The launch of a local-made whiskey brand has sparked controversy after those unhappy with the alcoholic beverage framed it as being out to insult Islam.
The "insulting Islam" narrative zoomed in on everything from its brand name to the imagery on the bottle and even the timing of the launch.
The portal negaramerdeka.com claimed the name "Timah" was similar to the name of the Prophet's daughter.
"Breaking!!! 'Timah', the first local liquor named similar to the Prophet's daughter (Gempar!!! ‘Timah’, arak tempatan pertama dinamakan seakan nama anak RasuluLLah Saw)," screamed its headline.
This was echoed by Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (Mapim).
"The emergence of a Malaysian-made whiskey is an embarrassment and an insult to Muslims when the brand is linked to a Malay and Muslim name (Timah is short for Fatimah)," said Mapim president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid in a statement.
Azmi also took issue with the image of the man on the bottle.
"More insolent (biadab) is the liquor's advertisement uses the image of a man in kopiah with a long beard as if showing the someone with Muslim image is promoting liquor," he said.
Whiskey maker Timah, in a statement to address the criticism, said the man on its bottle is Captain Tristram Speedy, an English officer during the British colonisation of Malaya.
"The man on our bottle, Captain Speedy, was one of the men who introduced whiskey culture back then," it said.
Speedy was appointed as an administrator to restore order during the Larut wars, a conflict for control over tin mining areas in Perak from 1861 to 1874.
"Timah is a local word meaning 'tin'. The name 'Timah Whiskey' harks back to the tin mining era during British Malaya.
"Any interpretation of our name unrelated to Malaysian mining is false," added the whiskey firm.
It also stressed that its product was intended for non-Muslims of legal age to purchase alcohol.
Police report to be lodged
However, the outrage continued with Pertubuhan Kemasyarakatan Rakyat (Pekemas Malaysia) planning to lodge a police report later today.
The group questioned the timing of its launch.
"We, from Pekemas Malaysia, condemn the whiskey brand which was launched on a date close to Maulidur Rasul (Prophet Muhammad's birthday)," it said in a separate statement.
The whiskey brand was launched in an online ceremony on Oct 7.
Meanwhile, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) also condemned the whiskey brand, claiming that it "insulted Islam".
CAP: Alcohol content is high, at 40 percent
CAP education officer NV Subbarow questioned how the product could be approved by the authorities when the alcohol content is high, at 40 percent.
"Apart from the alcohol content, CAP does not understand how the ministry could approve the name and image (of the product) which can cause anger," he said in a statement.
Subbarow, when contacted, said he was raising an issue that had been highlighted by concerned citizens.
"Before I issued (the statement), I asked a few people and they said Timah comes from the word Fatimah, mentioned in Quran and everything," he told Malaysiakini.
Asked about Timah's clarification that the image was of Captain Tristram Speedy, he said: "Yes, you are right... But you see, we've been asking for a long time, give information - why do you want to use this kind of images?"
"You can use a different kind of image... I don't care which religion, even if Hindu God is put on a T-shirt, still we oppose. Calander also we oppose. (Such) images should not be put on calendars because it'll be thrown away on the streets," Subbarow said.
He also reiterated concerns over the high alcohol content. "Others like stout and the likes are only five percent," Subbarow added. - Mkini
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