A butcher based in Adelaide who was asked to remove a sign that read “non halal certified” because it was classified as offensive has changed their display – by only one letter.
Valley Butchers was on the receiving end of a number of complaints as many claimed the sign was making a mockery of Muslims.
“It pokes fun of a specific group of people based on religious belief. It is very intentional and obvious,” read the complaint.
Soon after, the Ad Standards watchdog came to the conclusion that the sign breached their codes, forcing the owner to change it.
But in a twist of events, the board decided that the sign just needed to change one letter.
The sign now reads “not halal certified”.
Speaking to ABC Radio Adelaide, Ad Standards chief executive Fiona Jolly said that changing the word non to not makes a significant difference.
“Saying that something is non-halal certified is making fun of halal certification because there’s no such thing,” she said.
“Saying that something is not halal certified is a statement of fact.
“This is a self-regulation system and it does really rely on the goodwill of advertisers to follow our rulings.”
“Had the sign stated, ‘Not Halal approved’ or “Unfortunately, non-Halal’ this would be less likely to have been considered discriminatory or vilifying signage,” she said.
Ad Standards then decided that the sign was ridiculing halal certification, demeaning those “who are of that faith or are of Muslim ethnicity”.
Valley Butchers defended their sign, saying it was simply answering a question they regularly get asked.
“The sign is only stating that we are not halal approved. In no way is it meant in a malice way,” they said.
