Malaysia’s Islamic authority has banned food outlets seeking halal certification from using the term ''hot dog'' as it may cause confusion. Does this mean the authority will also ban outlets from using the Malay name for longans, “mata kucing” or “cat eyes”, a political party asked on Wednesday (Oct 19).
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) said the decision by the Islamic Development of Malaysia (Jakim) had turned the country into an “international laughing stock” because it suggested that Malaysians “Muslims or otherwise, are unable to comprehend or distinguish whether or not food like ‘hot dog’ and ‘Pretzel dog’ contain dog meat”.
“Will Jakim then go even further to suggest that ‘mata kucing’ cannot be consumed for it contains cats’ eyes?” MCA Youth secretary-general, Leong Kim Soon, said in a statement.
Jakim this week confirmed its decision to make it mandatory for food outlet operators to abort words that are linked to non-halal references on their menus, to qualify for halal certification.
A department spokesman said food items containing the word “dog” could confuse Muslims, as the animal is considered unclean by Islam.
Mr Leong said Jakim should be more concerned about substance than form.
“In this case, or in cases of halal certification, Jakim should be more focused on the contents and ingredients of the foods and beverages than their names,” Mr Leong added.
He also called on Jakim to reconsider and retract its decision on the issue and to focus on developing Malaysia into a successful halal hub.
The issue surfaced after an executive with US pretzel chain, Auntie Anne’s, revealed that their application for halal certification had failed due to concerns over the “pretzel dogs” on their menu.
Source: todayonline.com
