KUALA LUMPUR: It comes as no surprise for Malaysia's tour operators for the country to be named the top Muslim-friendly travel destination. For many, the country has become a top destination globally, Muslim or not, and for many operators it is more evidence that they are doing the right thing. “There's no doubt in my mind that Malaysia should be the top travel spot for anyone, with our beaches, our people and our way of life,” Johor-based travel operator Mohid Abdel-Rahman told Bikyanews.com. Malaysia was rated the world's top Muslim-friendly holiday destination in a survey released last week that also listed Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Singapore as runners-up. The study by Singapore-based Muslim travel consultancy Crescentrating ranked countries on how well they cater to the growing number of Muslim holidaymakers seeking halal – or Islam-compliant – food and services. It used criteria including the level of safety in a country, the ease of access to halal food and prayer facilities, and whether hotels cater to the needs of Muslim guests. On a scale of one to 10 in which 10 is the best score, Malaysia came out number one with a grade of 8.3 among 50 nations surveyed. Egypt was in second place with 6.7, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Turkey both with 6.6. Saudi Arabia was in fourth place with a score of 6.4 and Singapore was fifth with 6.3. Indonesia, Morocco and Jordan scored 6.1 to tie in sixth place, trailed by seventh-place Brunei, Qatar, Tunisia and Oman, all with a score of 6.0. Malaysia also jumped into the top 10 globally as a travel destination, which has the government, tourism industry and the country excited about welcoming more foreigners into the country in 2013. Bikyanews.com