{"id":37570,"date":"2023-12-20T04:12:05","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T04:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/malaysia-oks-merry-christmas-on-halal-cakes\/"},"modified":"2023-12-20T04:12:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T04:12:05","slug":"malaysia-oks-merry-christmas-on-halal-cakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/malaysia-oks-merry-christmas-on-halal-cakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Malaysia OKs ‘Merry Christmas’ on halal cakes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KUALA LUMPUR: Halal-certified bakeries in largely Muslim Malaysia can now put Christmas greetings on cakes for their customers, religious authorities said, reversing a three-year-old ban following public uproar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, known as Jakim, said Monday that the new directive replaces a previous order which barred the businesses from writing Merry Christmas on their products.<\/p>\n

The new ruling came after an internal memo from popular bakery chain Berry\u2019s telling staff not to write Christmas greetings on their cakes was shared widely online since last weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be informed for this coming Christmas Festival Celebration we are strictly not allowed to write the words of Merry Christmas or X\u2019Mas on any cakes even (if) requested by the customer,\u201d according to the memo, which cited halal regulations from Jakim.<\/p>\n

Staff were advised to use a \u201cSeason\u2019s greetings\u201d topper instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill having the word Merry Christmas on the cake make all the cakes in the shop non-halal?. So please respect all cultures!,\u201d one Facebook user commented about the policy.<\/p>\n

Jakim, the country\u2019s Islamic affairs agency, said in a statement that \u201cit is clear that there are no obstacles for business premises that have Malaysia halal certification to write any festive greetings on cake orders or similar\u201d.<\/p>\n

The agency said its \u201cprevious statements in 2020 are not applicable\u201d anymore and released an image of the Berry\u2019s memo with its statement.<\/p>\n

Jakim also said it will \u201creview and re-evaluate\u201d matters related to the Malaysian halal certification procedure.<\/p>\n

A Berry\u2019s representative told AFP on Tuesday that the internal memo \u201cwas meant for internal use\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we follow Jakim guidelines and customers can write the Christmas wishes,\u201d said the representative, who declined to give her full name. \u201cWe hope this issue can come to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Muslims account for about two-thirds of Malaysia\u2019s 34 million people, with large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. Christians comprise about 10 percent of the population.<\/p>\n

The Southeast Asian country regularly hosts international trade fairs on halal products and is positioning itself as a world leader in halal certification to meet the demands of Muslim consumers worldwide.<\/p>\n

Halal certification for products is increasingly sought after by manufacturers in a bid to tap into a lucrative Muslim consumer market which Malaysian officials estimate will be worth five trillion dollars globally by 2030 from three trillion dollars currently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n