I think this is another example to someone making statements on someone else's faith based on a lot of assumptions.
Allow me to give my two cents.
I am Chinese.
I am also Muslim.
So I think I can (probably??) understand better the feelings of people from both backgrounds. But please, I am by no means an authority on Chinese cultural or Islamic knowledge. Not by a long shot!
I don't think the management at McDonald's took the decision to omit the pig lightly, and I am sure they have tried their best to consult with at least the Muslims in the organisation. (I admit, I am being presumptious, though!) While I understand that the pig is a significant animal in Chinese culture, one has to remember that this is a Halal establishment afterall.
Yes, no pork is served, and the toy is afterall just made of plastic and cotton, but it somehow does not "sit right" that a Halal joint may have images of a pig in its midst. It's not so simple as to quote everything in black and white and implement a certain policy "because the paper says so". Like many Muslims who have been interviewed, I also don't mind (nor care) if they've got a pig Doraemon figure to give away with a meal. But I am also mindful of young Muslim children who may be somewhat confused when they receive a pig toy with their Halal meal. Perhaps the onus may be for the parents to educate the young? But that will still cause some controversy somehow, somewhere.
IMHO, McDonald's did the correct thing to err on the side of caution. I say so because even though I think nothing of it, I know it is merely my opinion, so therefore I am not in a position to say that it is "okay" for images of a pig to appear in a Halal-certified establisment.
However, I do think McDonald's could've done more.
IMO, an ideal compromise would be simply having more than one choice (2 Doraemon characters) at any one time. That would allieviate the issue wouldn't it? At least everyone would have an option. There'd still be images of a pig in the restaurant, but it does make it easier for people to close one eye if they're given an alternative.
(But of course, that would mean a shorter promo period which means there would be less profit to be had...)
In the grand scheme of things, although it is healthy to be mindful about such incidents, I still think this is trivial stuff and we shouldn't kick up so much fuss about it. I'm actually more concerned about the events that are unfolding in Malaysia and Melbourne. We've already attained world notoriety with Hello Kitty, so let's not get into an online riot with Doraemon, can?
