UMNO Youth chief vows to continue calling for boycott of KK Mart despite apology

Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh will reportedly continue to call for a boycott of KK Mart convenience stores over the sale of socks bearing the word "Allah". 

Speaking to reporters at the Simpang Tiga mosque, he reportedly said that the call to boycott has nothing to do with gaining political mileage but was to defend Islam against insult. 

Don't miss: Religious sock issue: MY King calls for stern action, vendor mulls legal action 

He reportedly added that KK Mart's apology was insufficient and that no party should get away with a single apology for insulting religion. 

He later reportedly said that it was time to teach those who insulted Islam a lesson by promising a boycott until the end. 

"This is not a political question, this is a much more important question which is to defend the purity of our religion, race and homeland," said Akmal in a Facebook post. "This is our time to defend our religion together." 

His statement comes after deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reportedly said that the matter should be put to rest after KK Mart apologised. 

According to The Star, Zahid said it is better to not raise the issue anymore. The deputy prime minister had assumed that KK Mart were unaware and did not intend to offend anyone. 

Zahid reportedly added that investigations by the police after raiding the vendor company showed that it was not the fault of the factory in Batu Pahat and that the socks were imported from China. 

Yesterday, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, called for stern action to be taken by the authorities against those responsible for the sale of socks with the word "Allah" printed on them.

"The word of Allah is highly regarded by all Muslims, and we are in the month of Ramadan," said His Majesty in a statement on Facebook. 

"Whether it is intentional or not, whether it is imported or exported in a local factory, I want the authorities to investigate and take strict action in accordance with the law so that such matters are not repeated." 

Images of the socks with "Allah" printed on it went viral online on 13 March. The store that sold them, KK Mart, issued an apology on Facebook for the offensive socks. Founder KK Chai reportedly said that product management of the socks were done by a vendor. 

Following an online apology, an apology note was also put up at KK Mart outlets nationwide. The note added that the chain will seek legal action against the vendor, Xin Jian Chang.

In tandem, Xin Jian Chang is reportedly seeking advice on whether it can take legal action against their China-based supplier Mu Mian Qing Hosiery. 

Xin Jian Chang reportedly apologised for the mistake and offense, or distress caused by the incident. It highlighted that it did not order such socks and will be implementing stricter quality control measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. 

The company also reportedly urged Malaysians to remain calm and refrain from engaging in any form of vigilantism or violence. This comes after the company received threats that include burning down the factory and endangering lives, and personal data of its officers being disseminated on social media. 

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