January 28, 2022, 02:08 PM
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(Editor's note: A previous version of this article identified Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri as an ex-PAS member. We have amended the article to reflect that he is a non-partisan senator before his ministerial appointment.)
Twitter users in Malaysia were amused when ex-Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said penguins were "halal" to consume in a tweet on Jan. 25.
Comel dan halal. Namun ada sebahagian spesiesnya seperti emperor penguin sedang terancam. Bersama kita lindunginya. https://t.co/5JQJFmwZDW
— Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri (@drzul_albakri) January 24, 2022
Zulkifli was responding to a fellow Twitter user's queries about the potential "punishment" of consuming penguin meat, supposedly from a religious point of view.
The ex-minister said penguins were "cute and halal", though he added that some types of penguins were facing extinction, such as the emperor penguin.
Two adult emperor penguins and a juvenile. Image via Ian Duffy/Creative Commons.
"Together, let's protect them (penguins)," he said.
Zulkifli also uploaded a more detailed response on his website, where he cited religious texts as the basis of his answer.
Meme-d by Twitter
Meanwhile, commenters took the liberty of making penguin-related memes.
Some drew inspiration from the penguins in the animated movie, "Madagascar", while others turned to another animation series about penguins -- "Pingu".
"Comel dan Halal" pic.twitter.com/BXzLYuzjzg
— Aqiff Haziq (@aqiffhaziq) January 25, 2022
Comel dan halal... pic.twitter.com/EwvxqIXqiC
— AA (@aztrffn_) January 25, 2022
"comel dan halal" 😆😆😆 pic.twitter.com/IyJgJi7gZf
— S (@justmemyself__) January 25, 2022
A popular supermarket chain in Malaysia -- Mydin -- also chimed in, urging people not to go to their outlets to look for penguin meat.
jangan ada yg cari daging penguin kat mydin pulak. kami tak jual ya https://t.co/upmPIH5AJF
— MYDIN (@MydinMalaysia) January 25, 2022
"We don't sell (penguin meat) ya," the supermarket tweeted.
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Top image via @aqiffhaziq/Twitter & Datuk Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri/Facebook
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