Shariah by any other name

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Shaza Hotels properties will be 'sensitive to Islamic considerations' across all aspects of their execution.

The issue of Shariah-compliant hotels continues to be a source of confusion for the travel trade and consumers alike; ATN seeks to clarify the situation.

The Islamic hospitality market, or Shariah-compliant hotels, is pegged to be one of the fastest growing hospitality segments, according to Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) conference co-organiser Jonathan Worsley.

This may or may not be the case, but there remains some confusion in the industry about what a 'Shariah-compliant', or 'Islamic-compliant' hotel actually is.

Many people seem to have theories, but to date even hotels groups who claim they are Shariah compliant have failed to venture a clear definition.

The difficulty in clearly resolving this issue is compounded by the fact that there are no regulatory bodies established to correlate hotels chains' claims of Shariah compliance, and many in the industry believe that even if there were, it would lead to more confusion, not less.

Our own basic understanding of ‘Shariah compliant' indicates that such hotels should offer the following:

• Be alcohol free

• Serve Halal food

• Reflect Islamic and Shariah values and social responsibility

• Adhere to Islamic principles

• Follow the Zakat principle, giving back to the community

And possibly

• Large enough function rooms/or more than one to cater to separate male/female requirements (weddings etc)

• Adequate facilities for prayer time

• Separate health club and fitness facilities for male and female

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