Malaysia’s king slams mini-mart chain in rare royal rebuke over ‘Allah’ socks

Socks bearing the word ‘Allah’ were sold in an outlet of local chain KK Super Mart, sparking public outrage after photos of them were shared on social media

The rare royal rebuke reminded Malaysians to ensure social harmony by refraining from discussing sensitive issues on religion, race and the royalty

1-MIN READ1-MIN

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar inspects the guard of honour during the opening of the third session of the 15th parliament in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:47pm, 19 Mar 2024Updated: 8:56pm, 19 Mar 2024

Malaysia’s king on Tuesday condemned a convenience store chain and called for an investigation after several pairs of socks emblazoned with “Allah”, which means God in Arabic, were found for sale in one of its stores.

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar said in a Facebook post that “strict action should be taken against any party found guilty” based on investigations by the authorities.

The king serves as the official head of Islam in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country.

The rare royal rebuke reminded Malaysians to ensure social harmony by refraining from discussing sensitive issues on religion, race and the royalty.

The socks bearing the word Allah were being sold in one outlet of local chain KK Super Mart, sparking public outrage after photos of them were shared widely on social media.

Some Muslims regarded the controversial clothing as insulting, especially since the socks’ sale was during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Islam is the official religion in Malaysia, and Malay-Muslims make up over two-thirds of the country’s 34 million people.