Amid calls for action on restaurants showing ‘pork-free’ signs, former minister Zaid Ibrahim wonders if Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is dining in halal or 'pork-free' restaurants in the United States, where he is now on an official visit.

This comes after Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki called for action against restaurants that display ‘pork-free’ signs, for misleading Muslims into thinking the restaurants are halal.

Zaid said things were simpler under fourth prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, when even the head of Islamic Religious Department (Jakim) ordered steak while dining in a restaurant in Australia that was not certified halal.

He said the then Jakim chief, Wan Mokhtar Ahmad, told him Islam only forbids eating stale or unclean meat, meat offered to idols and pork.

“Under Najib, the situation has become more complicated as he has been trying hard to give the maqasid al syariah (objectives of syariah) tag to everything we do in Malaysia.

“However, I wonder if Najib and his lovely wife will be eating halal food certified by Jakim when they go to Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, US, this weekend,” he said.

“If not, then it is most unfair for the ministry official to make such a hue and cry about pork-free status and halal certification in restaurants where ordinary people go, and yet waive the same requirements when the prime minister and his entourage visit the US, UK and other places.”

Poor command of English

Zaid’s said the fuss over ‘pork-free’ signs only shows the poor command of the English language among civil servants.

“The owners are not even saying that their premises are clean or that their servings are cholesterol-free – just pork-free.

“If there is confusion from this simple sign, then the problem is not with the restaurant owners but with customers and ministry enforcement officers who do not understand plain English.

“However, I would like to suggest that restaurant owners stop using 'pork-free' altogether because it causes unnecessary problems given the attitudes of the ministry’s enforcement division and the poor comprehension of English generally,” he said on his blog today.

Zaid said there is no law barring restaurants from putting up a sign saying they are “pork-free” if they indeed do not serve pork.

But putting up the sign will now attract the attention of enforcement officers who will then pressure the restaurants to apply for “halal” status instead, he said.

“The Department of Islamic Development, Malaysia (Jakim), would prefer all restaurants in Malaysia to have only one of two signs: halal and non-halal, and the more rules Jakim has to determine who gets which classification, the more money Jakim makes,” he said.

It is also not illegal for Muslims to not observe a halal diet, he said.