THE Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) has recently issued an official statement to clarify that it has no affiliation, connection or authorisation link with the defunct Halal inquiry Company direktori [sic] following outburst of the “Mee Pok” saga.
For those not up to speed, the self-proclaimed halal watchdog has been spotlighting eateries that attract many Muslim customers but are not listed on JAKIM’s website as possessing a valid halal certification.
However, many netizens began to notice a pattern whereby it tended to train its gun on mostly non-Muslim-owned restaurants, thus leading to a suspicion that the site purportedly administered by culinary influencer Ameen Sukor a.k.a. Abang Ameen is pushing a rightist agenda.
Things came to a boil when the site confused the ‘Mee Pok’ – a flat, yellow wheat-and-egg noodles of Teochew origin – served at the 95-year-old Nan Yang Coffeeshop in Segamat, Johor to “Mee Pork”
Despite an apology and the content being taken down, the Nan Yang proprietor had not only lodged as many as two police reports and an official complaint to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) but is also pursuing legal action against administrator of the halal inquirer site.
This led to the controversial watchdog side being taken down in the wee hours of Monday (Aug 10) but only momentarily as a new site bearing the name “Halal and Company Direktori was ‘reborn’ on the same day (see main image).
One would have thought that with JAKIM’s statement and the barrage of negative publicity, including from fair-minded Muslims on the original watchdog site would have dampened its credibility but alas a leopard cannot change its spots that easily.
In fact, a quick scroll on JAKIM’s Facebook page where the above statement was uploaded indicates that the halal watchdog retains staunch followers who look up to it as having raised halal awareness ‘multiple times’ better than the official body.
Support for the unofficial watchdog soon turned into a JAKIM-bashing exercise with a few irate Muslim commenters labelling the organisation as both inefficient and ineffective. “Weak” was the verdict of one less-than-impressed observer regarding JAKIM’s website.
One reasonable commenter suggested that the halal inquirer’s popularity was down to JAKIM’s failure to do its part in ensuring eateries have the requisite halal certification.
It was suggested that JAKIM form teams to routinely conduct spot checks and enforcement at wayward restaurants who seek to deceive Muslim customers.
One commenter reasoned that though the watchdog site was perhaps overly-aggressive in pursuing matters with its vigilante tactics, it was driven in part by JAKIM’s incompetence.
This tech-savvy commenter also derided JAKIM for its outdated operating systems and servers. “How can JAKIM serve the needs of Muslims if the halal portal is always down?”
Few things to note about this entire episode.
Firstly, this badmouthing online has gone off long enough. The halal inquirer may be lauded for highlighting restaurants that do not possess halal certification but that does NOT excuse it from spreading misinformation and toxic content as exemplified by the Nan Yang Coffee House episode.
Secondly, such unofficial watchdogs cannot be allowed to continue operating unfettered. As shown with the Nan Yang Coffee House case, there are rice bowls of many innocent people involved.
Moreover, destroying livelihoods based on hearsay and conjecture surely CANNOT be encouraged nor tolerated. A simple apology cannot undo the damage done for slanderous content posted with ill-intent.
Thirdly, it does appear that JAKIM is suffering from a lack of public confidence in its ability to safeguard Muslim interests. Perhaps, some of its budget largesse can be spent on a public relations campaign highlighting its strict halal certification process?
Last but not least, there is no denial that a Ketuanan Melayu Islam agenda is being promoted by the watchdog. Yes, the site has its ardent supporters but one can only surmise that birds of feather flock together. – Aug 12, 2026
