A PAS leader has warned that the "Better Beer Festival 2017" slated for next month will likely attract reprisals from extremists.

PAS central committee member Riduan Mohd Nor said the event involved "vice activities" and would lead to kebencian (hatred) from society.

"This has to be taken seriously. (We) must not only allow the wishes of some humans to worship their desires.

"Society will not tolerate the violation of God's laws. They will be under pressure and this will lead to extremist activities," Riduan said in a statement published by Harakah Daily yesterday.

The "Better Beer Festival 2017" is a beer-tasting event showcasing products of independent breweries and is in its sixth year running.

This year, the event will take place at Publika shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 6 and 7. It is organised by beer distributor MyBeer (M) Sdn Bhd.

'Might cause rapes'

Riduan said the event would be an embarrassment because Malaysia is an Islamic country and there appeared to be no restrictions on the organisers.

He warned that if the event was a success, it would lead to bigger events in the future.

"We are unwilling to allow Kuala Lumpur to be known to the world as Asia's biggest vice centre," he said.

Although the event was meant for non-Muslims, there was no guarantee that Muslims would not participate in it.

There was also no guarantee that the event would not lead to crime, free sex, rape and other vices, Riduan added.