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Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s Facebook post on the floor mats with images of the Kaaba have once again caused a stir amongst Malaysians.
“When your religion is insulted like this and we are still unaware, it is better to die.”
“Muslims, let us unite, no matter the differences in political ideologies. The unity of ummah becomes our strength to avoid being looked down on,” he said in his post.
Akmal Saleh’s strongly-worded message referred to the recent news of 11 floor mats being seized by Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) on April 9, a day before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, following public complaints on social media.
Muslim prayer mats in AEON mall have been mislabelled as doormats, drawing criticism
A TikTok video has surfaced showing a pile of mats etched with the outline of the Kaaba inside a supermarket display bin in AEON supermarket. Located in Mecca, the Kaaba is the Islam’s holiest site and is the direction to which Muslims pray from around the world.
In response to JAINJ’s summons, AEON BiG (M) Sdn. Bhd. and the supplier, A&R Fashion Collection (A&R) explained that the confusion arose due to the product being incorrectly labeled as a ‘doormat’, and the description of the product has since been corrected in the AEON BiG product management system.
“Both AEON BiG management and A&R hope the joint statement clarifies any doubts regarding this issue. We hope that speculations that can affect the harmony of our multi-racial society will be stopped,“ the statement read.
Founded in 2007, A&R is a 100% Bumiputera and Muslim-owned Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) which supplies Syariah-compliant Muslim clothing such as ‘jubah’, hijabs, kurtas, ‘samping’, and songkok. The company has been a supplier of AEON BiG since 2015, besides supplying to other retailers and selling the products in its own stores.
Aeon’s statement on their Facebook page.
Dr. Akmal has held similar views on the KK Mart and Vern’s shoes controversies
Previously, Akmal had called out other businesses over insulting Islam. In his Facebook posts, he urged muslims to boycott convenience store chain KK Mart for selling socks with the word “Allah” printed on them, maintaining his stance despite the company’s apology and despite his remarks being probed by police for sedition.
In a second incident, he demanded an explanation from local shoe brand Vern’s for allegedly using the word “Allah” in khat on its soles. The company responded by saying the design was unrelated to the word and is in reality based on its signature product.
Tensions came to a head when a man threw a petrol bomb at a KK Mart in Bidor, Perak, followed by two more incidents of violence across Malaysia.
To quell the rising tensions, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, Malaysia’s current king, held an audience with Akmal and other political leaders.
The king expressed his hope that political leaders would avoid being extremists when giving their views on religious and racial issues.
After the audience with the king, Akmal published a new Facebook post saying that he would heed the Agong’s advice to maintain national harmony.
Dr. Akmal’s latest response comes despite calls for racial harmony to be restored
With regards to this new controversy, Dr. Akmal has once again issued a public statement that has led to disharmonious feelings amongst Malaysians, seemingly in contradiction to his earlier remarks.
Religion is becoming a source of racial tension in Malaysia, noted Former Malaysian Ambassador Dato Dr Ilango Karuppannan in a YouTube video.
“I understand why Muslims are angry. I am appalled and angry, too. This is wrong and unacceptable.
“But the correct course of action is to let the law take its course. Therefore, championing identity politics by turning it into a religious issue is damaging. What does it say about the rule of law?
“We must be naïve to think this would not go unnoticed (by the international community),” Dr Ilango added.
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Read also: The KK Mart Controversy Has Gone Too Far, Prompting The King Of Malaysia To Make a Statement
The KK Mart Controversy Has Gone Too Far, Prompting The King Of Malaysia To Make a Statement
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