McDonald’s Malaysia contributes RM1 million in zakat for 2020

McDonald’s Malaysia contributed business ‘zakat’ (tithe) amounting to RM1 million to all 14 states in Malaysia. This contribution, recorded for the year 2020, marks the fourth year that McDonald’s Malaysia has been contributing zakat, since the company was acquired by Lionhorn Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Reza Group from Saudi Arabia.

McDonald’s Malaysia presented zakat to Pusat Pungutan Zakat Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (PPZ-MAIWP) and Lembaga Zakat Selangor (LZS) at two separate ceremonies this week.

“As a business entity that is 100 percent owned by Muslims, it is a religious commitment for us to pay zakat to be distributed to those in need. We have been contributing zakat since 2017 under Lionhorn Pte Ltd, a unit of Reza Group,” said Azmir Jaafar, Managing Director and Local Operating Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia.

“Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam, and as a company that operates more than 300 restaurants across the country, reaching out to the communities we operate in has always been part of our DNA. We hope that the contribution we make to all 14 states will continue to help the needy across the country, especially during these unprecedented times that we are living in,” added Azmir.

In 2019, McDonald’s Malaysia was the first business to receive the Corporate Zakat Contribution Certificate by PPZ-MAIWP. This certificate is to acknowledge Malaysian businesses for their corporate zakat contributions within the Federal Territory states. The certificates have since been predominantly displayed at 40 McDonald’s Malaysia restaurants within the Federal Territory states of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan.

On top of that, McDonald’s Malaysia also received the Corporate Zakat Contribution Certificate by Lembaga Zakat Selangor in October this year. The certificates of recognition are displayed at 95 McDonald’s restaurants in Selangor.

The Corporate Zakat Contribution Certificates complement McDonald’s Malaysia’s existing Halal Certification.

The company works closely with Jabatan Kemajuan Agama Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) to continuously uphold its Halal commitment to its consumers through all aspects of the business. Their active engagement in various Halal programmes over the past years includes the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), HALFEST, and World Halal Summit.

“As the first quick service restaurant in Malaysia to obtain halal certification from JAKIM, Halal at McDonald’s Malaysia stretches across the entire supply chain of our sourcing and operations, from the taste of our food and halal ingredients, to our restaurant cleanliness and community programmes that the company participates in,” said Azmir.

To ensure that stringent halal standards are constantly adhered to at McDonald’s Malaysia, the company set up an Internal Halal Committee in 2013. This committee is tasked to monitor full compliance thoroughly via audits and inspections with the Halal requirements outlined by JAKIM – comprising members representing the Board of Directors, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Operations, Human Resources, and Marketing. Two external Islamic experts are also engaged as Syariah Advisors.