Just recently, a breastfeeding mother was baffled when she was turned down by a hotel staff after requesting her breast milk to be frozen in the refrigerator of the hotel. The mother named Chua was staying at a five-star hotel in Malacca, according to Sinchew.
Source: Dina Koutas Poch
Following the incident, the confused mother shared her experience on a closed Facebook group to seek the opinion of other members. Here’s what she wrote.
“At around 9pm, I brought the breast milk to the reception counter and requested for it to be frozen. However, the staff refused to help me and left after pointing out that the breast milk was non-halal.”
“I waited for another staff to come around but my request was again declined. The reason given was that my breast milk was non-halal. I tried to explain to the staff and even told them about the benefits of breast milk, but they just weren’t convinced.”
“I had no choice but to give up that batch of breast milk.”
Since Chua was working away from home, she didn’t bring her baby along. Plus, she was staying at the hotel for a few days, which meant that freezing the milk was the only way to ensure it stays fresh and safe for her baby’s consumption.
“The next morning, I brought a new batch of breast milk to the VIP room that operates only during the day. The staff was more than friendly to help me freeze the milk.”
After her encounter received nationwide attention, netizens were enraged by the staff’s ignorance. Even some Muslims who heard the news were equally outraged and condemned the receptionist for declining the mother’s request.
Soon, the hotel management contacted the mother to apologise and clarified the issue with her.
“They apologised to me regarding the staff’s behaviour, and explained to me that the hotel does provide such service for breastfeeding mothers, including at night. There’s no such thing as halal and non-halal when it comes to this.”
“The male staff on duty that night was not well-trained in handling breast milk and he had very little knowledge about breast milk too. That’s why he refused to assist me.”
The mother also stressed that her Facebook post was meant to seek the opinion of the group members, and not to magnify the hotel’s fault.
“I requested the hotel management to teach their staff about how to handle breast milk, instead of punishing them.”
All hotel receptionists should be well-trained in handling customers’ breast milk. After all, this will surely ease a mother’s burden and simultaneously improve the hotel’s image as well!
Also read: School Uses Separate Cups for Muslim and Non-Muslim Students, Netizens Outraged
