The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), have ordered hot dogs to be renamed as ‘hot sausages’, as the word “dog” may be too offensive to some.
Director of the department, Dr. Sirajuddin Suhaimee, believes that the name may cause confusion.
“In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification,” He stated.
It was then found that Jakim had warned Auntie Anne’s, a pretzel shop, that they would have to close their business unless they changed the name of their “Pretzel Dog” to “Pretzel Sausage”
Naturally, this has led to people on the internet to begin joking about the issue
Silent for one minute. #hotdog #dog #malaysia pic.twitter.com/GG9vQBeyQk
— Hayashi KL. Alan (@alankllim) 20 October 2016
This is how #Malaysia #JAKIM sees a #hotdog. Literally. #EpicFail #WTF pic.twitter.com/GPNINhWSNR
— Mr.AllanC (@MisterAllanC) 20 October 2016
Young people have begun to laugh about the story, claiming that there’s something quite inappropriate and funny about the idea of turning a “hot dog” into a “hot sausage”.
The day when #hotdog becomes hot sausage in Malaysia https://t.co/QQa7bsBzAO #funnynotfunny #CantMakeThisUp
— Meilin (@MeilinWK) 19 October 2016
Dr. Sirajuddin Suhaimee has since then stated that the reason for Auntie Anne’s possible closure was due to poor paperwork, and not at all connected to the names of their products. However, he is still encouraging them to change the name for Halal certification.
We’ll have to wait and see what becomes of the hot dog in Malaysia. We’ll be sure to keep the story updated as it develops.