Bakery says sorry for misinterpreting festive greeting rule

PETALING JAYA: Local bakery chain, Berry's Cake House, has apologised over the halal certificate controversy, claiming that it misinterpreted the ruling on Christmas greetings.

The bakery, in a statement Wednesday (Dec 20), said it came to know that there were no restrictions on halal certificate holders writing festive greetings on cakes after the clarification from Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Na'im Mokhtar.

"We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to our valued customers," the bakery's management said.

Last Saturday (Dec 16), an internal memo from the bakery told staff not to write "Merry Christmas" or "X'mas" on their cakes, even on request from customers.

Instead, employees were told they could provide a "Season's Greetings" topper. In the circular dated Dec 14, and signed by the bakery’s operations manager, the decision’s justification was to comply and meet the halal certification requirements by Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim).

However, Na'm said there were no restrictions on festive greetings on cakes, which was followed by a statement from Jakim on Tuesday (Dec 20) saying there was no prohibition on halal-certified bakeries from writing any festive greetings.

Last week, the internal memo of the cake house sparked widespread attention on social media.