A Place Where Pork Shouldn't be

I am disgusted and appalled by the tolerance and permisiveness given by our local authority and Jabatan Agama Islam in allowing non-halal restaurant to operate like mushroom in our city for the past recent years.

"Pork" by definition means a meat from a domestic hog or pig. A meat that is forbidden to be consumed in Islam. In Malay, the word pork is referred to as "babi" or "khinzir" has been a taboo in the Malay culutre and society. The word "babi" is seen as profane and offensive, what more having our eyes on the pork meat pictured in our newspaper (Metro Section, The Star, Wednesday, 28 May 2008. An article by Debbie Chan) and having to eat in a pork selling environment.

Malaysia by statutory declares Islam as it's main religion in the country somehow condone pork selling in public? Is this the Islam Hadhari that is being promoted and psyche to the muslim mind?? How low can we muslims be to tolerate to this extend all for the sake of race tolerance? What about the non-muslim's tolerance towards the muslims by not blatantly eating pork in our shared public malls, restaurants and revealing the pork dishes to the muslims' eyes?

Never before I have seen pork being advertise so blatantly and restaurant so blatantly discriminates it's customers by selling non-halal food in our public malls and restaurants in Malaysia until recently. For an example, this non-halal restaurant, Fong Lye Tea House in The Gardens Mall pictured above amongst many others. I am very disappointed by this liberality of the local authority and futile Jabatan Agama Islam ("JAI") to monitor and curb this nauseating and disgustful activity that transgresses Islamic moral or Islamic law.

More disappointingly, during holy month of Ramadhan, I find we muslims have lesser options to places where we can eat in our public malls where at least half of the restaurants are categorised as non-halal. I personally view this as a race or religion discrimination when non-halal food is sold in public places. It is frustrating when I as a Muslim living in a Islamic country finding myself restricted to the choices of what and where I can eat.

Something must be done to correct this iniquity by the local authority, government and JAI. It is shameful as a country whereby Islam being helmed, mosque of grandieur built all over the country, having our PM as the Chairman of OIC, being the advocate of race tolerance.. we breach our most basic ethics.