The Ban on Christmas Greetings at Halal Bakeries Lifted in Malaysia

SEAToday.com, Petaling Jaya-As Christmas approaches, from Sunday (17/12), bakeries in Malaysia with halal certificates can now write and display any festive greeting on their cakes or confectionery. The new rule from the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) overturns an earlier ban on the public display of food items with festive greetings of non-Muslim faiths.

In December 2020, it was reported that former Jakim deputy director general (operations) Abdul Aziz Jusoh had said that halal-certified shops were only allowed to put festive greetings on products that weren’t on public display.

The Jakim directive was cited by a local bakery chain when it refused customers’ requests to write Christmas greetings, with the owners saying they feared losing their halal certification if they did not comply.

The bakery subsequently issued a circular to all its employees to decline customer requests to write Christmas greetings on any of its products and only provide a “Season’s Greetings” cake topper instead. This caused controversy.

The new ruling thus clarifies and allows Christmas greetings on cakes, while the alleged bakery chain has issued a note of clarification on the circular.