HERE'S a conundrum for non-Malays in Malaysia: How much ownership can a non-Malay have over the national language? Use too little of it and one risks being accused of not being Malaysian enough.
Use too much and one risks being accused of cultural appropriation or, in the context of a locally brewed whiskey, of trying to confuse the Malays. The brand hearkens back to Malaya's tin-mining history ( timah is the Malay word for tin).
Instead, some religious leaders have chosen to interpret the name Timah to mean a woman named Fatimah. That they have opted for an Arabic definition, rather than the Malay one, is completely out of left field.
That these religious leaders claim to fear that Malaysian Muslims will be confused over the permissibility of the product because of the name (and the image of a bearded man wearing a skullcap) suggests that they have failed at educating Malaysian Muslims on even the most basic identifier of what is haram (forbidden).
Consumable alcohol, ethanol, is haram. But most of such alcohol are not always advertised as ethanol. And such alcohol comes in many forms: beer, ale, wine, whiskey, gin, shandy, rum, vodka and so on.
Of course, in the ideal Islamic world, the concept of caveat emptor (buyer beware) does not exist, because the responsibility of what is being sold rests solely on the seller. But that is not how the rest of the world works.
So, Muslims must learn to identify what is haram in all the different ways that they exist — not only because Malaysia is a multicultural country, but also because the world is multicultural.
Even if one doesn't know that whiskey is a type of alcohol, one should learn how to read the ingredient label (Iqraa — read! — was the first of God's commandments to Prophet Muhammad). And, realistically speaking, what kind of halal drink retails at RM240 for a 750ml bottle? When in doubt, just stay out.
Of course, the issue of what is halal (permitted) and what is haram is very important to Muslims. And, it is not limited to just food and drink.
Indeed, it guides practising Muslims on how they should conduct their lives. Is one's earnings halal? Not only the employer's business dealings, but also in how conscientiously one has fulfilled one's duties.
Is it halal to profit off the backs of exploited labour? Is something that has been produced by exploited labour halal? Is it halal or haram to embezzle funds? Is it halal or haram to give or receive a bribe, or be witness to it and do nothing?
Instead of quibbling over a whiskey brand, Malaysia's religious leaders should focus on bigger issues that affect the everyday lives of people — modern-day slavery, a decent living wage and ensuring that destitute and single-mothers have the means of earning an honest living to feed their families.
In his Maulidur Rasul address on Tuesday, Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah exhorted Muslim scholars and leaders to pool their energy and work together in the fight against corruption, and to not close their eyes, deafen their ears, nor hold their tongues against acts of corruption.
Muslims should live life with integrity, and reject cronyism and nepotism. These are much tougher issues of halal and haram to address. True leaders would not shy away from them.