Angry Muslims in Malaysia demand a Jihad, or holy war, be declared on confectionery company Cadbury and their parent company after traces of pig DNA were found.
In response Cadbury Malaysia is pulling Cadbury Dairy Milk hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk roast almond from shelves in the Islamic country, Reuters reports.
A group of more than 20 Muslim organizations condemned the UK-based company, owned by Mondelēz International, saying “it has crossed the line.”
“They have betrayed us Muslims by putting ‘haram’ elements through the foods we consume in our body, to weaken us Muslims,” said Abu Bakar Yahya, chief of Muslim group, Perkasa Selangor, at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaymailonline reports.
Some Muslim organizations even called for a Jihad to be declared against Cadbury for its “betrayal.”
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department was urged to take legal action against Cadbury.
The Malaysian Health Ministry confirmed that traces of porcine DNA had been picked up in a routine check for non-halal substances in Cadbury products. According to Islamic law, Muslims cannot consume pork or any products derived from it.
“Ensuring that all our products made here in Malaysia are halal is something we take very seriously,” Cadbury Malaysia said in a Facebook posting.
Malaysian Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam told press that Cadbury was now cooperating with the Ministry and sharing samples to ascertain where the porcine DNA came from.
“We want to know how the product became contaminated with pig DNA. The health ministry will also do additional tests,” said Subramaniam.
Cadbury Malaysia sales are a small fraction of the around 15 per cent of the company’s revenues that come from the Asia-Pacific region, but concerns over halal standards could jeopardize sales in bigger Muslim markets, such as Indonesia and the Middle East.
This article originally appeared on News.com.au.