Residents in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, were shocked to learn that the bakso stall that they had been frequenting was actually non-Halal!
The stall suddenly had a banner displayed outside, with bakso babi (Pork Bakso) written on it.
Residents in Yogyakarta were shocked to learn that a bakso stall they’ve been frequenting is non-Halal
This has shocked the residents, as the vendor had been operating for 9 long years without indicating that the bakso was non-Halal, and not meant for Muslims’ consumption.
The banner was put up by the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), and its secretary, Ahmad Bukhori, said that his organisation took steps to put up banners as a sign of concern for Muslims so that they would not make the mistake of buying non-halal food.
“We started discussing this matter in a DMI meeting around December 2024. At that time, there was concern among residents about the existence of non-halal meatball sellers who did not inform the status of their products.”
The vendor has been selling bakso babi since the 90s but had moved to the current location in 2016, and had never displayed any signs to indicate that the food sold was non-Halal.
Some residents knew about the non-Halal status, but kept quiet
He added that many of the customers who come to the stall are Muslims, some of them even hijab-wearing women who didn’t know the nature of the meatballs that they were having.
According to Ahmad, some residents knew the meatballs were pork, but they didn’t dare to tell other customers.
Following complaints and concerns that arose, DMI took immediate steps earlier this year by contacting village heads, representatives of the residents, and stall owners to ensure that the status of the food was explained openly to the public.
A red banner installed near the stall now clearly states that the food sold contains pork and is non-Halal
As per the report by Tribun Jogja, the move was praised by many as it was deemed a reasonable and prudent action to safeguard religious sensitivities without affecting the rights of non-Muslim traders.
