Jakim clarifies no ban on ‘Merry Christmas’ cake decorations

The memorandum circulated on social media on Dec 17, 2023.

By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, Dec 17: A bakery is under fire after a memorandum it issued to prohibit its staff from decorating cakes with Christmas greetings was circulated on social media recently.

The memorandum dated Dec 14, 2023 informed staff that for the upcoming Christmas celebration, staff are not allowed to write the words “Merry Christmas or X’Mas” on any cake even if the request was made by the customer.

“You may use our provided ‘Season’s greeting’ wishes card topper to replace and display on the cakes.

“The reason is that we are holding the Halal certificate; we should fully support and meet all the Halal requirements, rules and regulations by Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM),” the memorandum read.

The issue sparked uproar among netizens who expressed their discontent and called for a boycott of the bakery.

A screenshot of JAKIM’s Facebook post.

An infographic uploaded on JAKIM’s Facebook page on Dec 17, 2023.

However, JAKIM responded to this issue last night (Dec 16) and today (Dec 17) via Facebook posts, clarifying that there is no ban against premises with Malaysia’s Halal Certification (SPHM) to write any kind of words related to festive wishes/greetings on cakes or similar products.

JAKIM also disclosed that a similar issue has been raised before and it was addressed by the department on Dec 25, 2020 and Nov 1, 2023.

“We wish to advise Halal certificate holders to consult with the department first if there are any confusion related to the Halal certification,” it wrote. — DayakDaily