KK Mart not proven to have insulted Islam - Perak mufti

 

The accusations that KK Mart insulted Islam were not proven so the boycott against the company’s outlets had no justification, Perak mufti Wan Zahidi Wan Teh said today.

Based on Islamic judicial methods, criminal intent (alqasdul jinaei) cannot be proven through direct evidence (syahadah), but with circumstantial evidence (garainul ahwal) or a confession, he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.

Boycotting an ethnicity is also against the Prophet Muhammad’s practices (sunnah), Wan Zahidi (above) said, citing early Islamic history where the Quraisy tribe boycotted Muslims; an act the prophet did not reciprocate despite being enemies.

“From the explanation made by the KK Mart management and the public apology for the incident, as well as the explanation given to the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), it turns out that the existence of this pillar of ‘alqasdul jinaei’ cannot be proven.

“Thus, based on Islamic judicial methods, accusations of insulting Islam against the management of KK Mart have not been proven. In addition, the act of boycotting a certain race is also not in line with the prophet’s ‘sunnah’,” he told a press conference at the Perak Mufti Department.

The controversy erupted in March when pictures of socks bearing the word Allah being sold at a KK Mart outlet in Bandar Sunway went viral on social media.

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh

Following the uproar, KK Mart apologised to all its customers, especially the Muslim community, and confirmed that immediate action had been taken to stop the sale of the socks.

The founder of the KK Mart convenience store chain, Chai Kee Kan, and his wife Loh Siew Mui, have been charged with intentionally hurting the feelings of Muslims at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh called for a boycott of KK Mart, which his party initially supported but supreme council member Bung Moktar Radin later ordered him to stop playing up the issue.

Issue sensationalised through anger

Meanwhile, Wan Zahidi said the KK Mart issue was sensationalised through hatred and anger and its handlers strayed from the foundation of universal Islamic justice.

This was in opposition to the prophet’s actions in forming the Medina Charter in which he regulated the relationships between various ethnic groups in Medina, the first Islamic country, Wan Zahidi added.

“Islamic da’wah requires an atmosphere of calm and peace as well as harmonious relations between people who follow various religions.

“The Quran gives guidance to Muslims to use a wise approach and speak well in their da’wah mission.

“The prophet warned preachers to always spread messages that reflect hope and not to raise issues that could lead to discord (basysyiru wala tunaffiru),” he said.

The KK Mart issue resulted in an attempted firebombing of a KK Mart branch in Bidor, Perak, while police are also investigating an arson threat made against KK Mart’s former supplier Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd. Akmal himself has claimed that a death threat was made against him. - Mkini