Genting’s “Chinese Muslim” eatery bashed for being deceptive: “We’ve never claim to be halal!”

GENTING Highlands in Pahang is not just all about the casino. Scores of tourists head over to the hillside retreat to enjoy the theme parks, live shows/concerts or just the cooler atmosphere.

As such, there are numerous restaurants that have popped up serving a multitude of tastes and needs. A popular Muslim foodie destination is the Restoran Makanan Enak in Genting Permai.

The point of contention from a Muslim stand-point insofar as the eatery is concerned is perhaps its trilingual “Masakan Cina Muslim” (literally “Chinese Muslim cooking”) on its signage in Malay, Jawi and Mandarin.

As highlighted on the Halal Inquiry Facebook forum, the restaurant which was incorporated on May 17, 2023 and run by Enak F&B Sdn Bhd has yet to possess the JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) halal certificate upon checking on March 8 this year.

The poster also shone a spotlight on the list of owners and shareholders which comprised three non-Muslims, namely Chan Chi Wan, Colin Ong Seng Jek and Tan Pei Yee.

The post has generated 2.2K Likes, 434 comments and 659 shares with many commenters taking note of the misleading signage.

Some commenters barely disguised their prejudices when declaring that the Chinese would use any means to deceive the Muslim consumers, referring specifically to the use of Jawi in the signage.

It was then pointed out that Jawi script in business signages was mandatory in Pahang (but funnily, that did not get as many ‘likes’ as the openly racist comments that asked to boycott such restaurants).

Editor’s Note:  The use of Jawi script is mandated on business signages, advertisement boards and road signs in the state of Pahang since Jan 1, 2020. The Jawi script must be clearly visible and – in many cases – is placed above the Latin (Rumi) script with similar sizing.

However, this negative publicity brought an impassioned response from the restaurant owners.

Posting on its own FB pager, it gave a lengthy explanation, stating its genuine wish to serve Muslim diners with care, respect and most pertinently, transparency.

At the very top of a lengthy rebuttal, it was pointed out “our signage clearly states Kedai Masakan Cina Muslim which reflects our business focus on serving Chinese Muslim cuisine from the very beginning until today”.

At no time have we represented ourselves explicitly as a Chinese Muslim Restaurant.

We’ve never claimed to be halal-certified as we’ve yet to obtain official certification. There are no displays or indications within our premises stating that we’re halal-certified.

The inclusion of Jawi script was intended solely to create a welcoming and familiar atmosphere for our Muslim patrons. It was never meant to mislead or misrepresent our identity.

We would like to emphasise that our establishment is strictly pork-free. All ingredients and poultry used are sourced from halal-certified suppliers. Copies of our suppliers’ halal certificates are displayed at the cashier area for transparency.

On the absence of any Muslim partners in the enterprise, it was explained that although “the current SSM (Companies Commission of Malaysia) records don’t reflect a Chinese Muslim partner, this was not always the case”.

“Previously, a Chinese Muslim partner (Hamza Ngeow Soong Han bin Ngeow See Meng) was officially listed within our SSM registration,” claimed the restaurant.

Due to internal and confidential reasons, this partner requested to be removed from the official records.

Despite this, he continues to play an active role in our operations as an executive and Muslim consultant.

We regularly seek his guidance, particularly on religious matters, to ensure that we uphold the appropriate standards and maintain the trust of our Muslim customers.

Despite the impassioned plea, the reaction on its own FB page was negative to the extent that one commenter even resorted to tagging the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, the police and JAKIM to seek their intervention.

It would appear that the damage has been done.

At the very outset, it is best for any non-Muslim eateries intending to have a slice of the ‘lucrative’ Muslim business to first acquire the official JAKIM halal certification to avoid aspersions than to hide behind the “NO PORK & NO LARD” or even “NO ALCOHOL” claim. –  Focus Malaysia