“Faith-restricted hotel trend shouldn’t be normalised in Malaysia; imagine uproar if scenario is reversed”

 

Letter to Editor

IMAGINE booking a stay in an exclusive hotel only to find that the ‘exclusive’ tag referred to type of guests rather than premium facilities.

Only in Malaysia, would it seem fine for an establishment to openly advertise that it only serves a selected clientele based on religion.

I refer to Playhouse Kita’s (@playhousekitaipoh) invite on Threads to visit its kids-friendly, four-bedroom staycation facility in Ipoh, Perak. “Each room has its own unique theme!” blared its promo blurb.

The clincher, though, is that this invite is limited to Muslim hotel guests only! The post on Threads politely clarified that bookings from those who did NOT meet its requirement had been REJECTED and refunded.

Now, there will be those who contend that such an arrangement was perfectly acceptable given the halal requirements of Muslim guests. Many would NOT feel comfortable in an environment that has been sullied by kafir (infidels), right?

There was, indeed, a comment that sought to normalise such scenarios by ironically quoting a non-Muslim BnB (bed and breakfast) proprietor who, too, inserted such exclusionary clauses.

Is such practice unlawful?

The justification – Muslims were more respectful of rules and were not prone to holding noisy parties into the wee hours!

The fear of swine, booze and canines on the premises was also put forward as a genuine concern. It was postulated that just because a guest has paid does NOT automatically translate into consumer rights.

Few things to note about this practice. Firstly, rules and regulations apply to ALL guests, regardless of race or religion. No booze, parties, pets’ rule is fine. Just don’t make it an exclusionary clause.

Secondly – and perhaps more pertinently – how would Muslims feel if they saw a similarly worded promo that appealed to nons only?

Imagine seeing adverts that are designed to make one feel excluded or distinctly second-class in one’s own country. Would it in any way or form permissible to have lodgings that are similarly NOT open to Muslim clientele?

Now, before anyone claims this is the case with non-halal bars and restaurants, kindly note that this is a matter of law, not the proprietor’s own whims and fancies. I imagine that there would be no such restrictions if it were left to consumers’ own discretion.

Recall that the then Johor ruler and current Yang di-Pertuan Agong His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, had proclaimed in 2017 that there is no place for such discriminatory declarations in multi-racial Malaysia in response to a dobi (laundrette) owner’s declaration that his service offerings only cater to Muslims.

Editor’s Note: In September 2017, Sultan Ibrahim strongly admonished a self-service launderette owner in Muar, Johor for putting up a discriminatory “Muslim-only” sign.

He ordered the practice to stop immediately, demanding a public apology and warning that the business licence would be revoked otherwise.

I believe the ruler underlined “Johor was not a Taliban state”. Key word being “Taliban” and how its policies have no place here.

I appeal to all fair-minded Malaysians to not succumb to this practice of discriminating people by race, religion or skin colour.

As pointed out, how would Muslims feel if they saw an ad for a homestay that reached out to the nons only because of superfluous and unacceptable reasons such as “Malay cooking uses smelly belacan” or that the owners of are “uncomfortable with Muslim prayers being performed on premise”.

Does that in any way sound reasonable or acceptable?

Don’t let this become the norm. Reject the notion that seeks to divide people based on their religious beliefs.

This country is already divided enough without such practices ingraining itself into already prejudiced Malaysian minds.

Nelson Man Dela
Muar, Johor

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia