"Prayer is annulled by a dog, a monkey and a woman,
(if they pass in front of the praying people.")
Bukhari Vol. 1, #490
The Hadith
One of the greatest thrills for my dear Iranian friends when I meet them on Skype, is seeing my dog Jezzie. Jezzie is a 58 lb, tan and white, playful and energetic, border collie dog. Their eyes light up whenever the camera shows Jezzie, getting out of her cage. They love to watch me toss a treat to Jezzie and then they burst into laughter when she skillfully catches it in her mouth.
The age old cliche' is true that a dog is, "man's best friend!'
However, that cliche is sadly not true in Iran.
Recently 32 members of the Parliament have proposed legislation that would make it a crime for owning and or walking a dog publicly in Iran. The pending legislation would penalize the dog owner with the threat of arrest, 74 lashes and a fine equivalent to $3,700 in American money.
This really doesn't shock me! It disgusts me, but I'm really not shocked. Look at the way they treat human beings! Iranian women are oppressed by the Hijab law and can also be arrested, lashed and fined for showing too much hair or skin. Just recently women living in Isfahan had their faces disfigured by acid attacks for not wearing a proper hijab!
So I'm really not shocked by the way they also treat dogs.
I remember not long ago, my dear Iranian friend Zainab sent me a picture of her cute little puppy dog. She was so proud of having her first dog and was actually enjoying life, until her next door neighbor complained and shortly after that, she was forced to get rid of her beautiful furry friend.
"So what on earth could possibly be wrong with owning a dog?"
First of all, The Iranian regime considers that owning a dog symbolizes rebellion against the government. Owning a dog is becoming "too Westernized," it's participating in the deadly culture war with the West!
According to Islam and Sharia Law, dogs are considered unclean. The only exception to this law is if you are a farmer or police officer that requires the use of a dog for your vocation. Otherwise owning a dog symbolizes resistance to the government. Dogs are viewed as damaging the health and tranquility of people.
Although The Quran does not specifically forbid the ownership of a dog, the teachings of the Hadith explicitly forbid it. Muslims are warned that dogs annul their prayers, forfeit their rewards and keep angels from visiting them.
Bukhari Vol.1, #490 says, "The things which annul prayers were mentioned before me. They said, "Prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman (if they pass in front of the praying people.")
Muslim Number 2815, Allah's messenger said, "He who keeps a dog other than
Bukhari Vol.4, #448, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Angels of mercy do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a living creature."
Muhammad had a deep problem with dogs. He believed that money made from the sale of a dog was considered as evil as the money acquired from the practice of prostitution, witchcraft or usury.
One of my favorite cartoon characters I watched as a child was Charlie Brown. He had a wonderful cute, little dog named Snoopy which was everyone's favorite pet. We all would chuckle whenever snoopy was banned from going to the beach or library. Snoopy would get a sad and depressed look on his face from staring at the "No Dogs Allowed," sign in front of his face.
However, In Iran, "No dogs allowed," is far from from a laughing matter and certainly nothing to chuckle about. It's a crime!
If there is any silver lining to my depressing story, its the fact that my Iranian friends can still smile and have fun whenever they see Jezzie on Skype. That is the closest they can get to my "furry" kid without being lashed and fined!
