Call off the sausages; it was a misunderstanding all along.
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has apparently made a U-turn, saying that the word ‘dog’ is not the real reason why the department refused to give pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s a Halal cert.
Jakim halal division director Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee told The Star Online that the whole issue was a misunderstanding that the media had blown “out of propotion”.
“My words were taken out of context. The pretzel chain application for halal certification did not go through due to incomplete paperwork.
“I would like to stress that my previous remarks on dogs being unclean and that the name should not be linked to the halal certification was not specific to Auntie Anne’s case.
“It was a general statement based on the standard guidelines and procedures to apply for halal certification,” he was quoted as asying.
Dr Sirajuddin also told the news portal that contrary to popular belief, the term “pretzel dog” was not included in Auntie Anne’s application.
“I have double checked. We are looking at the audit report based on the findings of the central kitchen.
“That’s the procedure but someone has raised the issue about the product name,” he was further quoted as saying, adding that Jakim officials would meet and discuss the issue soon.
The whole ‘pretzel dog’ debacle became a big issue, especially online, after an Auntie Anne’s executive disclosed that the chain’s application for Halal certification was rejected because of the word “pretzel dog” in the menu.
According to the executive, Jakim had wanted the chain to change the name of the food item to “pretzel sausage”.
And of course, you can count on Malaysians to make fun of the recommendation.
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