A Malaysian footwear brand has come under fire for a logo on the sole of its shoes that allegedly resembled the word "Allah" in Arabic script.
The company in question — Vern's Holding Sdn Bhd — clarified that the logo is a "high-heeled shoe with straps" and apologised for offending people.
UMNO youth chief: Explain in 24 hours or we'll boycott you
A man who had bought the shoes from Vern's outlet in Kuantan shared a video of the shoe in a Facebook post, which went viral for the questionable logo imprinted on its sole.
The shoe sole logo gained further attention after Muhamad Akmal Saleh's Facebook post on Apr. 7, 2024.
Akmal, chief of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Youth, said an individual alerted him to the shoes in question via a message on Facebook.
He looked into the matter and found out that the logo on the sole of the shoes was supposed to be of a high-heeled shoe and its strap.
He agreed that the shoe sole logo resembled the image of a high-heeled shoe and its strap but demanded an explanation from Vern's.
He threatened to boycott the footwear brand if it did not do so within 24 hours.
Logo had shortcomings resulting in misinterpretation
Vern issued its statement via a Facebook post later on Apr. 7, saying the shoe sole logo was "inspired by the image of interconnected lines resembling a high-heeled shoe".
However, Vern acknowledged that the shoe sole logo had "shortcomings," which may have allowed it to be misinterpreted and, in turn, offended people.
Vern's said it had no intention of designing a logo that undermines or insults any religion or belief and apologised to the public.
Vern's said it has removed the shoes from its shelves and production and offered refunds to individuals who have bought them.
"This is a very valuable lesson for us to be more careful in our every decision to ensure that such incidents do not repeat," added the company.
Akmal responded to Vern's statement shortly after. He accepted the company's explanation and said the "misunderstanding" had been cleared.
He also thanked Vern's for their explanation and said it has "provided relief to all Muslims".
Eight police reports lodged, 1,145 shoes seized
However, it appears not everyone in Malaysia accepts Vern's explanation.
The Malaysian police said eight reports had been lodged against Vern in Pahang, Johor, Terengganu, Kedah, and Penang as of 7pm on Apr. 7.
The company has 60 outlets across Malaysia, according to its website.
The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), instructed by Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs, Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, to look into the matter, summoned all parties involved on Apr. 8 for questioning.
The authorities seized 1,145 shoes from Vern's outlets in Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Kedah and Penang.
The police and Jakim will be investigating if the shoe sole logo is based on a high-heeled shoe or the word "Allah" in Arabic script.
Dust yet to settle on socks with word "Allah" printed
This incident comes on the back of KK Mart's "Allah" socks fiasco, and the dust has yet to settle.
KK Mart, a convenience store chain in Malaysia, was the subject of several petrol bombs or molotov cocktail attacks after one of its outlets angered the public by selling socks with the word "Allah" printed on them.
KK Mart's owner, Chai Kee Kan, and Chai's wife were charged with "intentionally wounding the religious feelings of Muslims". Chai has apologised publicly, and in private to Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor.
The king said he did not want this issue prolonged and warned people against taking advantage of the controversy.
Akmal, however, has continued calling for KK Mart's boycott, despite what the king, as well as Umno and its leaders have said.
Umno's supreme council member Bung Moktar Radin said the party has decided to drop the matter, adding that the party's president had requested that Akmal stand down and stop boycotting KK Mart.
Akmal was detained for sedition due to his persistent calls to boycott KK Mart on Apr. 5.
Bersatu politician slams the controversy
The head of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's (Bersatu) youth wing, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, said the incident over Vern's shoe sole logo made Islam "look very petty and bad."
Fayhsal, said on X, formerly Twitter, that there was no clear offence committed against the Islamic law in Vern's incident as compared to the KK Mart "Allah" socks, where the offence was clear.
Fayhsal said Muslims should not be so paranoid and think that everything is a challenge to Islam.
"Our actions must be based on knowledge and not blind emotion," he said.
Top image from Akmal Saleh/Facebook and Vern's/Facebook