The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) has issued a statement in response to a video of a man who was seen reprimanding the staff of a night bazaar stall after one of them was seen wearing a tudung while allegedly selling pork.

In response to media queries, according to Stomp, a spokesperson for MUIS said it had paid a visit to the stall in question, MBK Thai Express at Vista Point, in Woodlands, on May 9.

The spokesperson added that no halal claims were made and that the religion of a person preparing the food does not determine its halal status.

"We would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that as Muslims, we are required to exercise due diligence before patronising any eatery.

In the absence of a Halal certificate, do check through the menu and ask the seller on the ingredients used (#CheckAskDecide).

If one is confident of the Halal status, he/she may consume otherwise best to avoid.

We would also like to encourage Muslims to be mindful of our words, even when we are being honest and true. In giving advice, Muslims should be polite and measured in our approach, as it will make others feel more comfortable and possibly make it easier for them to accept advice as taught by our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w."

What was the hullabaloo about?

Earlier on May 9, a Facebook user by the name of Victor Shafeeq Peters uploaded a post with several images of MBK Thai Express, in which he criticised the stall for its misrepresentation.

The person said that by employing a staff who wore a tudung, many Muslims might unknowingly buy from the stall, thinking it has a halal status, even though it has pork listed on its menu.

He highlighted that he had decided to check out the stall after hearing about it from social media which was shared to him by his wife.

The user also called upon MUIS to investigate the matter.

Video showed the man scolding the staff for selling pork

The user's post also included a video in which he filmed himself confronting the stall's staff.

The video begins with the man approaching the stall and asking a male staff if his colleague with the tudung is a Muslim.

When the male staff replied in the affirmative, the man asked if a Muslim could sell pork.

When the male staff said the stall does not sell pork, the man pointed to the menu and asked that it be removed.

While the staff is stowing away the menu, the man demanded to know if the other food products on sale were also pork, and if he could speak to the stall's boss.

He was also heard asking the woman why she was selling pork.

Spoke to the stall's boss

Subsequently, the male staff passed the man his phone and the man then apparently spoke to the stall's boss in English.

Throughout his conversation, he could be heard asking about the religion of the staff wearing the tudung, why there was pork on the menu, and how such actions could potentially mislead people who were unable to read.

He was also heard telling the boss that he go down to the stall to verify their actions himself as he had already heard about the issue on Facebook.

Following the phone call, the user was then heard talking to several other people in Malay, including a staff from another stall, who said that he had also told MBK Thai Express about the issue.

This person could be heard saying:

"A lot of people who walked past the stall also intervened and questioned them. I want to stop them (MBK Thai Express) also but I can't."

The video eventually ended with the user confirming with MBK Thai Express's male staff that the new menu has no pork listed.

A sped up version of the video was also shared to the Facebook page Awesome Malay Couple SG where it has since garnered over 13,000 reactions.

Top images via Victor Shafeeq Peters Facebook