A Malaysian minister is facing criticism after being spotted dining at a “non-halal” Chinese restaurant in Penang.
Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz shared a series of photos on his Facebook after dining at a Michelin-recognised restaurant.
Tengku Zafrul
He faced criticism for eating at a “non-halal” Chinese restaurant
In his post, Tengku Zafrul shared that he tried some of Penang’s famous dishes, including laksa, prawn kway teow, and oyster omelette.
“There was such a long queue at Penang Road Famous Laksa. People aren’t joking when they say that if it’s delicious, they’ll queue. Especially at a Michelin-recognised spot! That’s not easy to get. If you’re in Penang, you should definitely drop by. It’s really good!” he wrote.
The post quickly drew reactions from netizens, some of whom questioned his choice of dining at a Chinese restaurant.
After facing online criticism, Tengku Zafrul explained in another post why he shared the halal certificate of a Chinese restaurant he visited.
“When I went to the restaurant, I saw the halal certificate and even shared a picture of it on my social media post,” he said.
He added that he chose to dine there after seeing a halal certificate, without giving it much thought.
“Some people pointed out that the halal certificate had been revoked when they checked the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia’s (JAKIM) website. But when we see a certificate in the restaurant, we don’t usually double-check online. God willing, let’s continue to remind each other,” he said.
The shop confirmed that its halal certification had been revoked
Meanwhile, Guang Ming Daily reported that the restaurant’s halal certificate had been cancelled in June, even though Zafrul had dined there in May.
The restaurant owner has now spoken out, saying the halal certification wasn’t revoked because of the ingredients, but due to an expansion into the unit next door.
“After the halal certification was cancelled, we removed the certificate. The claims online that we didn’t display it while certified aren’t true; it was always displayed inside the restaurant until it was revoked,” the owner said.
He added that even after the certification was withdrawn, Muslim customers who knew the situation still continued to visit, and that the restaurant is ready to reapply for halal certification.
“We didn’t hide anything; it was just a temporary loss of official recognition. Many loyal customers understood and continued to trust us,” he said.
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