SINGAPORE - A message circulating online saying that 63 eating establishments have had their halal certification cancelled by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) is false, the council said.

Muis has filed a police report over the false message, which began circulating online over the past few days. It was notified of the message on Monday (April 23).

In a statement on Tuesday, Muis said that the claim - which lists a variety of eateries such as Makan Bagus Nasi Padang at Eastpoint Mall's Food Junction, Encik Tan at One KM and several 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken outlets - is "absolutely false".

"Muis takes a serious view against such irresponsible acts which may mislead the public," it said.

It added that such falsehoods are not new and instead have been recycled and recirculated over and over, sometimes even after a few years.

Muis urged the public not to spread unverified information that may cause confusion in the community, and instead to seek clarification from credible sources.

Those in doubt of whether an eatery is halal-certified can check Muis' searchable list on its website.

A spokesman for Muis told The Straits Times that of the 63 identified eating establishments, some of their halal certifications have expired without applications for renewal, "but quite a number are still halal-certified".

ST checked the list of eateries against Muis' website and found that more than half of those listed were halal-certified.

"If an establishment is Muis halal-certified, it is bound by Muis halal certification conditions and you should be able to see a valid Muis halal certificate on display within its premises," said the Muis spokesman.