Kopitiam Trend and the Muslims

When we relate an eating place to Muslims, always it pops up on Halal issues. Have a cup of coffee and have a long chit chat @ Kopitiam is another hot trend for metropolitan people. Loving that brings more and more kopitiam runners and there you go..more kopitiam lovers!

I myself experienced on having a doubt on Halal status on the foods (especially) that they been serving. However, many kopitiam have Halal sign at least on the front page of the menu card. I saw that, even other Muslims if seeing that, of course you won't bother to ask more and yet so many Malays (Muslim we believe) are working for them. Not to mention, Old Town White Coffee Kopitiam is a good example as I could say..most famous among all kopitiams for the time being. Founder is a Chinese from Ipoh I believe.

So what brings me to peel up this topic anyway?
Let me tell you I used to be a kopitiam lover untill my sister spoke about news on TV about there is only one koptiam in Malaysia that have a full Halal Certificate which obviously not Old Town White Coffee. Forgive me that she forgot the exact name of the kopitiam.

...and there I went searching on anything I could find to convince myself as I missed the news on TV. I went through few places on the web and not so shocking anymore that I found so many people questioning if it is safe for Muslims to have a meal @ the famous Old Town White Coffee kopitiam. .? Well, anyone could claim anything but I'm sure we could believe the halal.gov.my.

What's with this web?
This website provides you with updates on Halal info, everything you want to know about Halal. I mean, a lot of it. Also gives you updates on Halal status for companies in Malaysia and updates on the Halal Certificate's Termination. This is very helpful and important for Muslim consumers.

What did I found?
A lot. If you go to "complaint" section, you will find a lot of useful information for your guide in finding the right place to go or not to. Even some are not current reports, but you can still check their status in the Company List. It was a shock for me to find a lot of places that I've been have not registered with Jakim and that they claimed that they "are halal". In the case about the Ols Town White Coffee kopitiam, according to the website(halal.gov.my), they only have Halal Certificate from JAIP (Jabatan Agama Islam Perak) for their 3 in 1 coffee and few more variations of the instant coffee and tea. They never registered on any restaurant or food premise. Yes, this does not proof that they are serving non-halal food, but they claimed all the foods are halal and put the Halal Logo on their menu cards. This is an sensitive matter for Muslims that they neglected. I even myself been to that kopitiam several times. It is such a shame to know about this. Frustrating,dissappointing and simply pist me off!

What else to prove?
Go and look up their own official website, oldtown.com.my. Go to "Our Business" tab on your bottom right and click on "Our Laurels". Then click the Certificate Halal. The writings are small on the certificate, but I'm sure you can still read at least a little bit of the details on the product listed on it. As I metioned earlier, just their packaging products - instant coffees, teas, chocolate and mocha powders, hazelnut flavor. They are 15 products in total. This is not just about whether the foods are halal or not, where is the respect to the Muslims consumers?

At the end of the day
Would it harm you not to eat @ any kopitiams that we have in the entire Malaysia? But how if it is not Halal? The matter of fact, they are lying, claiming a thing that they are not. Don't let yourself fooled. Yes, choice is always yours.

Anyway, all Muslims..this is not a little thing.
Hadrat Saad bin Abi Waqas [radhiallaahu anhu] said, "O Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] make dua that Allah Ta'ala, makes me of those whose prayers will be answered." Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] replied: "O Saad keep your food pure and halaal and you will become of those whose prayers are answered. I swear by Him, in whose hand Muhammed[sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]'s life lies, that when a man casts one morsel of Haraam food into his stomach, The righteous deeds of his shall not be accepted for forty days." (Sahih Abbas)

Peace for Islam