UPDATE (27 Aug, 6pm): Local butchery Aw’s Market has clarified that they are not in any way associated with Kak Mah Chicken and Joy Lap’s Kitchen, the two businesses whose names are listed on the forged halal certificates.
In a statement sent to MS News, Aw’s Market said the two entities had been involved in online scams. They reiterated that Aw’s Market is not involved in the halal certification forgery. “We do not claim to be halal-certified, and we are a meat and seafood retail and online butchery selling chicken, pork, beef, seafood and live seafood,” they added.
Aw’s Market is cooperating with the police over this case.
———–
When Muslims eat out, it’s important for them to know that the food they’re consuming is halal.
Halal certificates from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) help ensure that — but shockingly, forged ones have surfaced.
They were purportedly issued to two businesses with five different addresses listed.
MUIS has reported the matter to the police.
In a Facebook post on Friday (25 Aug), MUIS said documents appearing to be halal certificates had been circulating on social media.
Source: Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) on Facebook
They were purportedly issued to two businesses. One “certificate” was for an establishment bearing the name “Kak Mah Chicken”.
The other one was purportedly for “Joy Lap’s Kitchen”.
In the field for address, both “certificates” listed the same five locations:
While the five addresses correspond to five out of six retail stores of local butchery Aw’s Market, they have since clarified that they’re not involved in the halal certification forgery and do not claim to be halal-certified.
MUIS said the ‘certificates’ were obviously forgeries.
One clue is that they bear the name and signature of the previous Mufti of Singapore, Dr Mohamad Fatris Bakaram, who retired in 2020.
The current Mufti is Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir.
Though the forgeries bear the name of Dr Mohamad Fatris, they supposedly expire on 30 Nov 2025.
MUIS also inspected the addresses listed on the halal certificates.
They found no halal products on sale — that is, those that bear the familiar MUIS Halal Certification Mark (MHCM).
Source: MUIS
As they take such matters “very seriously”, MUIS has informed the police about it.
They advised consumers to verify an establishment’s status by checking the list of halal-certified establishments at www.halal.sg or Makan Places on the MuslimSG app.
A halal consultant told Berita Harian that besides using the name of the previous Mufti, the forged certificates had other telltale signs.
Firstly, each certificate usually indicates only one address — not several like the forgeries.
Certificates for different establishments should also have different serial numbers. However, the forged certificates have the same numbers even though they were for different businesses.
Source: Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) on Facebook
They also didn’t list the date of issue.
Lastly, the purported date of expiry is more than two years away. Real certificates tend to be valid for just one year.
Hopefully, nobody has fallen for the false certificates. Kudos to MUIS for responding quickly and reporting the matter to the authorities.
Also read: Woodlands Pasar Malam Stall Selling Pork & With Tudung-Wearing Employee Made No Halal Claims: MUIS
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) on Facebook.
The coroner said this was the first case of its kind he had encountered in…
The brand-new jet suffered a series of technical issues since its first-ever flight on 19…
The Paradise Tree Snake may have misjudged its landing and ended up on the car.
The 69-year-old was reportedly upset over his neighbour's refusal to apologise.
False claims include that GCB transactions occur without government checks on beneficial owners' identities.
The suspect casually watched as the woman became consumed by flames.