Malaysia OKs ‘Merry Christmas’ on halal cakes

KUALA LUMPUR: Halal-certified bakeries in largely Muslim Malaysia can now put Christmas greetings on cakes for their customers, religious authorities said, reversing a three-year-old ban following public uproar.

The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, known as Jakim, said on Tuesday that the new directive replaces a previous order which barred the businesses from writing Merry Christmas on their products.

The new ruling came after an internal memo from popular bakery chain Berry´s telling staff not to write Christmas greetings on their cakes was shared widely online since last weekend.

“To be informed for this coming Christmas Festival Celebration we are strictly not allowed to write the words of Merry Christmas or X´Mas on any cakes even (if) requested by the customer,” according to the memo, which cited halal regulations from Jakim.

“Will having the word Merry Christmas on the cake make all the cakes in the shop non-halal?. So please respect all cultures!,” one Facebook user commented about the policy. Jakim, the country´s Islamic affairs agency, said in a statement that “it is clear that there are no obstacles for business premises that have Malaysia halal certification to write any festive greetings on cake orders or similar”.