Restaurants urged not to sell food to Muslims during Ramadan

Presma president Noorul Hassan Saul Hameed (seated, third from left) with members during the press conference at its headquarters. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Noel Achariam, May 30, 2015.

Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) will take stern action against any of its members, who allow Muslims customers to eat at their business premises during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Presma president Noorul Hassan Saul Hameed said they could also revoke the membership of the operator if it failed to abide by the directive.

He said Presma would not compromise as such actions tarnished the image of Islam for the sake of making a profit.

"All owners and operators of restaurants and Mamak shops must comply with the Malaysian Shariah law, with respect to the holy month of Ramadan.

"Therefore, I hope that the restaurant operators will only sell food to customers when Muslims break their fast," he said during a press conference at the Presma headquarters recently.

Presma has close to 3,200 members nationwide.

Meanwhile, Noorul also regretted the enforcement actions taken by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department after the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST).

He said Presma had received complaints from its members that the agencies were only targeting the Muslim restaurant owners.

"Just because a handful of Muslim restaurant owners do not abide by the rules, they should not blame all the restaurants owners.

"We are being targeted as if we are the only ones who are not paying GST. In fact, this speculation about Muslim restaurant owners not paying GST on social media has made our members very depressed," he said.

Noorul said the two agencies should adopt a more prudent, ethical and considerate approach when conducting their operations.

"We are not stopping the authorities from taking action against operators who raise the price of food and drinks, but do not discriminate against others.

"We have lost 15% to 30% of our customers two months after the GST was implemented. We hope the authorities will be more considerate when carrying out the enforcement," he said.

- TMI