KUALA LUMPUR – Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim has called for stringent action against those found guilty in the case relating to socks printed with the word “Allah”.
“The word ‘Allah’ is held in high esteem by Muslims, in addition to now being the holy month of Ramadan.
“I just reprimanded and reminded people of the importance of unity and respect in our multi-racial society in my inaugural address in Parliament, and this matter crops up.
“Whether it was intentional, whether it was imported or produced in a local factory, I want the authorities to investigate and take strict action in accordance with the law so that these incidents do not recur,” His Majesty told the Royal Press Office.
He added that it does not make sense for a company staffed with Malaysians to be insensitive to the use of the word Allah.
“We have been living in a pluralistic country for a long time. Mistakes on religious and racial issues like this are not acceptable and cannot be allowed to happen again.”
On February 26, Sultan Ibrahim, in his royal address, said the government should look into formulating a policy aimed at fostering better unity and harmony among Malaysians, as unity between races had been lacking even after more than 60 years of independence.
Today, the local importer of socks printed with the word Allah is seeking legal advice against its China-based supplier for negligence.
Xin Jiang Chang Sdn Bhd, based in Batu Pahat, Johor, said it never intentionally ordered the socks and had in the past told the supplier not to provide products that would offend Muslim consumers.
Police are investigating the import and distribution of the socks after 42 reports were lodged nationwide.
A photo of one pair surfaced on social media last week with a claim that it was sold at a KK Mart outlet in Sunway, Selangor.
Following outrage on social media, KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd founder Datuk Seri K.K. Chai apologised profusely at a press conference on Saturday, explaining that the socks were imported from China and were among 1,200 other pairs, each with different designs.
He admitted he did not do a full inspection of every pair but stressed that of KK Mart’s 800 branches nationwide, only three outlets carried the socks.
Despite the apology and removal of the socks from store shelves, calls are being made for a boycott of KK Mart, led by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh. – March 19, 2024