Hundreds of Muslims in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, took to the street on Saturday night, demanding a ban on selling alcoholic beverage in local halal restaurants, the Global Times learned.

Witnesses said that local residents marched on the street at around 9 pm, holding banners that read, "For the sake of our next generation, Muslims and halal restaurants should be banned from drinking or selling alcohol" and "Cleanse the Muslim community and purify halal food."

Gui Guangqian, initiator of the campaign and the director of the management committee of a local mosque, said that the mosque hopes that local residents could set an example by refusing to sell alcohol.

"Some halal restaurants, especially barbecue stalls, were seen selling alcohol to gain huge profits," a local Muslim surnamed Ma told the Global Times Sunday.

Ma said that the march may not solve the problem, but it could serve as a warning to halal business owners not to sell alcohol anymore and raise authorities' concerns over the safety of halal food.

He admitted that while the alcohol might be sold to the Han ethnic people, some Muslims have betrayed their religious belief and started to drink alcohol.

Alcoholic beverages are forbidden in the Koran.