YOURSAY 'Putrajaya should put up ‘Corruption-free’ signs in their offices instead.'

Take action on 'pork-free' outlets, urges deputy minister

Anonymous #44199885: Once again it seems that a learned deputy minister considers that only Muslims are or will be confused or misled. Non-Muslims have long known that pork-free does not mean halal.

There are many non-Muslims who do not eat pork (and just for the information of the deputy minister lest he go rambling again, this does include the Chinese, and I wonder whether he will be surprised by this...) and the signage is meant for them, not for Muslims.

I would credit my Muslim friends, who certainly know the difference between pork-free and halal. Why, oh why can’t Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak find better and capable people in BN to be ministers and deputy ministers?

I have lots of Muslim friends who are more capable and more intelligent. Would you like me to recommend them?

Worldly Wise: It is far more important in Islam to be honest, truthful and not to discriminate based on ethnicity. If the label ‘pork-free’ is truthful, it is Islamic in so far as it conveys true information. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki is trying to distract attention from more serious wrongs.

Fair Play: What’s going on? The country is going down in a tailspin caused by external economic factors and all we can talk about is pig, pig and more pig.

Using common sense, no pork means no pork. And halal means halal. The word halal could only be used if a halal certificate is issued and prominently displayed. If Muslims cannot understand that, educate them. Don't take it out on others.

Tholu: Is there a competition for BN politicians on who can come up with the dumbest, most senseless statement on current social, political and economic issues? Well, if indeed there is such a competition, there will definitely be a tie between all the BN politicians for the number one position.

Free Country: How can Muslims be so easily misled? Common sense and fairness dictate that you can only penalise someone who claims that he is serving halal food when he is not. You can't punish someone who just proclaims that he is serving pork-free food when he never claimed that it is halal.

Gunnerrun: Why not everyone eat vegetarian food only? Then you won't have this problem of who eats this meat and that meat and it's not halal. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced last year that meat is not safe.

But then again, some overzealous Muslims say even vegetarian food must be prepared by Muslims for it to be halal. The thing is, at which point must the food prepared to be considered halal? Harvesting time?

In transit, when it is brought to the markets by drivers or transporters, should they be Muslims? Cooking time? When the guy preparing the food asks his Myanmar staff to chop the veggies? Which point?

Don't be too over-ritualistic in life. No religion encourages that. If the crosses cannot be displayed as it may sway one particular group and ‘pork-free’ signs are misleading, then segregate all races, and let it stay that way, better still.

Be warned, though, that food sold by Muslim traders may have used food parts or ingredients produced by non-Muslims. So there!

Anonymous #32557251: We have pork-free, monosodium glutamate (MSG)-free, vegan, egg-free and many other xxx-free restaurants and food outlets and none of them claimed to be ‘halal’.

Thus, what's the problem? Our Muslim friends can just stick to the halal-certified-only food providers and what confusion the authority is talking about? In fact, I'm very confused by the claim made.

Res Ipsa: This is what we get when we have too many people holding ministerial positions with limited work to do. Mr Deputy Minister, the subject matter falls under the Domestic Trade Ministry.

And do you know that a lot of Chinese do not eat pork? In fact, a number of my Chinese friends have stopped eating pork ever since the JE virus epidemic some time ago, where there was massive culling of pigs to contain the spread of that disease. Besides, there are also a fair number of Indians who likewise stay away from pork.

So, what exactly is the harm caused in having the pork-free signs? The outlets serving halal food already have adequate signage such as ‘Di Tanggung Halal’ and ‘Makanan Orang Islam’.

Isn't Malaysia a multi-racial country where the needs of all the people need to be looked into, rather than just that of one race or religion? Perhaps it's time for us to emulate the more liberal and moderate practices of our neighbour Indonesia, which is far more Islamic than our own nation.

514223755760: Muslims know pork-free just means no pork, it does not mean halal. Though pork-free, it does not mean that that the 'ayam' and 'kambing' were slaughtered according to Islamic rituals. Muslims are not that gullible. What about vegetarian restaurants, why not take action on vegetarian restaurants if they are mistaken as halal?

James_3392: Take action, okay, but what action? The signs say ‘pork-free’, they didn't say ‘halal’. There are people from other races who don't eat pork, so they know what the restaurant is serving.

With regard to Muslims, nobody forced them to walk into the restaurant. If they choose to do so, it is their choice, they must have found it acceptable to them. So take action against who?

Chipmunk: The term ‘pork-free’ is haram but the term ‘RM2.6 billion’ is halal?

Falcon: Malaysia is yet again in the news for the wrong reasons. Just unbelievable how a simple remark can spark such a response when there are greater evils being committed.

Guyintheglass: Absolutely. This is a distraction. When the going gets tough, create a distraction.

JBond: Putrajaya should put up ‘Corruption-free’ signs in the offices there, instead of worrying about what an individual chooses to eat.

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