GIVEN that Genting Malaysia Bhd is embroiled in what is deemed as sin industry in view of its casino business, the group’s recent crowning as the top 10 “Pahang State Halal Champions” by virtue of its two food & beverage (F&B) establishments has raised eyebrows of Muslim netizens.
This follows a social media post by online Malay language automotive publication Careta Media managing editor Hezeri Samsuri (@HezeriSamsuri) on the X platform who called on the Pahang Islamic Religious Department (JAIP) to “at least explain the logic” of picking Genting Malaysia as a winner”.
“Surely, the F&B segment is well taken care of. It’s after all world class resort and it (Genting Malaysia) pays a lot of corporate taxes. But not zakat (tithe). I don’t know if it has a subsidiary that pays zakat,” penned Hazeri who was also the former TopGear Malaysia chief editor.
Aku pernah kena tegur sebab pergi Resort Genting, walaupun aku kena pergi cover event. Faham, dan aku diam.
I never like it there sebab penuh manusia tapi resort atas bukit tu tawarkan pekerjaan pada orang-orang di kawasan tu. Ini pun benda sensitif sebab bukan mudah dapat… pic.twitter.com/exeBnOE5os
— Hezeri Samsuri (@HezeriSamsuri) November 16, 2024
“Maybe the SOP (standard operating procedure) is strict on halal matters but only that it seems awkward in terms of communication. It seems like we can turn a blind eye on other things but not this. So, please understand me because I still need to explain it to my kids.”
For the record, Genting Malaysia received the JAIP award based on criteria fulfilled by Jom Makan SkyAvenue and Jom Makan Street Food which are both F&B establishments located in Resorts World Genting.
A commenter attempted to explain the rationale of the halal award being conferred “on the effort taken by Jom Makan SkyAvenue and Jom Makan Street Food to serve halal food to visitors” while another reckoned that Hazeri was after “a pinch of (social media) engagement”.
However, some cast doubt over conferment of the “Halal Champion” title solely for Genting Malaysia’s “food court” given “82% of Genting Bhd’s (the parent of Genting Malaysia) revenue in 2023 was derived from its leisure and hospitality division which includes casino operations”.
In fact, a commenter shared that even the Resort Dream Cruise boasts a certified halal café “which somehow entices the ustaz gangs to join its cruises”.
Interestingly, one netizen insinuated that Muslims should stay away from stepping foot in Genting by alluding to a Carlsberg lorry driver who encountered a breakdown “informing his company not to provide towing service for him as he didn’t want us to be sinful”.
Another recalled his cousin from Brunei who wanted to visit Genting but called off the trip “considering that Genting has a casino thus the halal income is mixed with illegal income”.
“So, we went to Berjaya Times Square to enjoy its amusement park. When I came back, I remembered that Sports Toto is owned by Berjaya (which is founded by Tan Sri Vincent Tan),” he revealed.
At the end of the day, a netizen summed up that one can talk about halal income stream or whether gambling and alcohol are haram but eventually, “accepting and giving bribes are most haram”. – Nov 20, 2024
