YOURSAY | ‘Welcome to the club, McDonald's. Make sure the guests are all segregated according to sex, too.’
McD: 'Halal birthday cake' rule due to certification
Gerard Lourdesamy: If a non-halal cake can contaminate the premises, what about non-Muslims who eat pork and drink alcohol?
Jakim has no business to issue guidelines that restrict the rights of non-Muslims. Either McDonald’s supply the cake or tell their Muslim staff not to touch the cake. Simple.
The utensils used to cut and eat the cake such as plastic knives, forks and spoons and paper plates and cups can be discarded after use.
The better option would be for the 40 percent non-Muslims in the country to boycott McDonald’s.
Anonymous #44199885: How is a customer to determine halal certification and whether it is even genuine? It is ridiculous that non-Muslims need to adhere to such a rule for food that they bought elsewhere and only they are consuming.
Is it the intention by McDonald’s to close its facilities to non-Muslims or force its customers to only buy halal products? If this is the intent, then just say so and we can take our business elsewhere.
The government has not made any such pronouncements and if this is due to pressure from the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), then it is an unjustifiable application to non-Muslims who have a different faith and belief system.
Next, we will be told that only customers who only consume halal food are welcome as patrons at McDonald’s.
It is unbelievable that there are people out there who believe that form is more important than substance.
Oscar Kilo: Indeed, there are many simple solutions.
1) Non-Muslims can stop having birthday parties at McDonald's.
2) If having a birthday party at McDonald's, bring a halal cake from a halal bakery.
3) Have a birthday party without birthday cake.
Tony Soprano: Weird custom anyway, bringing your own food to a restaurant? Certainly, no McDonald’s in the United States would allow it. It's bad business and a reasonable requirement to keep outside food out.
If you go to a steak house in Kuala Lumpur, do they allow you to bring your own dessert?
Anonymous 2305141436452229: Tony Soprano, many F&B (food and beverage) outlets in Malaysia, even the higher end ones, allow you to bring your own birthday cakes.
In fact, they will even keep it in their fridge for you and help you light the candles and cut the cake.
Anonymous_1419577444: This is the right move. McDonald’s should also take this one extremely important step further - that is, to ensure that its customers are also "halal". Otherwise, it risks losing its halal certification.
Doc: What about paying for McDonald’s food at the restaurant?
How do I verify my ringgit notes are halal and not been used for non-halal activities (for example, the notes were used to purchase pork items, alcohol or used in pubs) before it reached my hand?
GE14Now: You might as well ban money as much of it has been tainted with people who consume pork.
Since the Chinese allegedly pay most of the taxes in the country, the government can be said is not halal as it takes our money.
ABC123: I don’t see a problem here. These are their restaurants and they have a right to reject any outside food that is brought into their premises. Most restaurants won’t even allow you to bring outside food in the first place and most people accept that.
We must keep in mind that these are not public areas, but business premises, and Mcdonald’s is not a public body but a business.
If you disagree, just don’t eat there or don’t celebrate any birthdays there. Furthermore, they are following requirements set out by the certification authorities, McDonald’s is not making up something on its own.
Not Convinced: ABC123, it is a problem if McDonald’s allow only halal birthday cake. If all birthday cakes are banned, then yes, it’s not a problem.
Vijay47: Great, welcome to the club, McDonald's. Make sure that the guests are all segregated according to sex. Better still, make it by race also. Muslims must get an 8 percent discount.
Just a Malaysian:It is purity of the heart that God expect, not a hypocritical show of holiness and purity.
My pick for top news story and newsmaker of the year
Ash Burn: Writer S Thayaparan, I enjoyed reading your columns. I look forward to reading more from you.
I thank you for sharing your perspective with us. My point is perhaps that there is another perspective to consider.
In religious or non-religious groups that are convinced they have the only or greater truth and the ear of the Creator (or in the case of non-creationists, the surrender to or the acceptance of a natural order of the universe) that it would be misguided to wrong a religion or tenets by the perhaps enthusiastic interpretations by its followers or protagonists?
The Analyser: Thank you, Commander. You are the voice of sanity in a world of idiocy. One would have thought that in the light of almost universal condemnation, that the religion might have toned down its level of repression.
But like insecure men all over the world, their only answer to questioning is more repression.
Citizen No 26: Happy new year to Commander (Rtd) S Thayaparan, the true patriot.
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