The Muslim Restaurant Operators Association of Malaysia (PRESMA) is urging all food premises under their umbrella to let go of selling cigarettes at their eateries.
According to a report by Astro Awani, PRESMA President Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan shared that, so far, about 40% of the 12,000 eateries under their organisation no longer sell cigarettes.
“I think that, out of more than 12,000 premises, almost 40% no longer sell cigarettes. Let’s look at the example of a restaurant in Puncak Alam. Earlier, the Minister of Health sent them a letter of appreciation for not selling cigarettes. I think this is a good direction in the food industry,”
“The figure of speech goes like this, if we say alcohol is haram, there were still eateries (under PRESMA) that were selling alcohol but now, there are no more. If it’s possible, these restaurants, if they want to be fully halal, they will also have to avoid (selling) cigarettes in the near future,” he said.
This comes after Datuk Jawahar attended the Smoke-Free Premises Walkabout (BeBAS) program in Puncak Alam on Sunday (October 6) and was graced by Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
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Also read: Government to Discuss Moving Cigarette Sales to Non-Halal Sections of Stores & Supermarkets
