Malaysia’s pet boom clashes with religious taboos as Selangor mall reverses pet-friendly policy

KUALA LUMPUR – A row over dogs in public spaces has forced a newly opened shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, to reverse its pet-friendly policy within a week, following objections from Muslim groups and intervention by the state government.

When Sunway Square Mall opened on Dec 11, it rolled out an open-door policy for humans and pets alike. But this soon sparked protests and boycott calls from Malay-Muslims, who see the move as an affront to Islamic views on ritual impurity and disrespectful to the community that forms the majority in Malaysia.

In a statement posted on Instagram on Dec 18, the mall said it had updated its pet policy with immediate effect, following a directive from the state government.

“In compliance with this directive, pets are not permitted within the enclosed indoor premises of Sunway Square Mall to ensure a safe, hygienic and comfortable environment for all visitors,” the mall said.

However, visitors are welcome to take their pets to a designated outdoor pet-friendly park nearby.

The policy reversal came a day after the Selangor state’s executive council member for local government and tourism, Mr Ng Suee Lim, told the media that the state maintains a prohibition on allowing pets into malls to preserve community harmony.

He said that in some countries, people are allowed to take their pets into malls. “But based on our multiracial culture, we need to carefully consider whether all their measures can or are suitable to be applied at all places, in shopping malls and so on,” he said.

However, he added that the state government will review existing guidelines to balance Selangor’s position as a “developed and international-level state”.

The state’s intervention quickly drew criticism from an animal rights group.

On Dec 18, lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh from the Lawyers for Animal Rights group said malls are privately owned premises and the state has no authority to prohibit how they regulate lawful behaviour within their premises.

“Even if the regulation of pets in shopping malls were assumed to be a legitimate objective, a total and undefined prohibition fails the proportionality test adopted by Malaysian courts,” they said.

“Less restrictive measures – including hygiene standards, leash requirements, designated areas or mall-specific policies – are plainly available and widely practised elsewhere.”

Pet ownership in Malaysia has grown since the Covid-19 pandemic, with a 2024 survey showing that more than six out of 10 households have at least one pet. Three in four of the pets were cats, while dogs made up around 15 per cent of pet ownership.

However, dogs remain taboo for the Malay-Muslim community, which accounts for more than 63 per cent of the country’s 34 million population. To Malay-Muslims, any contact with dogs would require ritual cleansing.

The Muslim Consumer Association of Malaysia or PPIM, a hardline Malay rights group, has called for a boycott of pet-friendly malls, saying the presence of dogs shows disrespect towards Malays.

“We as Muslims need to have self-respect and boycotting is the best step to protest against those who do not respect Muslims,” said the group’s leader, Datuk Nadzim Johan, on Dec 17.

He said a coordinated boycott by Muslims would hurt traders operating in the affected shopping centres, citing the purchasing power of the country’s more than 21 million Muslims.

The group previously led boycotts of Western products with alleged ties to Israel and Jews, like Coca-Cola, as well as Malaysian Chinese-owned businesses, citing political differences.

While most malls in Malaysia do not allow pets on their premises, a growing number have introduced pet-friendly areas, including designated entrances, lifts and restaurants.

These include 1 Utama, Malaysia’s second-largest shopping mall, with more than 5.5 million sq ft of retail space.

In Penang, Gurney Paragon mall allows pets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, provided that cats are in carriers, dogs wear diapers and owners use only designated lifts.

For Malaysian dog lovers, the attack on pet-friendly malls is the latest blow to spaces where dogs are welcome.

In October, a gated off-leash area at Bandar Utama Central Park in Petaling Jaya was ordered to be closed and its barricades dismantled by the Petaling Jaya City Council. The council said that dogs must always be leashed in public parks, despite the off-leash zone operating without incident for over 20 years.

Parkgoers signed a petition, saying it was the only park in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur with an enclosed area where dogs can safely run off-leash.

“The off-leash zone has long been a symbol of community harmony, responsible ownership and shared public space,” the petition read.

“We urge our local authorities to work hand in hand with residents to maintain and improve this valuable community area.”

Marketing executive Emily Soo, 28, who frequents the park with her beagle Timmy, told The Straits Times that the change in rules makes life difficult for pet owners.

“Nowadays, many of us live in condos. The park helps our pets release pent-up energy. Other parks allow pets, but there is nowhere for them to run free,” she said.

“For them to change the rules after 20 years seems mean.”

Correction note: In an earlier version of this story, we wrongly referred to Mr Ng Suee Lim with a female pronoun. This has been corrected.