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COMMENT I have several enduring childhood memories, and among them was sitting in the freezer in the McDonald’s outlet at Ampang Park during my brother’s birthday party.

He had turned either three or four, and us kids lined up eagerly to enter the great unknown - a fast food joint’s cold room.

For what felt like an eternity, we sat in there mostly in silence, pondering our fates in the almost pitch dark amid rock hard burger patties, wondering what we got ourselves into.

That is until the restaurant manager cracked open the heavy door, probably mere minutes after, and ushered the stream of bewildered children in party hats through the kitchen back to the party where the cake awaited.

I don’t remember what cake it was, which is a shame because I know my mother would always let us pick some special cake for our birthdays.

What I do remember was my brother howling his heart out. The restaurant manager tried to be funny and covered the candles with his hand each time the kid tried to blow them out. By the third time, out came the water works. Needless to say, my brother wasn’t lovin’ it (cue: groans).

I am guessing not many children will have the same memories I did, now that many are urging a boycott against McDonald’s Malaysia.

This was prompted by the fast food chain’s decision not to allow cakes at birthday parties, unless the cakes are halal-certified.

The popular burger chain said this was to adhere to its own halal certification requirements. All its outlets are certified halal by the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) and allowing outside food could jeopardise that, it said.

It said it was making an exception for outside food in the form of cakes for birthday parties - but to keep its own halal label, it needed to make sure those cakes are also halal.

In a bind

It’s a strange ruling for the simple reason that not many cakes are actually halal-certified.

Don’t get me wrong - not all cakes are halal. Some cakes are baked using alcohol (tiramisu, black forest, fruit cake, etc), others with lard (yes, lard cakes do exist, Google it) - neither of which are permissible for Muslims to consume.

Most cakes, however, are simply combinations of sugar, butter and flour, and most bakers will make clear if a cake contains alcohol. Cakes for children’s birthday parties, too, are unlikely to contain alcohol.

But even if cakes are baked with halal ingredients, it is not every day that you find a bakery that has halal certification. And the last I checked, neither does my mother’s kitchen.

Halal certification is cumbersome and expensive, according to the Muslim Consumers’ Association and cabinet minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who urged for a way to allow Muslim-owned small-to-medium enterprises with little capital to spare, to circumvent the strict requirements.

It is the same strict requirements that are now putting McDonald’s in a bind.

“But my kid’s birthday cake is not for everyone else to eat!” decried one angry parent who no doubt had visions of a grand McDonald’s birthday party for the little boy sometime this year.

True, but by allowing outside food into its premises, McDonald’s is risking the certificate it went through hurdles to get.

Jakim’s guidelines for halal certification is clear on this. Item 5.5 (v) of Jakim’s Manual Procedure for Malaysia Halal Certification states: “Non-halal food/ beverages are not allowed to be brought into the premise compound.”

“What about the ringgit notes which my non-halal hands touched after I ate pork? What about my non-halal breath?” other incredulous (now ex) McDonald’s patrons decried...

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