PETALING JAYA: The name “Timah” refers to Fatimah Az-Zahra, which is the name of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, therefore the religious authorities cannot allow the use of this name on any whisky or wine brand, says Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
He said the misuse of names could confuse the Muslim community.
“And this subtly can be seen as touching the sensitivity among Muslims, ” PAS president said in a Facebook post on Friday.
However, Abdul Hadi, who is also Marang MP, stressed that religious authorities cannot prevent the use or sale of alcohol by non-Muslims as Malaysia is a multi-religious society
and practices religious freedom.
The PAS-led Kelantan and Terengganu state governments prohibit only Muslims to sell or consume alcohols.
“They do not prohibit the sale of alcohol among non-Muslims,” said Abdul Hadi.
As many members of the Pas called the authority to ban and do not allow the use of the name “Timah” on the Whisky, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim has explained that “Timah” was neither a Muslim name nor a person’s name.
“It’s a type of metal. Furthermore, the logo is a picture of a man. There is no man named Timah,” he was quoted as saying by PAS mouthpiece Harakah Daily.
Timah’s manufacturer also explained that the name is derived from the Malay word “tin” and the man pictured on its bottle is Captain Tristam Speedy, an English officer in Malaya during the British colonial era.
