THE pet-friendly controversy continues to rumble on.
Though the shopping mall that was at the centre of attention – Sunway Square Mall – has since retracted its decision to make the venue welcoming to four-legged companions, some citizens are still harping on the issue.
The controversy has since spread beyond the shores of Klang Valley to Penang simply because there are still a number of shopping malls that have pet-friendly policies in place. And this hasn’t gone down well with some.
A case in point is one Aryanie Shafie’s who grumbled on Facebook about Gurney Paragon’s pet-friendly policy that welcomed furry companions on designated days (ie Tuesdays).
The poster sarcastically noted (as was oft heard with this issue) that she too was bringing her goats and cattle to the mall as these pets were akin to her own children.
The post has generated 1.1K likes, 1.2K comments and 120 shares at time of publication, underlining that the topic was still of public interest.
Pointing out that the owners of Gurney Paragon had bought (or rented) the premises with cold hard cash, one commenter argued that they thus reserved the right to determine their marketing policies.
In so doing, he could not hide his contempt for the poster by labelling her as having a “kerbau (buffalo) mentality” (being backward) for making this an issue as there are many other malls that catered to her needs.
Another opinion compared the scenario in Malaysia with that of Turkey where the majority of the population is also Muslim. Yet, it was noted that no such controversy arose there when pets are brought into public spaces.
This mature approach also extended to the manner in which stray population was controlled whereas in Malaysia, the discussion seems to always centre on the “halal” or “haram” status of any given issue.
This commenter pointed out that “it is not the difference in religions but the manner in which religion is understood and practiced”.
However, this observation did not go down well with some, including the poster who highlighted the discomfort of Muslim staff at such malls. It was also pointed out that Turkey and Malaysia followed different schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
Editor’s Note: Turkey primarily practices Sunni Islam, particularly the Hanafi school of jurisprudence but with a significant Alevi minority (a Shia offshoot) and strong Sufi influences (like Rumi’s tradition), all within a constitutionally secular state where practices vary from deeply religious to culturally Muslim.
Malaysia primarily practices Sunni Islam, specifically following the Shafi’i school of thought (madhab) which is the official and legally recognised form of Islam.
However, there were many who questioned the poster’s entitled view, wondering why did she have to make an issue of it.
It is not like she is being forced to touch canines with one commenter highlighting the “cleanliness” of cash being handled as it could possibly been previously used by a pork butcher.
Some commenters made the obvious observation – if this pet-friendly policy makes the poster so uncomfortable, just go elsewhere. This freedom of choice also extended to Muslim staff who could make the conscious decision to work in different places.
This whole pet-friendly issue underlines the intricacies of navigating the myriad of cultural sensitivities in a melting pot society.
It requires maturity, tolerance and no small amount of empathy. Unfortunately, judging from the sheer volume of extreme and nonsensical pronouncements, especially on social media, this seems a long way off yet. – Dec 31, 2025
