Muslim anger at ‘discrimination’
THE story of the young bearded chefs went viral on social media last week after first being aired on Radio Islam.
Cassim Soobadar, a patron of Southern Sun hotels took offence to the alleged decision to bar them from working until they shaved, and said: “If this is how hotels treat people, then we should boycott them.”
Soobadar wrote to Southern Sun requesting a written report and an apology in a national newspaper.
Speaking to POST, he said: “In the new South Africa, all religious groups visit the hotels, which accommodate all people, but behind the scenes, if this is how the chefs operate, then there is no guarantee that the food they prepare is according to the requirements of the religious groups.
“When I read the story of these chefs I got upset, but things like this, racism and discrimination, happen every day in the new South Africa. This, to me, is blatant discrimination against the Muslim religion. If this is their stance, the whole Indian community must boycott them. If they do this today, what will happen later?
“As a head chef he (Shaun Munro), should have been more accommodating… It’s the new South Africa and he needs to fall in line. How difficult is it for him to say, I am sorry, I made a mistake? Our family, when we come to Durban, stay at these hotels.”
Radio Islam spoke to the South African National Halaal Authority’s Moulana Muhammad Saeed Navlakhi, who said the claims of a hygiene rule which prevented people who had beards or used a beard net from working in the food industry were unacceptable.
“We’ve seen a lot of non-Muslim people donning beards in the food industry and that is why they make beard nets. So I can’t understand why this type of attitude has come out from a place like Tsogo Sun, especially in the heart of Durban, where they are exposed to Muslim people all the time.”
Navlakhi said while the problem of cross-contamination was a reality, it was not only in the food industry, and Muslims continued to patronise these restaurants and kitchens that were not exclusively halaal.
“The industry has coined this term ‘halaal friendly’ and if I refer to our previous gazette published in April, there is an entire lead article that we’ve given this issue of ‘halaal friendly’. It’s as friendly as friendly fire.”