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Auntie Anne’s halal bid not rejected over ‘hot dogs’, Jakim claims

KUALA LUMPUR — In an apparent U-turn, Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department (Jakim) said on Thursday (Oct 20) that it did not reject American pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s application for halal status because of the presence of the word “dog” in its menu.

An Auntie Anne's at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AP

An Auntie Anne's at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AP

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KUALA LUMPUR — In an apparent U-turn, Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department (Jakim) said on Thursday (Oct 20) that it did not reject American pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s application for halal status because of the presence of the word “dog” in its menu. 

Jakim’s halal division director Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee — who previously told the Malaysian media that “in Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification” — on Thursday insisted his remark was a general statement and not specific to Auntie Anne’s chain. 

He said the chain’s application for halal certification had failed because of reasons such as incomplete paperwork. “We made a general statement based on the manual and procedure of halal certification application. It is based on that guideline,” he added.

Mr Sirajuddin insisted his remarks were taken out of context by media reports after an executive with Auntie Anne’s revealed that its application for halal certification had failed because of concerns about the “pretzel dogs” in its menu, among others.

He said checks on Auntie Anne’s application showed that the term “pretzel dogs” was not present.

“We are looking at the audit report based on the findings of the central kitchen. That’s the procedure, but somebody else raised the issue about the product name,” he said on Thursday when explaining the rejection. But he did not state whether the word “pretzel dog” would have had any bearing on the halal certification application.

The incident is the latest in a growing trend of religious conservatism in Malaysia, the only country in the world that prohibits non-Muslims from using the word “Allah” and other Arabic terms.

Jakim’s move has been criticised by Mr Nazri Aziz, a minister with the ruling United Malays National Organisation, who described the decision as stupid and backward. 

The move has also generated a buzz among Malaysians on social media, with many questioning whether it will apply to other fast-food items such as root beer. MALAY MAIL ONLINE

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