing and feedback of the Islamic religious community are fundamentally important. Aware of this, AGITSys has been in prolonged and continued contact with important religious figures - asking them what they want to see and how they would like to see it done, whilst also encouraging them to spread the word and prepare themselves. • Explanation of how the purpose is of a lasting nature. The community that will be served by .HALAL--growing as it has out of the Muslims community--has thrived and grown for more than a millennium. Remarkably, it has done so largely without the level of connection online found with Islamic cultures. This existing community interconnection speaks to the cultural staying power of the community and the many ways it enriches world culture. With the adoption of a .HALAL community, this robust group will be further empowered to interconnect and grow, allowing it to take its equal place on the Internet stage. The community thrives now, but will reach new heights with a .HALAL gTLD. As more sites offer information, services, and opportunities for interconnection to the .HALAL community as a whole, more members of the community will navigate to those sites. Many of those will provide their own content, and their activity there will spark further growth of second-level .HALAL domains. At some point, information and service providers currently not offering sites will see the demand for .HALAL-related content and will migrate their offerings to .HALAL sites as well, furthering the offerings to the community and further driving community members to .HALAL sites. The future benefits of interlinking this diverse and global community are incalculable but immense.

• relationship to the established name, if any, of the community. The word "HALAL" is the core fundamental of the Halal service providers community. Without the philosophy of "Halal", no such a community would be shaped. • relationship to the identification of community members. As stated above, community members will feel an affinity and self-identification with the .HALAL TLD. As adoption of .HALAL grows, use of domains using this community TLD will grow exponentially, helping to cement the obvious connection between the string and the community. Our community members are the producers or service providers of the halal products. • any connotations the string may have beyond the community. AGITSYS knows of no other connotations the .HALAL string might have outside of this community.

• Eligibility: who is eligible to register a second-level name in the gTLD, and how will eligibility be determined. As mentioned above, the primary goal of the .HALAL gTLD is the protection and promulgation of the Halal concept. To this end, In order to register a .HALAL Domain Name, you declare that you are part of the Halal service providers Community. Registrations in the .HALAL will be restricted to 1) those who can produce a copy of a halal certificate demonstrating that the goods and services they provide meet the generally accepted hahal standard and/or 2) all goods and service providers headquartered and operating in Islamic countries as they are deemed halal by their ability to operate in an Islamic country. Our policies may permit registrations in .HALAL gTLD to the following: Universities, schools, research institutions and other academic entities performing academic activities or teach/promote aspects of halal concept. Individuals, groups, businesses, organizations, entities or initiatives affirming their belonging to the Community The .HALAL TLD is intended for people who wish to promote, participate or learn about HALAL and its different aspects, its affect on the daily life of the people around the word, its history, Law and jurisprudence, etc belonging to the Muslim community. All .HALAL gTLD registrants must comply with AGITSys Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), .HALAL registration policies and with ICANN guidelines. • Name selection: what types of second-level names may be registered in the gTLD. AGITSYS will follow ICANN guidelines regarding potential restrictions of second-level domains. The names selected to be registered under .HALAL TLD must not have any conflict with the cultural, traditional and historical values of the Muslim community. This restriction can be controlled by creating the list of prohibited names managed by the .HALAL Policy Advisory Committee described above. • Content/Use: what restrictions, if any, the registry operator will impose on how a registrant may use its registered name. AGITSYS will have an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and registration policies that will govern how a registrant may use its registered name. We will ask all members to honor the Islamic Culture, Heritage and rules. Registrants must accept and abide by the following: a. No denigration of The Prophet Mohammad will be propagated within any site content of the .HALAL TLD b. No denigration of the halal concept will be propagated within any site content of the .HALAL TLD c. Messaging about Islam or the Quran will not criticize Islam and the Muslim faith d. Registrants and Users will refrain from activities that runs contrary to general Islamic principles e. Not use the .HALAL TLD or site content as a communications and coordination vehicle of radical or terrorist activities f. Will not establish third level DNS management of a second level .HALAL domains These requirements will be enforced through the AUP and contracts registrants must sign with their registrars prior to the registration of a domain name. • Enforcement: what investigation practices and mechanisms exist to enforce the policies above, what resources are allocated for enforcement, and what appeal mechanisms are available to registrants? As part of the AUP and registration polices, AGITSys will have complete enforcement rights over registrants' use of .HALAL domain names. AGITSys will randomly audit registrants in the ,HALAL gTLD to ensure that they can provide evidence of their halal certificate which ensures the goods and services they are providing have been reviewed by recognized authorities in the halal community as are surely being halal. If a violation is discovered, an investigation will begin immediately to rectify said violation. Penalties for violation range from suspension of a domain, to removal of the domain name from the TLD and blacklisting of the registrant, preventing them from being able to register any other names in the .HALAL TLD. From time to time the .HALAL PAC may need to be engaged to consult on potential enforcement activities.

Protection of Geographic Names
Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. has chosen CoCCA Registry Services (NZ) Limited (CoCCA) as their registry services provider. CoCCA has over 12 years of experience in authoring registry software and providing registry support services. With 35 national TLDs relying on CoCCA's technology to manage critical infrastructure, the CoCCA EPP Shared Registry System (SRS) is the most widely deployed, field-tested SRS in use today. In many respects new niche market gTLDs are predicted to more closely resemble existing ccTLD name spaces than the current gTLD ones. CoCCAʹs commercial model and technology enables TLD Sponsoring Organizations to focus on operating the front end portion of the registry including sales, marketing and community relations while leaving the operational aspects to the proven team at CoCCA.
In addition to technology CoCCA has a considered and tested set of leading - practice policies designed to address security, stability, rights protection, abuse mitigation, privacy and other issues, CoCCA is a trusted partner for Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. to operate the .halal in a manner that is fully compliant with all ICANN rules and regulations.
CoCCA, on behalf of the Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti., intends to implement the following measures to protect geographical names at the second and at all other levels within the TLD:

Reservation Measures for Geographical Names
Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. will adhere to Specification 5 of the proposed Registry Agreement, "Schedule of Reserved Names at the Second Level in gTLD Registries" / section 5 titled "Country and Territory Names." The geographic names listed in the following internationally approved documents will be reserved at the second level within the TLD and at all other levels where registrations occur:
(1.i.1) the short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166- 1 list, as updated from time to time, including the European Union, which is exceptionally reserved on the ISO 3166-1 list, and its scope extended in August 1999 to any application needing to represent the name European Union
(1.i.2) the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World; and
(1.i.3) the list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names.

Potential Release of Geographical Names
Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. is committed to working with governments and other stakeholders that may have a concern regarding the registration of names with national or geographic significance at the second level. If Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. decides to release reserved geographical names, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. will abide by the process outlined in Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement by seeking agreement from the applicable government(s). Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. understands that any release of the geographical names may be subject to Governmental Advisory Committee review and approval by ICANN.

Review, Audit, and Updates to Policies
Policy management is dynamic in nature requiring continual management. The Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. in conjunction with CoCCA's assistance will be engaged in policy development efforts in general and with respect to protections of geographical domain names. Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. will review and consider suggestions or concerns from government, public authorities or IGOʹs regarding this policy. And as with all required policies, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. will perform openly and transparent should updates to existing policy or the creation of new policy be required. Further, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti.ʹ internal process continually reviews and manages its reserve lists as one part of the abuse prevention mechanisms described in greater detail within question 28, "Abuse Prevention and Mitigation."