Malaysian shop chain that sold ‘Allah socks’ targeted with petrol bombs

Three stores hit with molotov cocktails after pictures of socks deemed offensive by Muslims shared on social media

Three stores belonging to a Malaysian minimart chain that sold socks carrying the word “Allah” have been targeted with molotov cocktails over the past week, in a rare case of such violence.

One of KK Super Mart’s stores in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo, was hit by a molotov cocktail on Sunday, a day after a separate attack on a store in Pahang on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. On 26 March, a store in Perak was also targeted with a petrol bomb, though it did not ignite, according to local media.

No one was injured in the incidents, which are being investigated by police.

The attacks came after pictures of socks bearing the word “Allah” at one of the chain’s stores were shared widely on social media, provoking outrage among Muslims who viewed use of the word in association with feet to be offensive.

Mostly Muslim ethnic Malays make up two-thirds of Malaysia’s population, while the country also has large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

JeeBaiChow,

So. Fucking. Stupid.

alienanimals,

Religions should be peaceful. This ain’t it.

sujpr,

All the major religions that exist today only do so because their followers have killed anyone that wouldn’t convert.

alienanimals,

and Scientology has been working overtime to catch up!

fireweed,

Meanwhile, I bet with the right branding “Jesus” socks could be a major hit with the Christian crowd.

Potential marketing slogans:

I walk with Jesus™, do you?

Born too late to have my feet washed by Jesus; born just in time to have my feet swaddled by Jesus™

WWJW: What Would Jesus™ Wear?

[Paired with the Jesus hat line] I’m a devoted believer in Jesus™ from head to toe!

HubertManne,

islam views feet as dirty while christians its considered virtuous (ironically because of the dirt and whole washing of the feet). thats why bush got hit with a shoe.

TransplantedSconie,

He dodged that shit like a champ. Still is a piece of shit though.

HopeOfTheGunblade,
@HopeOfTheGunblade@kbin.social avatar

Credit where it's due, dude had moves.

Annoyed_Crabby,

I’m ashamed to say i’m from this country, and this incident is really showcase how unstable the peace within Malaysia are, not helping is the ultra-muslim/malay-supremacist/rich-muslim-convert that take this opportunity and fan this issue into disproportionate hate campaign, which in the end will hurt their own race and country even more.

The kicker is, it happened in the holy month, which is supposed to teach them patient and forgiveness.

DeathsEmbrace,

You will learn from a very young age that extremists only care about their perception of their religion perverting everything they touch.

generalpotato,

Patience and forgiveness goes both ways. Go around talking shit to people in the streets and see what happens.

If a group of people find something offensive, then don’t do it. Learn to respect their wishes. It’s just that simple.

As my boi Ice Cube once said: “Don’t start none, there won’t be none”

Annoyed_Crabby,

My friend, you should read the whole story instead of yapping some irrelevant wisdom. This isn’t someone deliberately sticking their hand into hornet nest and then regret it kind of story.

generalpotato,

Let me post the entire article so that you can go find something that contradicts with what I’m saying, my friend.

Three stores belonging to a Malaysian minimart chain that sold socks carrying the word “Allah” have been targeted with molotov cocktails over the past week, in a rare case of such violence.

One of KK Super Mart’s stores in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo, was hit by a molotov cocktail on Sunday, a day after a separate attack on a store in Pahang on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. On 26 March, a store in Perak was also targeted with a petrol bomb, though it did not ignite, according to local media.

No one was injured in the incidents, which are being investigated by police.

The attacks came after pictures of socks bearing the word “Allah” at one of the chain’s stores were shared widely on social media, provoking outrage among Muslims who viewed use of the word in association with feet to be offensive.

Mostly Muslim ethnic Malays make up two-thirds of Malaysia’s population, while the country also has large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

Chai Kee Kan, the CEO of KK Super Mart, the country’s second-largest chain of convenience stores, and his wife, a company director, were charged with hurting religious feelings last week, while three officials from supplier Xin Jian Chang have been charged with abetting them. All five pleaded not guilty. They could face up to one year in prison, or a fine, or both, if convicted.

Chai Kee Kan blamed the supplier, which the chain is suing, and said that only 14 pairs of “Allah” socks were found on the shelves at three KK Super Mart outlets.

Both companies have apologised. The supplies said the socks were part of a larger shipment of 18,800 pairs ordered from China.

The use of the word “Allah” has long been a highly contentious issue in Malaysia, where court cases have been heard over whether the word can be used by Indigenous Christians in their religious worship. Such controversy had, however, been largely confined to the courtroom, said James Chai, visiting fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.

The sale of the socks was a flashpoint for wider tensions, he said, pointing to the success of the Islamic-based party PAS in the 2022 elections. “Many people attribute this to years of segregation by race and religion, as well as the growing number of Islamic institutions including schools that have built a more conservative mindset within society,” he said.

Some politicians, including the youth chief for the Umno, a Malay political party which is in the governing coalition of the prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, have been accused of fanning anger, by calling for a boycott of the stores.

After the petrol bomb incidents, Sultan Ibrahim, the king of Malaysia, has called for unity, saying community leaders must act with maturity. A senior police figure also warned against escalation, saying there should not be a repeat of the 2001 Kampung Medan riots, which occurred between the Indian and Malay communities, local media reported.

James Chai, of the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, said there were no indications yet that the tensions could escalate to the level seen in 2001, or in 1969, when deadly racial riots occurred between the Malay and Chinese communities. He added the petrol attacks should serve as a caution that “the harmony and peace that you have in the racial communities should not be taken for granted. “

Annoyed_Crabby,

No, YOU point me to where it say the act is deliberate. YOU made the claim that they deliberately provoke so YOU should point it out instead of me trying to disprove your wild claim.

generalpotato,

deleted_by_moderator

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    Annoyed_Crabby,

    YOU can go fuck yourself if YOU aren’t going to be civil shit head.

    Point to me where i’m not being civil.

    And while i wait i already point to you where you aren’t.

    And no, i don’t deal with conspiracist.

    generalpotato,

    Using caps mid sentence indicates aggression. I’m not sure how often you use the internet, but keep it mind next time you decide to use it when somebody else isn’t using it.

    Lol @ conspiracy. Sorry to have knocked you off your high horse there buddy. Who would have thought people can be ignorant regardless of religiosity right?

    Annoyed_Crabby,

    Using caps mid sentence indicates aggression.

    It’s emphasise that YOU, the person that spew accusation on an issue that you don’t understand about a land you never lived on and that this is a deliberate action by the merchant to provoke and deserved an overreaction, are the one needed to proof your point instead of demanding otherwise. If emphasising a word bothers you and you think it’s an incivility, that’s on you, please don’t lecture me on what the internet are.

    Who would have thought people can be ignorant regardless of religiosity right?

    Ohh? So now you think this isn’t deliberate action to provoke but instead it’s a mistake by the supplier due to not knowing what is and what isn’t sensitive toward others? What moved the goal post?

    generalpotato,

    Learn how to emphasize and get your point across better if you’re going to get into arguments. Using caps makes you look like a 12 year old.

    Ohh? So now you think this isn’t deliberate action to provoke but instead it’s a mistake by the supplier due to not knowing what is and what isn’t sensitive toward others? What moved the goal post?

    I didn’t, that was sarcasm for calling my argument as a “conspiracy” when asking for accountability when it hurts Muslims. But please feel free to keep skirting past the issue and keep making pointless statements. Seeing how this isn’t going anywhere, have a good day.

    Annoyed_Crabby,

    Thought the same since the beginning 🤷

    generalpotato,

    deleted_by_moderator

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    BreakDecks,

    “Allah” is just the Arabic word for “God”, and not everyone who speaks Arabic is Muslim. The word predates Islam. Arab Christians and Jews also use it as a word for God.

    Regardless, offending someone does not make one deserving of a firebomb.

    generalpotato,

    No, but it has become a trend to offend Muslims and then hide behind the guise of “freedom of speech”, or “mea culpa” or whatever else shitty excuse offenders come up with. That’s not ok.

    Firebomb is extreme and I do not condone it, but you can’t be mad at conservative Muslims who have repeatedly voiced concerns of offense without any sort of action being taken, which drives to extreme measures (big surprise).

    AnUnusualRelic,
    @AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world avatar

    Otoh they do tend to get offended an awful lot.

    BreakDecks,

    Free speech, except for making fun of sky daddy. lmao, no.

    I can spit in God’s face whenever I please because I have human rights and God doesn’t (because he’s not real). You don’t get to commit violence against me for rejecting your fairy tale, because that violates my rights. I never violated your rights, you are always free to believe whatever you want - same as me.

    Words never justify violence. If you want to hurt people who insult your god, you’re just proving that your god deserves it for having such shit followers.

    generalpotato,

    “Free world, lmao”.

    Free speech doesn’t mean free of consequences. It applies to racism, xenophobia and hate speech that targets a specific group or incites violence.

    Don’t be surprise that extremists come at you if you’re going to act like 2 yr old with the responsibility that comes with free speech. Everyone has a moral obligation to be citizens in good faith.

    eskimofry,

    Maybe your entire religion is a problem when selling socks deserves… petrol bomb?

    generalpotato,

    You gonna go say the same shit to blacks, latinos, trans, jews, asians etc next when they say something is offensive to them?

    Maybe your entire bigoted outlook on life is a problem. When a group of people have expressed concerns over something being offensive, stop doing it.

    This is like sticking your hand in fire and not expecting to get burnt.

    deafboy,
    @deafboy@lemmy.world avatar

    When a group of people have expressed concerns over something being offensive, stop doing it.

    Exactly. I wish this was the last offense of the religious fanatics. But we know better…

    generalpotato, (edited )

    Ditto for “leftist” lunatics.

    Nomad,

    That’s how it goes if you infringe on the churches corporate branding.

    deafboy,
    @deafboy@lemmy.world avatar

    Counterfit goods are often destroyed as part of a public ceremony, that’s normal. They are usually removed from the store first, though.

    Buffalox,

    deleted_by_moderator

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