Boy, never has a hotdog become the subject of a national debate.
Earlier this week, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) denied popular pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s Halal certification application because of one thing: Pretzel Dog.
Jakim’s Halal Division director Sirajuddin Suhaimee told Channel News Asia that the use of the name ‘pretzel dog’ is a concern because the word ‘dog’ refers to an animal.
“It is better if they can use ‘pretzel sausage’ instead,” he was quoted as saying.
Sijaruddin told The Star Online in a seperate report that names such as ‘pretzel dog’ could affect Malaysia’s image as a pioneering global Halal hub.
“Malaysia’s good name as a pioneering halal global figure needs to be improved.
“To avoid this issue at the global stage, the panel has decided not to use such a name,” he told the news portal.
In response, Auntie Anne’s Malaysia quality assurance and halal executive Farhatul Kamilah Mohamed Sazali took to her Facebook page to explain the status of the application:
According to Farhatul, the chain’s halal application had been rejected due to the “hot dog” name and several other administration issues.
Jakim wanted Auntie Anne’s to rename the food product and reapply for the halal certification for its outlets based on zones, Farhatul explained in the Facebook posting.
As Auntie Anne’s and Jakim continue to work out the issue, Malaysians, meanwhile, were having a field day on social media.
As usual, when absurd things like these make headlines, you can count on Malaysian Netizens to come up with some awesome social media gems:
What next? Are they going to ban otak-otak because it has the word ‘otak’ in it?
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