Muslim foodies berate “no halal cert” Chinese-owned Botak Nasi Lemak for deceptive name

 

WHAT’S in a name?

Plenty according to commenters on Halal Inquiry Facebook forum which had highlighted that Botak Nasi Lemak (BNL) was not listed on as having halal certification on JAKIM’s (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) portal.

The post also listed the owners/shareholders (Chen Hoi Ching, Kuan Kian Sun and Lim Kow Tsong) and Board of Directors (Kuan Kian Sun and 2. Chen Hoi Ching) who are 100% Chinese.

Let it be known that Botak Nasi Lemak which has outlets in SEA Park and SS3, Petaling Jaya has NEVER claimed to be halal.

Even its social media platforms do NOT make the usual “pork- and lard-free” claim. It only claims to serve “the second best nasi lemak in Petaling Jaya”.

The Halal inquiry’s post has generated 2.3K likes, 467 comments and 821 shares with foodies having plenty to say about this popular brand.

For starters, there were those who thought that the business name was a means to “deceive Muslims” when it was a purely Chinese enterprise.

A few fumed for having been confused or convinced that it was a Muslim-owned eatery.

One commenter pointed out that there was no issue using such a moniker as it was the national language.

It was also emphasised there were no issues patronising non-Muslim-owned establishments that were halal certified.

However, he cautioned Muslims against dining at eateries that were NOT halal certified as there were no guarantees that the raw materials were indeed halal. He likened the scenario to “pirated DVDs which would also feature relevant official stickers but were just printed from home”.

Of course, in such a context, it was a matter of time before racist remarks made their ugly appearance. One commenter claimed that the Chinese only used the national language when it would profit them.

The anti-Chinese sentiment was also evident in the many comments that stated it was preferable to dine at roadside stalls that were Malay-owned even though such stalls also did NOT possess halal certification. Support for the BMF (Buy Malay First) campaign was clear here.

Some commenters credited Halal Inquiry for not just harping about halal certification “but also revealed ownership of the establishment as well”.

It was also highlighted that Malay restaurants rarely used national language when naming the establishment. Hence, it was best to check on both halal certification as well as ownership, counselled this observer.

However, one commenter highlighted the very racist nature of the many comments when plenty of Muslim-owned eateries also did NOT possess halal certification.

Given that to qualify for halal certification, an eatery would have to meet stringent standards on hygiene and cleanliness, he believed many Muslim-owned restaurants would fail to meet such criteria.

A few pertinent issues are raised by this post.

Firstly, it must be highlighted that BNL has never made any claim to being halal nor are there any overt tactics employed to attract Muslim customers.

Secondly, since when was using the national language in a business name a crime? Wasn’t this to be encouraged?

Thirdly, as pointed out by a few commenters, BNL opened its business to cater to its own demographic, hence “it has never attempted to lure Muslims to dine in its establishments”.

At the end of the day, the solution is simple – “just keep a distance if in doubt of BNL’s halal status”. 

 - Focus Malaysia