KUALA LUMPUR – Former religious affairs minister Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri has praised the Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya kitchen for providing vegetarian food to flood victims in the Klang Valley, allaying concerns raised on the dishes’ halal status.
On Twitter, Zulkifli – who is also former Kuala Lumpur mufti – said he visited the kitchen today to observe the food preparation and ingredients used.
He highlighted the “Seva” concept observed in Sikhism, which encourages the spirit of volunteerism, similar to some practices in Islam.
“Sikh devotees observe a vegetarian diet. This means that they do not serve any meat at all.
“The hukum (decree) for Muslims, in eating food prepared by non-Muslims who are not people of the book (from Abrahamic religions), is permissible as it does not involve animals they (non-Muslims) slaughtered.”
Saya mengenali agama Sikh melalui konsep “seva” iaitu khidmat sukarela tanpa mengharapkan sebarang balasan. Dalam Islam, konsep yang sama juga boleh kita temui iaitu “ikhlas”, perbuatan samada ibadah khusus mahupun umum yang dilakukan hanya kerana Allah SWT. pic.twitter.com/qgtXLh4gM7
— Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri (@drzul_albakri) December 22, 2021
He said during the visit, he found that the food preparation in the multiracial kitchen was “very clean and tidy”.
“I am very impressed to see the management of aid distribution, which involves participation of those from various religions and races. Everything is well organised and complete with documentation. This is very important to ensure integrity and professionalism.”
He added that he is grateful to the soup kitchens in the country.
“Last year when I held a ministerial post, the soup kitchen concept was practised in the mosques and surau in Kuala Lumpur since the beginning of the movement control order, called the It’am kitchen.
“God willing, I have been told that it is still operating to this day.”
Since last Sunday, the Gurdwara Sahib kitchen has served more than 40,000 packs of food prepared by dozens of volunteers from different racial and religious backgrounds. The food prepared is then delivered to flood victims around the Klang Valley.
Apart from food, the kitchen distributed public donations such as rice, packets of biscuits, baby formula, candles, matches, diapers, and towels to those affected as well. – The Vibes, December 22, 2021
