Muis files report over fake news of halal status
When Madam Ng Bee Leng, 46, and Ms Feny Eliana, 33, noticed their business had dropped by 20 per cent over the past few weeks, they could not understand why.
The restaurant owners - of Jian Fa Seafood BBQ at Marine Parade Central and Penyet Town at One KM respectively - had no idea a viral online message had falsely flagged them among 63 eating establishments as having their halal certification cancelled.
The claim - which lists eateries such as Makan Bagus Nasi Padang at Eastpoint Mall's Food Junction, Encik Tan at One KM and several 4Fingers Crispy Chicken outlets - is "absolutely false", the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said yesterday.
"Muis takes a serious view against such irresponsible acts which may mislead the public," it said.
It said it had filed a police report over the message, which has been circulating for a few days, and which Muis found out about on Monday.
Ms Feny said the message "may explain the sudden drop in business over the last few days".
A Muis spokesman said halal certification for some of the 63 establishments listed had expired without application for renewal "but quite a number are still halal-certified".
ST checked the list against Muis' own list of halal eateries and found more than half were halal-certified.
"If an establishment is Muis halal-certified, it is bound by Muis halal certification conditions and you should be able to see a valid Muis halal certificate on display within its premises," said the spokesman.
Muis noted that such falsehoods are not new and tend to be recycled and recirculated.
The council urged the public not to spread unverified information that could cause confusion in the community and instead, to seek clarification from credible sources.
To check on an eatery's halal certification status, go to https://www.muis.gov.sg/Halal
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