Dog in halal outlet causes furore; some netizens demand revocation of halal status

 

ANIMALS HAVE always been valuable companions in our lives. The sight of a fury four legged creature with huge round eyes is enough to invoke one’s cuddling instincts.

But we can all agree that our four legged friends aren’t exactly angels. They poop and pee everywhere, besides turning our homes into a hazard ground.

The situation gets even more complicated in a muslim-dominated peninsular Malaysia where dogs are present in a place that prioritises hygiene, such as an eatery or cafe.

And that was exactly what happened in a café in Mont Kiara recently where claims surfaced that a dog had been brought into a halal-certified outlet of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

The incident was highlighted on a Facebook post by the group Halal inquiry Company direktori, which pointed out a customer bringing his Shiba Inu dog in a photo. 

The post criticised the act as disrespectful, particularly given that the outlet holds halal certification from Malaysia’s religious authorities.

It also called on management to review CCTV footage from the time of the incident and take action against those involved.

Numerous members of the online community has since responded to the post and their opinions were mixed.

For example, Faizal Aziz requested that JAKIM revoke their halal certificate for allowing customers into a premise which has the halal status.

According to Faizal Aziz, the Muslims can all boycott this The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf branch too.

“This is what we see. There are many more than we didn’t see,” warned Encik AmirulHafiz.

Then there was Ayie Abas stating that such insensitive individuals fail to understand the sensitivity of the community in Malaysia which is different from the countries they admire.

“No one force u to go. U can go warung mak kiah to drink ur RM3 coffee,” countered Adrian Kang while Mohd Nizam Osman thinks every cloud has a silver lining.

“He brings a dog, we bring a cat. What’s so difficult? If you want to live in harmony, you have to compromise. Don’t let our pets cause conflicts among the people,” added Mohd Farid Abd Razak.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf – Malaysia has yet to respond with a statement but the company’s managing director, Datuk M. Amar Shah already addressed the situation publicly. 

He clarified that the viral images did not show the full context, and based on initial findings, the dog was believed to have been at the outdoor seating area rather than inside the dining space.

He reiterated that the company adheres strictly to halal guidelines, which prohibit pets from entering indoor dining areas. If the incident did occur as alleged, he described it as an isolated case that is being taken seriously.

To prevent similar misunderstandings in the future, the café chain plans to reinforce its standard operating procedures among staff, improve signage regarding its no-pets policy, and ensure customers are appropriately advised when necessary.

Amar Shah also apologised for any concern caused and assured the public that hygiene standards remain a priority, adding that the affected area would be thoroughly cleaned regardless. — Focus Malaysia