First booze, now beef? Malaysia called to extend menu ban at government events

Alcohol and non-halal food are prohibited to appease the Muslim majority but a political party wants other religions to be respected too

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A woman cuts into a steak in a restaurant. A party in Malaysia is asking for beef to not be served during government functions. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:52pm, 8 Oct 2025

First it was alcohol, now it is beef facing calls for a ban from Malaysian government functions, out of respect for the country’s Buddhists and Hindus, as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration is asked to adjudicate over culture wars to appease the multiracial country’s different religions.

The government came under fire over the weekend after complaints that beer and wine were served in front of Muslim guests at a gala dinner that was part of the Global Travel Meet 2025, organised by state tourism promotional agency Tourism Malaysia.

Alcohol and non-halal food such as pork are strictly prohibited at government events in Muslim-majority Malaysia.

On Tuesday, new political outfit Parti Hati Rakyat Malaysia urged the government to extend the rule to beef to appease the country’s minority Buddhist and Hindu communities. Cows are considered sacred by Hindus, while certain Buddhist sects – particularly those who follow Guanyin – abstain from eating beef.

“Malaysia is a multiracial, multireligious country [that includes] Hindus and Buddhists, who consider beef [consumption] as taboo,” Parti Hati chairman Chan Tse Yuen said in a statement on Tuesday.

“But so far … the government seems to have ignored the religious sensitivities of Hindus and Buddhists.”

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