KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — Umno-linked daily Mingguan Malaysia has praised the authorities for banning a beer festival and gay party in Kuala Lumpur that it claimed violated Muslim sensitivities, despite the police claiming the former was cancelled due to a terror threat.

Writing under the Awang Selamat pseudonym, the newspaper’s editors said the Home Ministry, the Federal Territories Ministry, the police and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) must be given due recognition and respect for thwarting both events, which they claimed were "matters of sensitivity in a Muslim-majority country”.

"This is a clear message for all parties to respect religious sensitivity and the moral values of the country.

"If we had kept quiet on these, it would have given a sign that beer and gay festivals are not only acceptable, but can be celebrated grandly in a country that has a Muslim majority,” Awang Selamat wrote in Utusan Malaysia’s weekend edition, Mingguan Malaysia.

The column pointed that more challenges in the form of such festivals will emerge following the ban on these festivals.

"After the failure of these two festivals, Awang believes there will be more attempts in a larger and more aggressive scale to uphold the alcohol drinking habits and gay culture,” the column said.

A dance party in Kuala Lumpur, which is promoted as the warm-up event to the annual gay festival White Party Bangkok, has caused an uproar among some Muslims here, prompting reaction from the authorities.

Separately, DBKL rejected an application from Mybeer (M) Sdn Bhd to organise the Better Beer Festival 2017 scheduled next month at a shopping centre, following objections from Islamist party PAS who claimed the event encouraged immorality.

The police then claimed the beer festival had to be cancelled because it could be a target for militants. MCA also claimed the event was banned for security, not religious reasons.