IN the aftermath of Vern’s Holdings Sdn Bhd apologised for having cast confusion over the controversial design element found on the sole of some of its ladies’ footwear, a number of sensible Muslim netizens rallied behind the shoe wholesaler while questioning the logic of the company having to give in “so easily” to religious bigots.
“The first rule of apologising is that you automatically acknowledge your guilty … I know the owner wants to be gentle and settle quickly but it won’t be that easy,” penned Farhanisme (@HannZiq) on the X platform with netizens concurring that the owner shouldn’t have reacted hastily but gave the matter a thorough thought first.
Implikasi minta maaf. Walaupun design tu disalahtafsir oleh orang tertentu. Komen2 di FB masih nak boikot & hentam.
Sebab 1st rule minta maaf adalah anda secara automatik bersalah.
I know the owner nak berlembut dan settle cepat, tapi tak akan semudah tu. pic.twitter.com/aKBu4ujv0n
— Farhanisme (@HannZiq) April 8, 2024
Interestingly, Vern’s was soon vindicated when an academicism from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) claimed that the logo which has caused Muslim uproar after defiant UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh intervened in the matter does not match the holy word in terms of the art of ‘khat’ (a form of Malay-Arabic calligraphy).
Associate Prof Dr Nor Azlin Hamidon who lectures in visual art culture, Islamic art and calligraphy said that this was because the logo has excess lines which damaged the writing of the word ‘Allah’.
“From the point of view of the khattat (calligrapher), the logo does not conform to any traditionally accepted calligraphy method, hence the design is in the category of free calligraphy,” the deputy president of Persatuan Seni Khat Kebangsaan told Bernama yesterday (April 8).
Apart from seeking calligraphy experts, perhaps business owners in Vern’s situation can also consult mufti in their respective state as in the case of the proprietor of the All In Hotel (see main image) in Perlis.
This has led to the state’s mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin cautioning the public against creating unnecessary issues given that some quarters alleged that the name of the hotel resembled the word “Allah” in Arabic script.
“The (non-Muslim) owner has started to worry because many items have been printed using that name,” penned Mohd Asri in a recent Facebook post.
“I asked the objector ‘what was written by the hotel owner?’ They answered: ‘All in’. I then asked: ‘So, what’s the problem?’. They answered: “It looks like an inscription of Allah”. I said: ‘He didn’t write Allah, only you guys see it as Allah. The letters are clear – All in – not Allah.”
The moral of the story is obvious. It is important for business owners not to take the easy way out by apologising for a mistake that never was. Sue the perpetrators till their pants drop if necessary to start a precedent.
Otherwise, ‘the prophecy’ of social activist and human rights lawyer Siti Kasim may just come true. – April 9, 2024
