Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has defended halal-certified eateries and hotels that display Christmas decorations, saying such decorations have no impact on the halal status of the food served.
The Merlimau assemblyman and Melaka executive councillor urged the Melaka Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jaim) to review a circular that allegedly prohibits Christmas decorations at halal-certified premises.
“For example, what is wrong with a halal-certified restaurant owned by non-Muslims putting up ‘Merry Christmas’ decorations?
“As long as the food and beverages are not sourced from haram ingredients, the food remains halal,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Dr Akmal added that he had consulted several muftis on the matter, who agreed that halal certification is determined solely by the source of ingredients and food preparation methods.
“Decorations have nothing to do with this,” he said.
His remarks follow a query by Ayer Keroh assemblyman Kerk Chee Yee, who called on the Melaka government to clarify whether Jaim had indeed issued such a circular.
The DAP assemblyman said that if the directive exists, it would represent a regressive step and should be rectified by the state government.
The circular, which has been circulating publicly, states that Jaim had received enquiries regarding the placement of Christmas decorations at halal-certified hotels and food premises in Melaka. It claims such decorations are not allowed because Christmas is a religious celebration and not merely cultural, and could potentially “cause faith-related issues”.
However, the circular allows hotels to place Christmas decorations in areas that are not halal-certified.
