Controversial Guinness Draught can found in Saudi store shelf, receives backlash in Malaysia

MALAYSIA: About 10 days ago, a Malaysian posted a photo of a Guinness can found in a store in Saudi Arabia, causing a major stir in some quarters.

For some time now, the happenings in Saudi Arabia have attracted backlash in Malaysia, particularly with reports that alcohol is now available for sale in the country where the two holy cities of Islam are located.

According to a local website, the Guinness can was spotted on a store shelf in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Madinah is the second-holiest city in Islamic beliefs. This is where the Prophet of Islam is buried, in the Masjid Nabawi.

However, the product is not what its iconic branding might suggest. The can in the photo shows the Guinness Draught 0.0, an alcohol-free stout with 0% alcohol by volume (ABV).

In Saudi Arabia, alcohol is strictly prohibited, but this product is sold legally in the country where the Kingdom permits beverages certified at 0.0% ABV.

As expected, the post drew huge responses from Malaysians of all walks of life on Facebook.

Some locals were joking about the 100% alcohol-free tag; others were a bit more sarcastic, saying Muslims will not be allowed to drink those in Malaysia, and some took it seriously, too.

One said they presume it is not going to be categorised as ‘halal’ or permissible in Malaysia. They noted a ‘good’ reason for this.

“I presume it is still not halal in Malaysia because it’s not produced in a halal-certified factory.”

The halal issue has gone viral many times in Malaysia. There were restrictions on Muslims to feast in ‘No Pork, No Lard’ restaurants. These would be restaurants that do not have a ‘halal’ certification.

Then there was the topic of a drunk Malay military officer who crashed his car on a highway against traffic, hitting another car. The accident killed a YouTuber from Bangladesh.

The fact that he was drunk raised some eyebrows among locals. It is haram, the contrary of Halal, for Muslims to drink alcohol.

Back to the case of the Saudi Guinness can, it is sold in supermarkets such as Carrefour KSA and Tamimi Markets. This is a non-alcoholic stout that mimics the taste of the original draught beer without the alcohol content.

On Facebook, some users said the product is sold in Malaysia as a stout, saying: “In Malaysia, it was branded as Guinness Malta.”

However, another chimed, “Now u can drink Guinness Malta in peace.”

On a more serious note, someone else said: The drink could be harmless and can be considered consumable, but still, it was produced by Guinness or Heineken, so it’s forbidden,” expressing their views in the Malaysian context.

Alcohol in Saudi Arabia remains generally illegal, although restrictions have eased for specific, high-income non-Muslim foreign residents and authorised diplomats.

According to Google searches, a restricted, specialised store exists in Riyadh, requiring prior registration and salary verification for entry.