Agong angry about ‘Allah’ socks issue
Published on: Tuesday, March 19, 2024
By: FMT
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, has told enforcement agencies to take strict action to ensure such incidents are not repeated. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim has expressed his displeasure at the controversy surrounding the sale of socks bearing the word “Allah” at convenience stores.
In a Facebook post, the king called for stern action to be taken against those responsible.
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“Muslims revere the word Allah … Such matters which incite anger should not arise.
“Whether it was intentional or not and whether (the socks) were imported or produced locally, I want the enforcement (agencies) to investigate this matter and take strict action to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”
The controversy arose after photographs of the socks sold at KK Mart’s Bandar Sunway store appeared on social media last Wednesday.
On Saturday, the company apologised and expressed regret over the incident.
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Police have received 36 reports about the socks and are investigating the matter for causing disharmony and misusing network facilities.
Earlier today, the vendor firm that supplied the socks to KK Mart said it was considering legal action for negligence against its supplier in China.
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Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, a local company based in Johor, said its supplier had admitted that the socks were included “by mistake”.
It said a preliminary internal investigation found that the socks were part of a larger shipment of 18,800 pairs ordered from the company based in China’s Zhejiang province.
In the Facebook post, Sultan Ibrahim said it “did not make sense” that a company with local employees would be unaware about the sensitivities surrounding the word “Allah”.
He also noted that he had called on all Malaysians to preserve the country’s harmony and refrain from touching on sensitive issues concerning royalty, race and religion during his maiden address to the Dewan Rakyat last month.
“I had just emphasised the importance of unity and mutual respect among the country’s multiracial people during my royal address in Parliament, and now this issue arises,” he said.
“We have been living in a pluralistic country for so long. Such mistakes regarding religion and race cannot be accepted and should not happen again.”
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