Prayer mat issue attributed to mislabelling

A woven product depicting the “Kaaba” that was seized by the Johor Islamic Religious Department at a supermarket in Batu Pahat on Tuesday is meant to be used as a mini “sejadah”, or prayer mat.

AEON BiG (M) Sdn Bhd and the product supplier A&R Fashion Collection in a joint statement explained that the confusion arose due to the product being incorrectly labelled as a doormat.

According to the statement, upon being alerted to the error, the description of the product was immediately corrected.

“Both AEON BiG management and A&R hope the joint statement clarifies any doubts regarding this issue. We hope speculation that can affect the harmony of our multi-racial society will be stopped.”

A&R is a 100% Bumiputera and Muslimowned SME that supplies syariah-compliant Muslim clothing such as jubah, hijab, kurta, samping, songkok as well as rugs, carpets and mats. The company was founded in 2007 and has been a supplier to AEON BiG since 2015, apart from supplying to other retailers and selling the products in its own stores.

AEON BiG and A&R said they would cooperate with the department and any relevant authorities should there be any further information required.

Earlier, Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said 11 of the mats were seized following complaints from the public.

He said the management of the supermarket involved was asked to provide a statement and warned to be more careful with products sold so as not to rile the sensitivities of the community.