KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — A product with a design depicting the ‘Kaaba’ seized by the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) at a supermarket in Batu Pahat on Tuesday (April 9) is actually a mini ‘sejadah’, or prayer mat.
AEON BiG (M) Sdn Bhd and the product’s supplier A&R Fashion Collection (A&R) said the confusion arose because the product was incorrectly labelled as a ‘doormat’.
In a joint statement yesterday, they said that upon receiving the information, the product description was immediately corrected in the AEON BiG product management system.
“Both AEON BiG’s management and A&R hope the joint statement clarifies any doubts regarding this issue.
“We hope speculations that can affect the harmony of our multi-racial society will be stopped,” they said.
A&R is a 100 per cent Bumiputera and Muslim-owned small and medium enterprise (SME) that supplies syariah-compliant Muslim clothing like ‘jubah’, hijabs, kurtas, ‘samping’, songkok as well as other products, including rugs, carpets, and mats.
The company was founded in 2007 and has been a supplier of AEON BiG since 2015, besides supplying to other retailers and selling the products in its own stores.
AEON BiG and A&R said they will also continue to cooperate with JAINJ and any relevant authorities should there be any further information required.
Earlier, Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said JAINJ had confiscated 11 floormats bearing the images of the Kaaba that were sold at a supermarket in Batu Pahat following public complaints.
He said the supermarket’s management had also been called to provide a statement and had been warned to be more careful with the products sold so as not to touch on the community’s sensitivities.
— Bernama
