A famous retail supermarket in Singapore has apologised after telling a Muslim couple of Indian descent that they couldn't sample the free sweets it was offering during Ramadan because the sweets were meant for Malays-only, reports said.
Jahabar Shalih, 36, and his wife Farah Nadya, 35, claimed a male employee at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)-run supermarket "shooed" them away from the snack stand on April 9 while they were doing their regular grocery shopping with their two young children, according to a report from Channel News Asia.
Jahabar is Indian, but Farah, his wife, is Indian-Malay.
In a Facebook post posted on Sunday, Farah described the "distasteful" encounter.
Meanwhile, a report in The Straits Times said that the FairPrice has apologised for an incident where a Muslim mixed-race couple was turned away from a booth at one of its supermarkets offering free refreshments to those breaking fast during Ramadan.
In response to queries, a FairPrice spokesman said on Monday: “We take this matter seriously and would like to apologize for the incident,” the report said.
The spokesman said the employee, who had allegedly told the couple that the freebies were “not for India (sic)“, has been counselled.
“We have since engaged the couple to address their concerns and have closed this matter amicably,” added the spokesman, The Straits Times report added.