September 14, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Since the creation of the Islamic republic in Iran in 1979, the acceptability of dog ownership has been debated by the authorities.
Iranian officials say that according to Islam, dogs are considered to be dirty animals, and people who own dogs are viewed as being under Western influence. Some conservative clerics have denounced dog ownership as "morally depraved" and say it should be banned.
Friday prayer leader Hojatoleslam Gholamreza Hassani, who is known for his hard-line stances, was quoted a few years ago as saying that all dog owners and their dogs should be arrested.
In the past, dog owners have received warnings or were forced to pay fines for having a pet dog. Despite such harassment, dog ownership has increased over the years, especially among young people in Tehran.
One of them is 23-year-old Banafshe, whose dog was recently detained in Tehran for 48 hours and then released on bail. Banafshe says she was walking her young puppy, Jessica, when Iranian police snatched the dog and took her to a dog "jail." The dog's crime was "walking in public."
32 comments
Fundy they may be but they do however have a point....anybody keeping a dog in a town deserves to be taken out and shot! It's not that I like dogs, I hate the damn things ...crapping all over the streets, biting people. Shot the lot of them, that's what I say, hanging's too good for them!
Rant over, pill taken, back to the padded room.
BTW I wouldn't take as true anything that was said on either of the radio stations that were the source of this without knowing for sure where they got their information. Both stations are very wll known in Europe for being little more than CIA/USA propaganda machines.
(Tried to edit but couldn't)
BTW I wouldn't take as true anything that was said on either of the radio stations that were the source of this without knowing for sure where they got their information. Both stations are very well known in Europe for being little more than CIA/USA propaganda machines.
Looks to me like Bush is still trying to pick a fight with Iran and RFE/RL are paving the way and trying to soften up public opinion by demonising the Iranians.
If the dog was released on bail, that means it was scheduled for a court hearing, right? How the hell do you put a dog through court?
@Betsytoo obvious about it
I hate dogs too. Loud, smelly, gross, and aggressive. Go with Mohammad, get a cat instead.
Why do some people here hate dogs so much? I love dogs! Granted, they can be messy, loud, and sometimes annoying, but in no way are they "unclean."
The dog's crime was "walking in public.
Yes, I'm sure the dog established a telepathic link with her owner and ordered Banafshe to take her for a walk. Heck, my dog threatens me with blackmail if I don't snap a leash on her and drag her all over the place. <sarcasm>
It's not enough that you have to be unfair to women, you have to be unfair to dogs, too? Why have dogs at all, then? Why not just deport them all, if you can't stand their "uncleanliness?" Have these people no sense of shame or common sense?
Betsy Newson:
Iran's attack on dogs is real. In islam, dogs have cooties, like pigs. I don't know about these specific incidents, but there is a campaign against dogs in Iran, where owners are arrested for walking dogs.
@Osiris: They're having their version of Dark Age, just like christians (europians) we're having theirs few hundred years ago, as their religion is younger one. Ah, the teenagers.
"Iranians enjoy the same freedoms that Westerners enjoy."
They don't have them, but they do enjoy them.
Oh, and my dog, Dulli, thinks Islamic fundies can sniff his butt.
I remember asking a Muslim about this topic.
He told me that in his understanding of the Koran, dogs should be only seen as tools for guarding, hunting, and herding but never as a member of the family as a "pet" would be. He said this doesn't mean you should treat dogs cruelly but merely states to not get emotionally attached to them.
He also said their status as "filthy" animals has more to do with their drooling and toilet habits then anything else.
Personally, I see where my friend is coming from but he and I both agree it's ridiculous to punish the dog for being itself. "Walking in public"? What are the police expecting the dogs to do...? FLY?!
Ok, Dog ownershipp is seen by fundy Muslims as a hinderence from getting into heaven..though many Muslims still own dogs.
But what Iranain girl would give any pet she owned a European name like jessica?
This just reminds me of when we were told that jews in Iran had to wear special symbols.
Nice to know that Alllah isn't really concerned about little things like wars, murder, terrorism, and mutilation of females, but dog ownership makes Allah all upset. Christian fundies have nothing on their Muslim kindred for silliness. "Allah wept."
Osiris wrote:
"Remember how in the Middle-Ages Persia was more progressive then Europe. What the hell happened?"
Dogs are only as filthy as their owners want them to be. If you are a sloppy person, you are going to have a sloppy looking (and smelling) dog due to your lack of motivation to ensure the dog's good hygiene, much less your own.
Dogs cant "self groom" effectively enough like a groomer (or the owner) can groom them. So all of you people saying dogs are dirty: maybe the owner is just a dirty bum.
"Walking in public"?
How does one take their dog for a walk, if it's illegal for a dog to walk?
"Ok boy- walkies!"
*opens front door*
"Ok, now: roll over... roll over... roll over... roll over... roll over...roll over..."
*opens garden gate*
"Roll over... roll over... roll over... roll over..."
@Frank:
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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