By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI – Attempts are being made in the Muslim-majority Malaysia to calm down tempers after tension erupted over the sale of socks with the word “Allah” in Arabic and English printed on them at a popular convenience store chain. The ethnic Chinese owners of the chain and one of its suppliers have been charged in the court with offending the religious sentiments of Muslims.
For the last two weeks, the issue has triggered an outrage among Muslims and a Malay political party in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition has called for a boycott of the country’s second largest chain, KK Mart Group. The racial tensions of the majority community with the sizeable Chinese and Indian communities, simmering since the last general elections in 2022, have also increased.
During the escalated tension, death threats were issued to a politician and a petrol bomb attack was attempted at a branch of the supermarket. Chai Kee Kan, founder and chairman of KK Mart Group, and his wife Loh Siew Mui, a company director, pleaded not guilty to charges of deliberately wounding the religious feelings of Muslims. The company has blamed its supplier for sending products the company had not agreed to stock.
Muslims comprise two-thirds of a population of 3.40 crore, with large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, in Malaysia. The Malaysian Muslims found it offensive to associate the word “Allah” with feet. “Allah is our Creator and the act of putting Allah at our feet is an insult,” Mohammed Naim Mokhtar, Minister for Religious Affairs, was quoted as saying by the national Bernama news agency.
KK Mart Group’s chairman has said the socks were imported from China as part of a large shipment and apologised for being careless in their inspection. If found guilty, he and other accused may be imprisoned up to a year and be also liable to pay fine. KK Mart is a major 24-hour chain, with 810 stores domestically and about 5,000 employees. It also has outlets in India and Nepal.
Two persons deemed to have made insensitive comments online over the issue have also been charged, sentenced to jail and fined for insulting Islam. Prime Minister Anwar has called for firm action but also urged the public not to make too much of the issue and to move on, but the controversy continued as photos of the socks sparked a backlash online and drew criticism from all sections of society, including the politicians, academicians and the public at large.
There was a botched petrol bomb attack against a KK Super Mart branch in Bidor, a small, predominantly ethnic Hokkien, Hakka and Cantonese town, situated 100 km north of Kuala Lumpur. The petrol bomb thrown in front of the store at 5 a.m. failed to explode, saving the store employees inside from harm.
While tendering a public apology, the KK Mart clarified that only 14 pairs of socks were sold during the holy fasting month of Ramzan. As the photos of the socks spread on the social media platforms, the people felt outraged.
Supplier Xin Jian Chang also issued an apology, saying the problematic socks were part of a larger shipment of 18,800 pairs ordered from a company based in China. The five KK Super Mart executives, arraigned as accused in the case, have since been released on bail by the court. Deputy Public Prosecutor Masri Mohammed Daud said the next hearing will be on April 29.
Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, who recently took the throne, has taken a major initiative to calm down tempers and has called upon all parties to stop taking advantage of the controversy over the sale of a few pairs of socks. The King said in a statement that there was no need for any party to continue fuelling anger and called on Malaysians to learn from the incident and strive to strengthen unity.
“Persistent anger brings no benefit. All parties, especially community leaders, must act with maturity,” the King said. His statement came after the Melaka state police announced that they had apprehended a 68-year-old car mechanic for making death threats against Akmal Saleh, the leader of Malay nationalist party Umno’s youth wing who had been at the forefront of the issue, calling for a boycott of the supermarket chain.
The arrest came just a day after Prime Minister Anwar called for the public not to take matters into their own hands, saying the job of investigating and pronouncing judgment should be left to the authorities.
“The public immediately makes judgment when they see such issues in social media such as TikTok,” Anwar said during a Ramzan dinner event at a college.
The academicians in the country feel that issue has been both politicised and ethnicised by certain sections of society. It may be difficult to control religious hatred once it gets support from politicians, as this trend has been visible in several countries.
Malaysia has witnessed a widespread debate on the association of politics and religion since the controversy started. Following the King’s call for restraint and understanding amid the boycott and criticism of the perceived attack on Islam, the Malaysian society has depicted a broader desire for peace and reconciliation in the country which is already grappling with deep-seated religious and racial divisions.
