King: Don’t exploit ‘Allah’ socks controversy, strive to strengthen unity

KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia has called on all parties to stop taking advantage of the issue on the sale of socks bearing the name of Allah, saying it should now be le to the authorities.

“I have instructed that action be taken in accordance with the law, so there is no need for any party to continue to fueling anger.

“The action taken is not solely to punish, but also serves as a lesson and reminder to all to uphold the sensitivities of Malaysians,” said His Majesty in a post on Facebook yesterday.

The King also said that it is be er for all concerned to learn from this incident and strive to strengthen unity.

“Persistent anger brings no benefit. All parties, especially community leaders must act with maturity.

“Let us guide the people towards unity, not division. This is an opportunity to gain a be er understanding of each other in our diverse society, so that such incidents do not recur,” said His Majesty.

The sale of the socks at a KK Supermart outlet in Petaling Jaya, Selangor had gone viral on social media since last week, angering Muslims in the country.

On Tuesday, KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd Group founder and executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr Chai Kee Kan and wife Datin Seri Loh Siew Mui pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to two counts of wounding the religious sensitivities of Muslims over the sale of socks.

Also charged were three directors of the company that supplied the controversial socks to the convenience store chain.

Earlier the same day, police in Perak confirmed that a KK Mart outlet in Bidor had been the target of a petrol bomb a ack, with efforts to identify the perpetrator ongoing.