Focus Malaysia:
From halal toilet set to more Muslims opposing JAKIM’s proposed halal accreditation on F&B operators
WITH Malaysians capable of pulling stunts like halal/Muslims-only laundromat, it might not be a prank after all that there could be such thing as halal toilet set in the marketplace.
Sadly, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) which is embroiled in the mulling of making halal certification mandatory for pork/alcohol-free eateries has been made protagonist behind the halal-certified toilet set idea if there is any truth in a chat which has been widely forwarded among WhatsApp groups.
“Got this from WAG (WhatsApp group). If this is real … I dunno what to say larrr… …” remarked a stunned human rights activist and lawyer Siti Kasim who shared the WhatsApp text in her Facebook page to the exhilaration of her followers who are torn in between believing and dismissing the text as “fake news”.
Got this from WAG. If this is real... I donno what to say larrr... 🙄🙃
Editor’s Note: A screenshot of the WhatsApp text which has been widely shared just in case Facebook deleted Siti Kasim’s post
While it is lauded that government agencies proactively seek ways to commercialise their roles/functions, going to the extent of sanctioning toilet apparatuses with halal-certification, if indeed true as alleged, is surely a step too far which could undoubtedly smear JAKIM’s credibility/reputation more than anything else.
Whatever the case is, more Muslims have come forward to oppose the proposal by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Na’im Mokhtar to make halal certification mandatory for all food & beverage (F&B) outlets that do not deal with pork or alcohol.
Teresa Kok gets vindicated?
Leading the pack is ex-restaurateur-turned Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s aide (political secretary) Datuk Azman Abidin who contended that the process of obtaining such certification is far from simple.
“It is expensive and there are stringent requirements,” Malaysiakini quoted him as saying. “This is why many restaurant operators and companies, including those owned by Malays, are not interested in getting the certificate despite selling halal food.”
Azman also pointed out that there is a difference between halal certification and serving halal food. “As a former restaurateur, I’ve a better understanding of this. So, I am asking the opposition and all politicians to stop making this into a political issue,” justified the PKR Federal Territory chairman.
“… some are attempting to politicise the issue by linking it to race and religion. In actual fact, the minister made a proposal and the Seputeh MP (Teresa Kok) provided her views.”
For the record, Kok who is also the DAP vice-chairman Kok has been under fire by both the opposition and UMNO Youth leader Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh leading to her being subject to 3R (race, religion, royalty) investigation by the police following police reports lodged by PAS Youth.
Aside from Azman, former PKR Kangar MP Noor Amin Ahmad also stressed that both halal-ness and halal certificate requirement are two different matters.
“If we consider the halal certificate to be a religious matter and non-Muslims should not interfere, then all Muslim traders should be required to have a halal certificate instead of non-Muslim food operators,” he penned on the X platform.
Kita tak perlu menangguk di air yang keruh.
Halal dan sijil halal adalah dua perkara berbeza.
Jika kita anggap sijil halal adalah perkara agama dan orang bukan muslim tidak patut masuk campur, maka yang patut diwajibkan ada sijil halal ialah semua peniaga muslim. Bukan… Show more
“Try to make it mandatory. Don’t be surprised if hundreds of thousands of Malay-Muslim small traders rise up against you.”
Political analyst and social media influencer Liyana Marzuki subtly backed six-term DAP lawmaker Kok with the following analogy:
Imagine that your son does business in Singapore. Then suddenly the authorities make it compulsory for all restaurants to obtain certification to sell food-based om the Buddhist/Christian principles. Would you quietly abide or would you oppose such move? – Sept 10, 2024
Main image credit: Halal Media Japan
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