Jakim's move reflects ignorance: Scholar
Published on: Sunday, October 23, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: A prominent Islamic scholar from the United States described the Department Of Islamic Development Malaysia's (Jakim) recent attempt to force pretzel store franchise Auntie Anne's to rename its "pretzel dog" as "ridiculous" and "small minded."Azhar Haneef (pic), also an imam and missionary for 26 years, warned that ignorance can have a destructive effect on a peace-loving and tolerant society like Sabah."It's so ridiculous and so small minded (to think) that by changing a name something becomes lawful or unlawful. ADVERTISEMENT The object is exactly the same. If I stand in the border of two nations, does it make half of me a believer and the other half an infidel?" he asked.Jakim had called on the franchise to change the name of its "pretzel dog" to "pretzel sausage", saying the department cannot approve the Halal endorsement due to the word "dog". The Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca) vice-president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman joined in the fray by calling on food producers and restaurant operators to avoid certain words, including "beer" and "dog" in their menu as "it would confuse Muslims".Jakim's decision was heavily criticised by thousands of social media users. Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz had said the people in the authority concerned were not living in the real world.ADVERTISEMENT "Please don't make us look so stupid and backward or even talk about changing the name. Even in Malay we call it a hotdog. We don't call it 'anjing panas'," Nazri said, adding that his Muslim faith would never be affected by consuming a hotdog.
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According to Azhar, a guest speaker at international events, ignorance is dangerous when it breeds intolerance."It just drives out faith from the hearts of people," he said after giving his keynote address during the Peace Forum entitled "Promoting Peace and Tolerance in a Multiracial Society", Saturday.The forum was organised by the Persatuan Kebajikan Kemanusiaan Sabah & Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan (Pekesan) in collaboration with the International Human Rights Committee, United Kingdom.The aim of the forum was to provide an avenue for the dissemination of the concept of peace from the religious perspective.Forum organisers uphold that in any civilised society, peaceful co-existence is the ultimate pursuit of any responsible government and the scared desire of its citizens. They were concerned, however, that certain unhealthy religious developments are threatening to upset the equilibrium of peace and tolerance.Azhar has learned and observed that Sabah has a strong foundation of social harmony embedded in its multiethnic identity at all levels and urged the people of the State to continue building on it.He said the State can be promoted as a model of racial and religious understanding to the world.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Joining him in the panel were fellow Islamic scholar from Indonesia Zuhairi Misrawi and a senior lecturer from UMS Dr Paul Porodong who represented his church.More than 300 people of different faiths attended the forum.