KUALA LUMPUR – Calls for non-Muslim businesses to be boycotted in the aftermath of the fiasco surrounding convenience store chain KK Mart’s sale of socks printed with the word “Allah” is “overboard and against Islamic teachings”.
Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor cautioned that such appeals, which imply a deficit in religious understandings, could worsen injustices and lead to regret over baseless actions threatening national unity.
“Not all non-Muslims have an issue with Muslims. Punishing non-Muslim traders as enemies or traitors is a cruel act, whereas Islam calls for (its believers) to uphold justice regardless of religious and racial background.
“I invite the Malaysian Muslim community to refine their religious comprehension and translate those learning into attitudes and actions,” the cleric told Scoop.
Stressing that unity among the various races and religions in Malaysia must be protected as a national asset, the religious leader urged all parties to “use common sense” and avoid acting emotionally.
Since KK Mart’s sale of “Allah”-printed socks first incited ire online earlier last week, there have been calls for Muslim consumers to boycott KK Mart stores, with videos emerging on social media showing individuals staging protests and confronting store staff in some locations.
There has also seemingly been an increase of social media posts attempting to rally Muslims to boycott businesses owned by non-Muslims, particularly Chinese figures.
The postings, which are also believed to be circulated via messaging app WhatsApp, call for Muslims to instead direct their buying power to entities which are verified to be Muslim-operated.
Meanwhile, Wan Salim also criticised those who apparently opted to take matters into their own hands when dealing with the “Allah”-printed socks issue, such as when 34-year-old Chiok Wai Loong was tracked down by a group of individuals demanding an apology over his Facebook post on the matter.
“Islam teaches its followers to not act rashly when reacting to a situation. Instead, Islam guides its followers to carefully make judgements and respond appropriately if something unpleasant happens.
“This is to avoid the victimisation of any group due to hasty actions which failed to consider an incident in its entirety.”
Yesterday, Chiok pleaded guilty in the Kuala Lumpur sessions court to a charge framed under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, leading to him being sentenced to six months’ jail and fined RM12,000.
Prior to his arrest, a video of a group of men surrounding Chiok and demanding for his apology made the rounds on social media, with the sole non-Malay man apologising and promising not to insult other religions again.
Following public outrage, KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd founder Datuk Seri K.K. Chai apologised profusely at a press conference last weekend, with the store’s outlets opting to express their regret in the form of banners outside stores and messages at their counters.
Meanwhile, KK Mart’s local importer, Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, also apologised for an oversight in its quality control process, saying it had done its best to ensure that all 18,800 socks received from its supplier in China were cleared for sale here.
Xin Jian Chang also said it was considering legal action against the China-based supplier for negligence. – March 23, 2024