In Malaysia, uproar over mall’s pet-friendly policy forces U-turn
The reversal comes after videos of a dog being wheeled through the mall in a trolley stirred anger in the Muslim-majority country
Sunway Square Mall in Selangor, which opened on December 12, said on Thursday that pets are banned from its enclosed retail areas. Instead, pets are allowed at a designated outdoor zone and supervised routes through a car park in the mall’s basement.
The move comes after photos and videos of a dog being wheeled through the mall in a trolley circulated online.
The mall previously promoted itself as Malaysia’s first indoor pet-friendly shopping centre, a claim that quickly drew criticism, particularly from some Muslim shoppers, for whom dogs are considered najis – a term in Islamic jurisprudence referring to ritual impurity.
For observant Muslims, contact with dogs requires specific cleansing rituals before prayers, making their presence in shared indoor spaces a sensitive issue.
Selangor local government and tourism committee chairman Ng Suee Lim said the state’s long-standing policy banning pets inside malls remained in force.