DR. MOCH. BUKHORI MUSLIM, LC., M.A., Head of Industry, Business and Sharia Economy Division, National Sharia Council of the Indonesian Council of Ulama (DSN MUI)
Halal tourism in Indonesia, which has been pioneered since 2015, still has a problem: there is a misunderstanding in some circles about the nature and benefits of developing halal tourism. One part of the scope of halal tourism is the availability of sharia hotels.
The National Sharia Council of the Indonesian Council of Ulama (DSN MUI) has issued Fatwa No. 108 of 2016 concerning Guidelines for Organizing Tourism Based on Sharia Principles. The fatwa explains that the sharia hotel business is the provision of accommodation in the form of rooms in a building that can be equipped with food and beverage services, entertainment activities and/or other facilities daily to obtain profits that are carried out in accordance with sharia principles. Based on the fatwa, it can be simplified that a Sharia hotel is a hotel that runs its services and facilities with Sharia principles.
In this scope, the community still needs a clear understanding and information about Sharia hotels. To explore the ins and outs of Sharia Hotels, the Halal Journal Team conducted an in-depth interview with Dr. Moch, the Head of the Sharia Industry, Business and Economics Division, The National Sharia Council of the Indonesian Council of Ulama (DSN MUI). Bukhori Muslim, Lc., M.A. Let’s see the following review.
WHAT ARE THE STANDARDS AND RULES OF SHARIAH HOTELS IN INDONESIA?
The presence of Sharia hotels stems from the Muslim community’s demand for tourism facilities according to Islamic law. To accommodate this, DSN MUI accepts applications for Sharia certification from hotels.
Previously, DSN MUI, as an institution authorized to issue fatwas related to Sharia economics, issued Fatwa No. 108 of 2016 concerning Guidelines for Organizing Tourism Based on Sharia Principles. The fatwa explains how a tour implements Sharia principles, such as hotels, travel agencies, tourist attractions, spas, entertainment, and so on.
From the fatwa, a standard was derived, which has become a requirement for fulfilling sharia certification for hotels. Four main points are the ones that hotels need to pay attention to in fulfilling the requirements or criteria for sharia hotels.
First, food and drinks must be halal, as evidenced by a halal restaurant certificate. This is also related to Act No. 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Product Assurance (UU JPH) and its derivatives.
Second, service. What is certain is that a place of worship must be prepared. There are standards for cleanliness, room service, and entertainment. For example, the hotel must not allow its hotel to be used for immoral or pornographic acts, so there must be a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that regulates TV shows to be filtered.
Third, management. Sharia hotels must pay attention to the welfare and equality of employees’ knowledge regarding Islamic law. For example, when serving guests, employees start with greetings and smiles. In addition, there is a special scheme to guarantee employees’ rights to worship, especially Friday prayers for male employees.
Fourth, finances must come from halal income and use a main account in a Sharia bank. For example, if you sell alcohol or other non-halal menu items, then it cannot be said that the source of income is halal.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE USUALLY DIFFICULT TO FULFILL? WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Of the four, none are difficult as long as business actors commit to implementing Sharia principles in their hotels. Waiting for halal certification for restaurants usually takes a long time, but this will usually be guided by service SOPs.
HOW ARE SYARIAH HOTELS SUPERVISED, INCLUDING RESTAURANTS AND CAFETERIA LOCATED WITHIN SYARIAH HOTELS?
Along with the Sharia certification process, the hotel must submit a Sharia Supervisory Board (DPS), an external DSN organ. Specifically, the DPS supervises the consistency and commitment of Sharia hotels in implementing Sharia standards based on the DSN Fatwa. Generally, one hotel will be supervised by two DPS during the validity period of the Sharia certificate, which is three years.
To become a DPS, there are requirements and competency tests to carry out the audit/checking and supervision processes properly. The results of the supervision will be reported every 6 months. If the hotel extends, the DPS’s monitoring report will be the basis for issuing a halal certificate.
HOW DO HOTEL ACTIVITIES OR OWNERS OBTAIN SYARIAH HOTEL STATUS?
You can check the requirements directly on the website https://dsnmui.or.id/. One of them is an official statement from the business actor stating that the company is committed to implementing Sharia principles, starting with facilities and services, and ending with financial reports.
In short, the hotel will apply for sharia hotel certification, which is proven by uploading several documents. Then, the DSN MUI team will check the completeness of the incoming documents. After being declared complete, the DSN MUI team will call the hotel to conduct a presentation and Q&A. If weaknesses or deficiencies are found, the hotel will be given time to complete or fix them.
Then, the DSN MUI will appoint an assessor team to directly check the implementation of hotel standards based on the list and documents submitted previously. The assessor team’s report will be brought to the DSN MUI daily meeting. Once everything is complete, the hotel can be given a Sharia certificate that is valid for three years.
WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES FACED SO FAR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SYARIAH HOTEL STANDARDS?
Two things are generally difficult for hotels to fulfill when implementing Sharia standards. First, most hotels in Indonesia have swimming pools. It is very difficult for hotels to divide time between male and female use because they are not allowed to mix.
Second, hotels generally still provide alcohol, especially 4- and 5-star hotels. This must be really clear. If we are talking about restaurants, then we can separate those that specifically sell halal products from those that still want to sell haram products such as alcohol. However, if we are talking about Sharia hotels, then all parts must be run according to Sharia principles, including the products sold.
It is impossible for the MUI DSN to declare a Sharia hotel as long as alcohol is sold. This concerns not only the halalness of the product but also the hotel’s income. The source of income must be halal; if it sells beer, then it is impossible to say it is halal.
HOW IS THE GOVERNMENT’S SUPPORT AND COORDINATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYARIAH HOTELS?
Currently, the government has not shown strong support. In the past, around 2011, there was a regulation from the Minister of Tourism regarding the standards of Sharia hotels, but it was later revoked. So, until now, there has been no ministerial regulation or regulation that explicitly discusses Sharia hotels. This is with the exception of Aceh, where there are regulations from the local government. Even so, DSN always discusses, one of which is through Focus Group Discussions (FGD), with the government regarding how to implement community demands so that Sharia principles can run well.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE HOPE?
This effort supports the government in becoming the center of the world’s sharia economy. We hope that more hotels will be willing to implement sharia standards. The standards must be clear, not just the existence of a symbol of the direction of prayer. But the contents also contain sharia principles. This is none other than maintaining the dignity of its residents so that later they do not commit sins and violate religious rules. This step is to protect public morals. (YN)
