EVEN before Vern’s Holdings Sdn Bhd apologised for misinterpretation of the so-called controversial design element found on the sole of some of its footwear as that of a high heel and not an “Allah” inscription, many furious Muslim netizens have urged the shoe wholesaler to take legal action against the Facebook (FB) user who first sparked the entire furore.
For the uninitiated, Malay language news portal MalaysiaGazette reported that Facebook surfer Mohd Haridz had in a video clip exposed what appeared to be an “Allah” inscription on the sole of a pair of Vern’s shoes that he had bought for his wife.
Seorang lelaki mendakwa beliau terkejut dengan kasut yang dibelinya yang memaparkan logo dipercayai seakan kalimah Allah.
Pelayar Facebook, Mohd Haridz yang membeli sepasang kasut buat isteri mendedahkan terdapat seakan perkataan Allah pada tapaknya.#malaysiagazette… pic.twitter.com/p4is8WlqMM
— Malaysia Gazette (@MalaysiaGazette) April 7, 2024
This then caught the attention of controversial UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh who has been leading a boycott against KK Super Mart over socks bearing “Allah” inscription.
While the Merlimau state assemblyman said Muslims would not act wildly without getting to the bottom of the matter – but would instead “husnuzon” (assume the best) first – Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar intervened by noting that JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) would investigate a complaint over the logo design on the shoes.
As police investigation is currently underway with eight complaints lodged so far in Pahang, Johor, Terengganu, Kedah and Penang as per what Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain told Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Vern’s would probably have resorted to apologising in order not to complicate or prolong the matter.
While that is probably a business decision after having consulted its lawyers, it is heartwarming to know that there are sensible Muslims who feel that Vern’s is just an innocent victim of an ignorant social media surfer.
One of them is former New Straits Times motoring journalist Harris Iskandar Taib who opined that Vern’s need not apologise but instead should “stand your ground”.
Rallying behind the shoe wholesaler, more Muslim netizens want the perpetrator/s to be sued “till their pants drop”.
Netizens who are familiar with videography even questioned “the blurry nature of the video” posted by FB surfer in the centre of the allegation.
They also wanted the police to investigate the FB surfer for sedition as well as the pro-opposition MalaysiaGazette news portal for its headlines which are seemingly fanning 3R sentiments.
Netizen Azrul Mohd Khalib who is the CEO of think tank Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy pointed out that the so-called controversial element is merely “the shoe brand’s signature logo”.
At the end of the day, this netizen has the right message for the person who sparked the entire furore. – April 8, 2024
