KUALA LUMPUR – In addition to tricking people into thinking they’re buying alcohol-free hand sanitiser, they have also hiked the prices ridiculously.

With the recent outbreak of the COVID-19, many merchants have begun to sell ‘halal’ (Arabic for permissible) hand sanitizers.

Some 61 percent of Malaysians are practicing Muslims and since alcohol is not permissible for practicing Muslims, some Malaysians have begun selling hand sanitizers made out of ethanol as an alternative.

The product is marketed as “Muslim friendly”, but the truth is Ethanol is just another form of alcohol. In addition to tricking people into thinking they’re buying alcohol-free hand sanitiser, they have also hiked the prices ridiculously.

One ‘halal’ sanitizer is sold at RM35 while an alcohol-based one cost only around RM5.90 in stores and are known to effectively kill germs 60 to 95 percent compared to just ethanol.

Some are unhappy that these merchants are using fear and religion to make a quick profit. “Please don’t ride on religion to sell ‘halal’ hand sanitizers during this COVID-19 outbreak. The Federal Territories Mufti has decreed the use of hand sanitizer as must use and can be used for prayers.” a twitter user wrote.

The Minister of the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri added that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are permissible in a statement via the ministry’s official website.

Some online shopping platforms have removed the sellers though they are still active on social media.