SHAH ALAM: A popular restaurant at Section 25 here, which has been operating as a ‘halal’ Muslim establishment for the last 10 years, was found not to have valid halal certification whatsoever.
The food outlet, which is festooned with displays of Quranic verses and messages in Jawi, was also discovered to be obtaining raw foodstuff, such as mutton, from non-halal certified suppliers, Bernama reported.
The eatery was finally exposed by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), whose enforcement personnel, as well as officers from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, carried out a spot check on its premises on Sunday.
The authorities were tipped off by a viral social media post which claimed that the restaurant owner, a non-Muslim, was deceiving patrons by promoting the eatery as a Muslim establishment, and that the restaurant was serving non-halal fare.
“We also found that (almost all of the restaurant’s staff) are non-Muslim, which makes the halal status of their food questionable,” Jais deputy director (Operations) Salwana Ahmad Dahlan said in a statement on Monday.
It is learnt that the restaurant is shared by two owners, T. Krisnasamy, 61, and an individual who is Muslim, but whose identity has not been established.
When contacted by Bernama, Krisnasamy said that his restaurant had never before been raided, and that he will adhere to all of Jais’ instructions, beginning with removing the displays of Quranic verses from the premises.
Meanwhile, Salwana said Jais will take legal action against the owners under Section 10 (A) of the Selangor Syariah Crimes Enactment 1995 “for insulting Islam or causing Islam to be undermined.”
“The owners have been summoned to present themselves at the Jais Office to have their statements recorded,” she said, adding that consumers can check the halal status of food outlets in Selangor at www.jais.gov.com; or lodge any halal status-related complaints by contacting Jais at 03-5514 3760 / 3486.