Malaysia store hit by Molotov cocktail over ‘Allah’ socks

AFP | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia                                            

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A Molotov cocktail was thrown at a store belonging to a Malaysian chain that had offered socks bearing the word “Allah” for sale, police said yesterday.

The incident came days after the mini-market chain’s executives were charged with hurting religious feelings over the sale of the socks at another of its stores.

Wan Mohamad Zahari Wan Busu, police chief in Kuantan city in Malaysia’s east, said the KK Supermart branch had been hit just before dawn, causing a small fire at the entrance.

He told AFP that the attack was “still under investigation, but we’re not denying that it may be related to the incident involving stockings with the word Allah”.

Employees put out the fire with an extinguisher and no injuries were reported, he said.

Pictures of the socks spread on social media this month, sparking public outrage among some Muslims who regarded them as insulting, especially because they went up for sale during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

KK Super Mart CEO Chai Kee Kan, 57, and his wife, who serves as a company director, were charged this week with “deliberately intending to hurt the religious feelings” of Malaysians, according to a charge sheet seen by AFP.

Three officials from supplier Xin Jian Chang were also charged with abetting them.

All five pleaded not guilty and face a maximum jail term of one year or a fine, or both, if convicted.

The case drew a rare royal rebuke from Malaysia’s king, who called for an investigation and “strict action” against any party found guilty. KK Supermart, Malaysia’s second-largest mini-market chain, has apologised for the socks, saying it viewed the matter “seriously” and had taken action to stop their sale immediately