Malaysian actress turned entrepreneur Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor has finally apologized for breaking coronavirus safety measures at her wedding and during her Langkawi island trip, promising to “set a better example” in the future.
The 32-year-old owner of the Naelofar hijab brand took to Instagram today to apologize after a week of relentless criticism targeting the lack of social distancing at her wedding and for going against the interstate travel ban to Langkawi. She said that members of both her family and those of her husband, Harris Ismail, 26, have met with the police over the matter.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for breaching SOPs,” she said in the video. “My family and I have just finished giving our statements to the police as of today.”
Police were investigating their wedding at the Grand Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur after photos showed guests gathering without social distancing and some without their face masks on. Her trip to Langkawi after the wedding was made possible by bubble tea chain Chatime, which said that Neelofa was on the holiday island in conjunction with its store openings and that it was approved by the police. Videos later showed the couple going on a cable car ride and going jet-skiing.
“My husband and I will accept and face the consequences of our actions, as determined by the authorities,” she said, adding: “I’m also sorry for not being sensitive towards these matters, I should set a better example to my fans.”
Her latest statement took on a different tone than her press conference, where she snarkily thanked the press for the “free marketing” that had led to Chatime proposing more store openings.
Neelofa has since returned to Kuala Lumpur, where she promoted her new Muslim app The Noor and her “Muslim-friendly” slippers, which also sparked uproar after it was perceived as being religiously exploitative.
Other stories to check out:
‘Muslim-friendly’ slippers raise eyebrows in Malaysia
Chatime proposed more bubble tea stores on Langkawi following ‘publicity’: Neelofa
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