Umno Youth chief Dr. Akmal Saleh has reaffirmed his commitment to calling for a boycott of KK Mart convenience stores over the sale of socks bearing the word “Allah,” despite advice to resolve the issue promptly.
Akmal emphasized that the boycott was not a ploy for political gain but rather a defense of Islam against insult.
"I will not be deterred, no matter who tries," he declared to reporters at the Simpang Tiga mosque.
Akmal asserted his belief that Umno Youth's stance was justified, stating, "We are on the right track."
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had suggested that the matter should be resolved after the store's operator apologized and it was determined that the fault lay with the supplier from mainland China.
"This matter should be settled, without prolonging the issue," Zahid, who is also the Umno president, remarked.
Despite meeting with Zahid and receiving no reprimand, Akmal insisted that KK Mart's apology was insufficient, asserting that no party should be let off with "just a single apology" for insulting a religion.
Akmal declared it was time to teach those who insult Islam a lesson, including KK Mart, and vowed to continue the boycott until the end.
He also criticized the Democratic Action Party (DAP), accusing them of racializing the issue when Umno Youth was simply addressing the retailer.
Akmal affirmed that even if the retailer were Muslim, his reaction would have been the same. This came in response to DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook's query about whether he would have acted differently if the stores were owned by Muslims.
The controversy began when images of the socks, sold at KK Mart's Bandar Sunway store, circulated on social media last Wednesday, angering the Muslim community and leading to calls for a boycott by Umno Youth.
On Saturday, the company issued an apology and expressed regret over the incident. However, Umno Youth later deemed the apology insufficient and demanded that KK Mart display apology banners at all 881 of its stores nationwide.
The convenience store chain's vendor stated that it was contemplating legal action for negligence against its supplier in China.
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