KUALA LUMPUR – Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor has criticised the Mon Chinese Beef Roti management for allegedly terminating its worker, supposedly after a video of the staff wearing a songkok and a necklace with a cross circulated on social media.
In a message to Scoop, Wan Salim said that if the worker was indeed fired because of the issue depicted in the viral video, the Chinese-Muslim eatery’s management’s actions have gone against Islamic teachings.
He also reminded Muslims to ensure that the projected image of the Islamic religion is one that upholds the positive attributes of the religion, pointing out how non-Muslims will equate attitudes displayed by Muslims with Islamic teachings.
“Most non-Muslims do not read books to understand Islamic teachings. Instead, they will look at the behaviour of Muslims.”
“It is the duty of every Muslim to display good behaviour to convince non-Muslims about the goodness of Islam as the religion of grace,” Wan Salim added.
Last Sunday, the restaurant manager, who only wished to be identified as Sofia, admitted that they “overlooked” the issue of a worker wearing a necklace bearing the cross and apologised to those who were offended or uncomfortable after watching the viral video.
In a report by Harian Metro yesterday, Sofia said that the management team promised to be more attentive to avoid overlooking matters that touch on the sensitivities of Muslims in the country.
While Sofia confirmed that the employee of the restaurant located in Bukit Bintang has been terminated, it is unclear if the worker was fired due to his cross necklace, as she claimed the management had sacked the worker before the video was brought to her attention.
Over the past few days, netizens have taken to social media to condemn the management’s reaction, with many questioning if the worker’s termination could be an instance of workplace and religious discrimination.
Social media users also slammed the individual who posted the viral video, which triggered the furore, lamenting how one man’s actions have supposedly caused another worker to lose his source of income. – November 21, 2023