Muslims back Hindu, Buddhist Malaysians calling for beef-free labels

Malaysian Community Development Organisation founder and president Jeevithan P. Ganasan says he is touched with the support given by Muslims. Pictured above is a screenshot of the online petition.

(The Rakyat Post) – In the spirit of togetherness, Malaysian Muslims have signed on a petition for beef-free labels to help practising Hindus and Buddhist who are prohibited from consuming such meat.

Malaysian Community Development Organisation (MCEO) founder and president Jeevithan P. Ganasan said he was touched with the support and now planned to hit the streets on Thaipusam to procure additional 5,000 signatures.

“We garnered signatures from Malay Muslims as well, who said that this was not a Hindu or Buddhist petition, rather a Malaysian one,” he told The Rakyat Post.

One Malay lady, he also revealed, signed the petition because her husband was allergic to beef.

Labels, therefore, would make it easier for her to prepare food for him.

He said Jihad for Justice chairman Datuk Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim Al-Haj also backed the petition, adding that the additional signatures would be procured on Feb 3 in Penang and Ipoh, Perak during the Hindu festival.

The locations would be the Balathandayuthapani Temple, better known as the Waterfall Hill Temple, in Penang and the Ipoh Murugan Temple in Perak.

“We are in the midst of planning and allocating the number of volunteers needed to gain the signatures,” Jeevithan said.

The petition, which was launched on Jan 12 by the five-month-old NGO, is now just short of 25 signatures to reach its targeted 1,000.

The petition, which was created after consulting Hindu and Buddhist groups, would then be forwarded to the Health Ministry.