A Western Australian café has been bombarded with hate mail for selling halal meat. Malaysian eatery Mots Café in Bunbury, Perth, has been the subject of anti-Islamic and racist online comments on Facebook.

Owner Muhaini “Mot” Taylor said the abuse started when an online user posted a negative review of the restaurant because they serve halal meat. The reviewer did not eat at the café.

That one comment sparked a flood of other negative comments that accuse the restaurant of supporting terrorism. According to a few comments, halal-certified products support Islamic terrorism, while others say they are unwilling to pay for the fees added to products with halal certificates.

“Halal is just a cruel way of killing an animal,” Facebook user Aden Bryant Redmond wrote.

“We Non muslims have freedom of Choice, and it is MY choice not to ear or consume any halal foods whenever possible. I also advise a very wide circle of friends about Halal establishments so we can show our disdain and boycott them. Your Establishment is on the list,” (sic) Gordon Smith added.

Another user named Kellie Wright boldly claimed, “A fee has to be paid to be halal certified and where does this money go? It goes toward supporting Islamic projects which contribute towards the advancement of sharia law here.”

As Taylor wrote on the café’s social media page, a lot of people who left negative comments just don’t understand what “halal” means. She explained that halal meat is not different from other meat sold around the world.

“The only difference is how it’s been slaughtered. Halal meat is hand slaughtered, whether it is beef, chicken or anything that’s living, halal is simply blessing the animal with words of appreciation, and the sacrifice of its life, to feed mankind,” the note on the Facebook page reads.

The owner added that they respect everyone’s opinions, and as such, they also hope everyone can respect and understand theirs. She ended the post with an announcement saying a new menu is set to be launched in the café.

There are also many comments supporting and defending the establishment from the hateful posts. Some of them try to educate others about the real meaning of halal, while others berate the anti-halal crusaders for their racist and uninformed statements.

Taylor, 26, was born in Bunburry to a Muslim family who originated from the Cocos Island. The Taylor family have lived in Australia since the 1970s. Although they don’t have plans of closing the restaurant that they have launched almost four years ago, they said they would likely deactive their Facebook page.