THERE are no restrictions on halal certificate holders writing celebratory festive greetings on cakes for customers to take home, said Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar. Na’im told a local portal that there is no barring on writing festival greetings on cakes sold by halal certificate holders for customers.“I have instructed the halal department under the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) to issue an immediate statement that explains the matter clearly, especially to halal certificate holders.“I have also asked them to produce a video on the issue to ensure everyone understands,” The Star quoted him as saying.An internal memo by Berry’s Cake House strictly banning Christmas greetings on its cakes has gone viral with accusations of religious bigotry by the outlet.The bakery’s operations manager Daniel Teoh defended the outlet’s policy stating that it is merely adhering to JAKIM’s (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) regulations on halal certification.The online portal noted that the bakery’s owner has yet to respond to queries about the purported circular.In a similar issue last month, JAKIM stressed that festive greetings are allowed on products if they were not made to be displayed on the premises that have the halal certification or on products marked with the halal logo.The issue first came to light in 2020. The then-religious affairs minister Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri later clarified that Christmas greetings would not void any halal certification by JAKIM. – Dec 17, 2023
