Malaysia: ‘Merry Christmas’ can invalidate halal certificate

[duluxe]

The government’s halal authority today said the use of “Merry Christmas” on products would invalidate their halal certification, in a statement that is likely to reignite a debate on policies seen as regressive to Malaysia’s multicultural identity.

A spokesman for the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) confirmed to MalaysiaNow the existence of such a condition before a company is awarded halal certification, following an incident reported by a member of the public.

MalaysiaNow earlier reported about a bakery which could not fulfil a customer’s request for “Merry Christmas” to be written on a cake he had ordered for delivery to a friend.

Instead, the cake was delivered with the words “Happy Holidays”.

The bakery owner said it was because he had to abide by the rules set by Jakim as part of the application process for getting halal certification.

“The bakery was not wrong as it is part of the regulations,” an officer from Jakim’s communications unit told MalaysiaNow.

He cited a labelling rule stated in Jakim’s manual on the procedures leading towards halal certification.

“Labelling and advertising of products and services should not involve the use of any religious or spiritual passage, symbol or noun such as the names of Allah, sunnah, idols and the like,” according to the document sighted by MalaysiaNow.

The “Merry Christmas” greeting has been a subject of debate in Malaysia, with some Muslim preachers claiming Muslims are prohibited from using the expression as it is a veneration of Christ.

But this is the first time it has emerged that the greeting could also affect a product’s official halal status.

Earlier, the customer, who declined to be named, said it was the first time he had encountered such a problem.

“But the management apologised to me saying it is part of the conditions during the audit process,” he added.

Jakim is legally empowered as the sole authority to issue halal certification for food and goods as well as eateries nationwide.

In the past, critics had questioned several conditions imposed by the department on food manufacturers and franchises seeking halal certification, including prohibiting certain names from being used on the product.

Popular pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s and fast food franchise A&W were forced to rename their popular products due to a requirement by Jakim that words such as “dog” and “beer” are not used on their menu.

Auntie Anne’s renamed its “pretzel dog” as “pretzel sausage”, while A&W was forced to change the names of two popular dishes for which it is known worldwide: Coney Dog and Root Beer, which were renamed as Chicken (or Beef) Coney and RB.

 

[syed putra]

Nonsense. I myself got this gift for christmas

 

[ilovechinesegal]

Nonsense. I myself got this gift for christmas
View attachment 99615

But that is not your hand. That hand resemble a chinese guy.

 

[shittypore]

The Puki and Dollars all no HARAM for these bum fucks.

 

[laksaboy]

That's an unfortunate aspect of living in a Muslim country: sooner or later, inevitably you would have these fundamentalist crazies opine about how their 'peaceful' religion should distance itself from being contaminated by infidel influences.

And you can't really clamp down hard on them, because they have a sizeable group of followers. Not politically expedient.

 

[syed putra]

Those who cannot in make it in schools, ends up as clerics and imams.
And those who made it, ends up listening to their sermons and edicts.
That's why Muslim world us upside down.

 

[JohnTan]

Those who cannot in make it in schools, ends up as clerics and imams.
And those who made it, ends up listening to their sermons and edicts.
That's why Muslim world us upside down.

And moslems want us to learn islam from their retarded clerics and imams. Even a layman can tell that the moslem clergy is severely unfit to teach people about basic moral values and courtesy, let alone religion.

 

[syed putra]

The passing grade to be imams are too low. They should abolish the position. There are no prohibition wrt wishing anyone or writing or sending merry Christmas wishes.
The prohibition wrt eating pork and food, on marriage, on cheating, killing. Thats all.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Malaysia government appeals ruling on Christians using 'Allah'
Malaysia High Court Kuala Lumpur
This photo shows an external view of Malaysia High Court building in Kuala Lumpur on February 6, 2010. (Photo: AFP/Saeed KHAN)
15 Mar 2021 07:22PM
(Updated: 15 Mar 2021 07:30PM)
Bookmark
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government on Monday (Mar 15) appealed a court's decision to overturn a decades-old official ban and allow Christians in the Muslim-majority country to use "Allah" to refer to God.

The word has long been divisive in multi-ethnic Malaysia, with Christians complaining that attempts to stop them using it highlight the growing influence of conservative Islam.

But some Muslims accuse the sizeable Christian minority of overstepping boundaries, and the subject has fuelled religious tensions and sparked violence over the years.

READ: Malaysia high court rules that Christians may use the word ‘Allah’ in religious publications
Last week the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Christians can use "Allah" in publications, siding with a member of the minority and striking down a ban that dated back to 1986.

A judge ruled the ban was unconstitutional, as Malaysia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

But the government lodged a challenge at the court of appeal saying it was "not satisfied" with the ruling, according to documents seen by AFP.

Authorities have long argued that allowing non-Muslims to use "Allah" could be confusing, and entice Muslims to convert.

The case began 13 years ago when officials seized religious materials in the local Malay language from a Christian at Kuala Lumpur airport that contained the word "Allah".

The woman - Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, a member of a Malaysian indigenous group - then launched a legal challenge against the ban on Christians using the term.

Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict in recent decades, but tensions have been growing.

In 2014 a church was hit with petrol bombs, while Islamic authorities have seized Bibles containing the word "Allah".

Less than 10 per cent of Malaysia's 32 million people are estimated to be Christians, coming from mostly ethnic Chinese, Indian or indigenous backgrounds, while 60 per cent are ethnically Malay Muslims.

Source: AFP/ga

 

[syed putra]

Malaysia government appeals ruling on Christians using 'Allah'
Malaysia High Court Kuala Lumpur
This photo shows an external view of Malaysia High Court building in Kuala Lumpur on February 6, 2010. (Photo: AFP/Saeed KHAN)
15 Mar 2021 07:22PM
(Updated: 15 Mar 2021 07:30PM)
Bookmark
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government on Monday (Mar 15) appealed a court's decision to overturn a decades-old official ban and allow Christians in the Muslim-majority country to use "Allah" to refer to God.

The word has long been divisive in multi-ethnic Malaysia, with Christians complaining that attempts to stop them using it highlight the growing influence of conservative Islam.

But some Muslims accuse the sizeable Christian minority of overstepping boundaries, and the subject has fuelled religious tensions and sparked violence over the years.

READ: Malaysia high court rules that Christians may use the word ‘Allah’ in religious publications
Last week the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Christians can use "Allah" in publications, siding with a member of the minority and striking down a ban that dated back to 1986.

A judge ruled the ban was unconstitutional, as Malaysia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

But the government lodged a challenge at the court of appeal saying it was "not satisfied" with the ruling, according to documents seen by AFP.

Authorities have long argued that allowing non-Muslims to use "Allah" could be confusing, and entice Muslims to convert.

The case began 13 years ago when officials seized religious materials in the local Malay language from a Christian at Kuala Lumpur airport that contained the word "Allah".

The woman - Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, a member of a Malaysian indigenous group - then launched a legal challenge against the ban on Christians using the term.

Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict in recent decades, but tensions have been growing.

In 2014 a church was hit with petrol bombs, while Islamic authorities have seized Bibles containing the word "Allah".

Less than 10 per cent of Malaysia's 32 million people are estimated to be Christians, coming from mostly ethnic Chinese, Indian or indigenous backgrounds, while 60 per cent are ethnically Malay Muslims.

Source: AFP/ga

Malays are wasting time and effort on this appeal. In middle east both muslims snd christians uses the "Allah" word. If arabs have no issues, why should malays create one?

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Malays are wasting time and effort on this appeal. In middle east both muslims snd christians uses the "Allah" word. If arabs have no issues, why should malays create one?

Go tell yr abangs tat

 

[syed putra]

Go tell yr abangs tat

They all want to annihilate me. The original muslims were totally eradicated.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

They all want to annihilate me. The original muslims were totally eradicated.

U are joking?

 

[syed putra]

Nope.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

More steps to be taken to prevent spread of non-Muslim religions to Muslims, says deputy minister | Malay Mail
Ahmad Marzuk said Putrajaya will request the states which already have enactments to control the propagation of non-Islamic religions to Muslims in place to further enhance their enforcement activities. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Ahmad Marzuk said Putrajaya will request the states which already have enactments to control the propagation of non-Islamic religions to Muslims in place to further enhance their enforcement activities. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on news you need to know.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary said the respective state governments will take steps to ensure that religions other than Islam will be further limited in propagating their beliefs to Muslims.


–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the Federal Constitution already empowers the states and the Federal Territories to amend their laws to control and curb the propagation of non-Muslim religions.

“This power is derived from Article 11(4) of the Constitution, which stipulates that everyone has the right to worship and practise their faith as they see fit, but may not propagate or influence others into practising their religion,” he said in a Facebook post.

To this, Ahmad Marzuk said Putrajaya will request the states which already have enactments to control the propagation of non-Islamic religions to Muslims in place to further enhance their enforcement activities.

“We are also in the process of tabling the enactment for the Federal Territories, which I informed Parliament on November 26 last year,” he said.

ADVERTISING
Ahmad Marzuk also sought to allay the concerns of the wider Muslim public, in wake of the High Court’s ruling on Wednesday that the 1986 ban on the usage of the word ‘Allah’ in Christian publications is unconstitutional and invalid.

“Many are concerned as to what will be the fate of the Muslim ummah following this decision. From a legal perspective, there are differing views on the usage of the word ‘Allah’, with some permitting it while others forbidding it.

“In this, I am in agreement with Marang MP Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who said we should not forbid its usage altogether by non-Muslims but that there should be a limit. Indeed our main concern is the attempts by some non-Muslims to use the word ‘Allah’ to spread their teachings to Muslims,” he said.

The Pengkalan Chepa MP said the intent of using the word ‘Allah’ should be scrutinised, not just as a matter of faith but to determine the intent of its usage.

“If the purpose of using the word ‘Allah’ is to confuse or offend Muslims, then there must be boundaries set on how the word is to be used.

“Everyone has a role to play in ensuring the harmony and unity of the country. We should respect the basis that has been laid down in the Federal Constitution,” Ahmad Marzuk said.

Wednesday’s ruling also saw the High Court rule in favour of Sarawakian Bumiputera Christian Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, affirming her constitutional rights to not be discriminated against in the practise of her faith.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Johor Sultan backs Putrajaya's appeal against ruling allowing Christians to use the word 'Allah'
Sultan Ibrahim Ismail
Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar. (Photo: Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar/ Facebook)
18 Mar 2021 04:33PM
Bookmark
JOHOR BAHRU: Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar has backed the federal government's decision to appeal against a court's ruling to overturn a decades-old official ban and allow Christians in the country to use "Allah" to refer to God.

Last week, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Christians can use "Allah" in religious publications for educational purposes, striking down a ban that dated back to 1986.

A judge ruled the ban was unconstitutional, as Malaysia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

But the government lodged a challenge at the court of appeal saying it was "not satisfied" with the ruling

In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Thursday (Mar 18), the sultan said: "I call on the federal government to continue the appeal in these proceedings. In fact, I will direct the Johor Islamic Religious Council to take any necessary action and provide support for the appeal effort."

"The name 'Allah' is given by Him, and not derived from any root word, but a special term referring to Allah ... the God worshiped by Muslims," he wrote.

The sultan, who is head of Islam in Johor, said that Muslim sensitivities, as well as the agreement of multiracial and multi-religious life should be considered in any ruling.

The ruler said he was saddened by how the term "Allah" was used to refer to a god not worshipped by Muslims, as he feared it could spark controversy and create a bad impression on harmony among the people in Johor.

The sultan also cited a fatwa issued by the Johor state government in 2009, stating that the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims is "not permitted, not allowed and prohibited".

“In Johor, we also have the Control and Restriction of the Development of Non-Muslim Religions Enactment 1991 which prohibits the use of words that are reserved exclusively for Muslims and cannot be used by non-Muslims except in circumstances where it is permitted by law,” he said.

Malaysian authorities have long argued that allowing non-Muslims to use the word "Allah" could be confusing, and entice Muslims to convert.

The case in question began 13 years ago when officials seized religious materials in the local Malay language from a Christian woman at Kuala Lumpur airport that contained the word "Allah".

The woman - Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill later filed for judicial review against the home minister and the Malaysian government. She also sought official recognition of her constitutional rights to practise her religion and non-discrimination under the relevant articles of the country’s constitution.

The High Court ruled in 2014 that the home ministry was wrong to seize the religious materials and ordered them to be returned to Ms Jill Ireland.

In 2015, the Court of Appeal sent the two constitutional issues back to the High Court to be heard. The case was heard by the High Court in 2017 but the announcement of the decision was deferred several times until Mar 10.

Source: CNA/am

 

[syed putra]

More steps to be taken to prevent spread of non-Muslim religions to Muslims, says deputy minister | Malay Mail
Ahmad Marzuk said Putrajaya will request the states which already have enactments to control the propagation of non-Islamic religions to Muslims in place to further enhance their enforcement activities. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Ahmad Marzuk said Putrajaya will request the states which already have enactments to control the propagation of non-Islamic religions to Muslims in place to further enhance their enforcement activities. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on news you need to know.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary said the respective state governments will take steps to ensure that religions other than Islam will be further limited in propagating their beliefs to Muslims.


–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the Federal Constitution already empowers the states and the Federal Territories to amend their laws to control and curb the propagation of non-Muslim religions.

“This power is derived from Article 11(4) of the Constitution, which stipulates that everyone has the right to worship and practise their faith as they see fit, but may not propagate or influence others into practising their religion,” he said in a Facebook post.

To this, Ahmad Marzuk said Putrajaya will request the states which already have enactments to control the propagation of non-Islamic religions to Muslims in place to further enhance their enforcement activities.

“We are also in the process of tabling the enactment for the Federal Territories, which I informed Parliament on November 26 last year,” he said.

ADVERTISING
Ahmad Marzuk also sought to allay the concerns of the wider Muslim public, in wake of the High Court’s ruling on Wednesday that the 1986 ban on the usage of the word ‘Allah’ in Christian publications is unconstitutional and invalid.

“Many are concerned as to what will be the fate of the Muslim ummah following this decision. From a legal perspective, there are differing views on the usage of the word ‘Allah’, with some permitting it while others forbidding it.

“In this, I am in agreement with Marang MP Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who said we should not forbid its usage altogether by non-Muslims but that there should be a limit. Indeed our main concern is the attempts by some non-Muslims to use the word ‘Allah’ to spread their teachings to Muslims,” he said.

The Pengkalan Chepa MP said the intent of using the word ‘Allah’ should be scrutinised, not just as a matter of faith but to determine the intent of its usage.

“If the purpose of using the word ‘Allah’ is to confuse or offend Muslims, then there must be boundaries set on how the word is to be used.

“Everyone has a role to play in ensuring the harmony and unity of the country. We should respect the basis that has been laid down in the Federal Constitution,” Ahmad Marzuk said.

Wednesday’s ruling also saw the High Court rule in favour of Sarawakian Bumiputera Christian Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, affirming her constitutional rights to not be discriminated against in the practise of her faith.

There is a economic reason for this you know? The longer this "word" problem is extended, the more money those guys in religious department gets to be relevant and earn a income.in fact, they get more money by raising issues that are otherwise irrelevant.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Baru Bian: ‘Allah’ case wouldn’t have gone to court if Muhyiddin had acted in 2019 as home minister | Malay Mail
Selangau MP Baru Bian arrives at Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin’s house in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur February 28, 2020. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Selangau MP Baru Bian arrives at Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin’s house in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur February 28, 2020. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on news you need to know.

KUCHING, March 18 — The on-going legal battle over the “Allah” ruling could have been settled out of court if Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had agreed to a proposal to amend the 1986 administrative directive when he was home minister, former colleague Baru Bian said today.

He said the proposal was for an administrative resolution to amend the 1986 Administrative Directive dated December 5, 1986 prohibiting the use of the word “Allah”.

He said under the amendments to the directive, the word “Allah” is permitted to be used in Christian publications in Sabah and Sarawak unconditionally; while it is permitted to be used in Christian publications in Peninsular Malaysia with the condition that the front cover of the same contains a chop with the symbol of a cross and the sentence “Christian Publication”.

“The proposal was based on the 2010 Ten-Point Solution which acknowledged the different circumstances in the Borneo states and the Malayan states.

“I was informed by the lawyer for Jill Ireland and Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) Sabah that the Senior Federal Counsel of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) was amenable to the proposal but had to get the approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs, headed then by the present prime minister,” he said, referring to Muhyiddin.

“However, the then minister of home affairs was not in favour of an out-of-court settlement and wanted the court to decide, for reasons best known to himself.

“Now that the court has made a ruling, he should advise the people to respect the decision,” said the Selangau MP.

His remarks came following the Gabungan Parti Sarawak Backbenchers Club’s allegation that he did nothing to resolve the “Allah” issue when he was in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.

Baru said he had brought up the issue in the Cabinet on November 8, 2019, and a Special Committee of Ministers comprising himself, Muhyiddin, Datuk Darell Leiking, the late Datuk VK Liew and Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa was formed to discuss and resolve the matter.

Liew was then de facto law minister and Mujahid then minister in charge of religious affairs.

He said sometime in mid-2019 the Cabinet agreed that the issue should be settled outside court and mandated Tun Daim Zainuddin, the Chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons to resolve the matter.

He said this was after he had met lawyers for the Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill and SIB Sabah cases and senior federal counsel (SFC) of the AGC.

“The lawyers had indicated to the SFC representing the federal government that they were prepared to settle the matter outside a court or to work on an administrative resolution of these two cases.

“The court was duly informed and the court’s decision was postponed many times pending out-of-court settlement,” Baru said, adding that Daim could not move forward as the Cabinet decision mandating him to resolve the issue was not officially communicated to him.

He said the Special Committee of Ministers had its first meeting at the end of November 2019 but Muhyiddin was unable to attend.

“I briefed the Cabinet thereafter and requested for time to look into the matter and how the issue could be resolved on a win-win situation.

“In the meantime, we were told that the matter was further fixed for case management in the latter part of January 2020,” he said, adding that he then advised the lawyers for Ireland and SIB Sabah to write officially again to the SFC of the earlier proposal with additional proposals while waiting for a final decision by the Cabinet.

He said the lawyers wrote a letter dated February 12, 2020 to the SFC with the same proposed amendments to the 1986 Administrative Directive and added that in order to facilitate the administrative resolution the applicants were prepared to take two interim steps.

He said the steps were that pending a decision by the Cabinet on the resolution of the matter there should be a moratorium on enforcing the 1986 Administrative Directive; and that the applicants should withdraw the two pending judicial review applications in the High Court.

“Before the Special Committee of Ministers and/or the Cabinet could make a final decision, the PH government collapsed at the end of February 2020.

“The matter was hence out of our hands and was left to be dealt with by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the current government.

“Plainly no resolution was arrived at and the High Court was obliged to hand down its decision,” he said.

While some Muslims in Malaysia believe “Allah”, the Arabic word for God, to be exclusive to Islam, it was adopted into the national language generations ago and used throughout by Malay-speaking Christians in the country, especially those living in Sabah and Sarawak.

On March 10, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur ruled that the government directive via a December 5, 1986 circular issued by the Home Ministry’s publications control division was unlawful and unconstitutional.

This government directive was the one that banned the use of the word “Allah” in Christian publications.

 

[Balls2U]

Fuck the Halal certification. Once, I was organising an event and ordered pizzas forgetting that some guests were Muslims. I had to bluff them that the pizzas were Halal when it wasn't. They were eating away merrily. I think there's pork inside too. But who gives a fuck anyway!

 

[syed putra]

Fuck the Halal certification. Once, I was organising an event and ordered pizzas forgetting that some guests were Muslims. I had to bluff them that the pizzas were Halal when it wasn't. They were eating away merrily. I think there's pork inside too. But who gives a fuck anyway!

You were told not to lie.