With the recent brouhaha over the JAKIM’s stance in Auntie Anne’s Halal Certification application, I want all of my Facebook friends to know that I stand side-by-side with JAKIM on this one.
Some of the recent postings and sharing over FB, in my view, I find them to be very insensitive, some are borderline offensive the rest are just outright rude. It’s worse when Muslims themselves are making fun of the issue as well.
Since I was 5, I have always referred to sausages as hot-dogs. It has less syllables when pronouncing as compared to “sau-sa-ges” or “frank-fur-ter”. Maybe that’s just the American in me being ‘reductive’ to most things.
But the Muslim in me is uncompromised.
I most certainly do not need Halal certification to enjoy a good Halal meal.
But at the same time, to criticize bluntly of JAKIM’s administrative processes is just plain rude, especially in matters relating to what JAKIM has deemed to be a high standard of Halal benchmark; again, in my personal view.
Is it “stupid and backward” to change from hot-dog to another acceptable albeit longer syllable name? Maybe, maybe not. I’m not the one applying for a Halal Certification. On my part, I have undertaken the appropriate and sufficient amount of knowledge to distinguish Halal is more than just a name. This is pretty basic for any muslim who has finished their high-school here in Malaysia. I’ve got nothing to be “confused” about.
JAKIM is certainly not in the business of HARAM certification.
I would like to conclude by saying that “Freedom to express one’s opinion” should not be equal to “Freedom to offend thy neighbor”. I would hope that my fellow friends in here regardless of faith, race, color and creed, would understand that Halal is more than just a certification, and having said that, why not leave us be with what we deemed as Halal?
Certification is just a plus.
M.K. Anwar Rangkuti, AFPM
|| Chief Digital Curator, SolidusDenarius.com
|| Supreme Content Commander, TuanPenasihat.com
|| Licensed Financial Planner #eCMSRL/B6984/2016
|| Ejen Pemasaran Online SSPN-i #000006093
|| FIMM UTC #043-0-21048 || FIMM PRC #P-043-0-20218
|| FPAM #015579
|| Tel: +60-12-7700721 [Telegram]
