Saudi religious police ban pet cats and dogs
No, this is not a joke:
Saudi Arabia’s religious police have announced a ban on selling cats and dogs as pets, or walking them in public in the Saudi capital, because of men using them as a means of making passes at women, an official said on Wednesday.
Othman al-Othman, head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Riyadh, known as the Muttawa, told the Saudi edition of al-Hayat daily that the commission has started enforcing an old religious edict.
He said the commission was implementing a decision taken a month ago by the acting governor of the capital, Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, adding that it follows an old edict issued by the supreme council of Saudi scholars.
The reason behind reinforcing the edict now was a rising fashion among some men using pets in public “to make passes on women and disturb families,” he said, without giving more details.
Powerful religious conservatives in Saudi Arabia have also decried pet ownership as a corrupting Western influence:
“One bad habit spreading among our youths is the acquisition of dogs and showing them off in the streets and malls,” wrote Aleetha al-Jihani in a letter to Al-Madina newspaper. “There’s no doubt that such a matter makes one shudder.”
“Then what’s the point of dragging a dog behind you?” he added. “This is blind emulation of the infidels.”
I don’t know about you, but I think al-Jihani’s right. Who could help but “shudder” at the thought of this happening in Saudi Arabia?
I can hardly imagine something more sinister.
Fortunately, there are small but growing signs that Saudi Arabians may have reached the breaking point in their toleration of the excesses of the mutawwa’in. The first-ever lawsuits alleging abuse by the committee were filed last year, and criticism has been steadily increasing.
At the same time, I can’t help but note the report today about the former head of one of Saudi Arabia’s religious courts being arrested for possession of illegal drugs in Dubai. (H/t: LGF) Drug trafficking is punishable by death under shari’a law in Saudi Arabia. It’s hard not to smile at the irony.
Behold, the sanctimonious duplicity that epitomizes Saudi Arabia: A place where the ruling class prohibits its citizens from buying or walking pets — God forbid flirting might happen on Saudi streets — while its arbiters of religious piety get caught smoking hashish at plush hotels in the Emirates.
Classy.
Aren’t members of the Saudi ruling family notorious for jetting around the world to drink, gamble, and engage in every manner of debauchery forbidden in their own kingdom?
It’s not uncommon for backward, authoritarian cultures to become even more draconian the closer they get to their demise. Let’s hope this is a sign.
They are backwards because they take seriously chastisty concerning their female population?
Men are hypocrites everywhere.
Yes. So seriously in fact that they would rather a dozen young girls be burnt alive in a building fire than allow them onto the street without their hair covered. That is not hypocrisy — it’s barbarism.
Your obtuseness is something to behold.
Go_Fish,
The subject was that above, not burning womaen in buildings or whatevr else you are talking about.
Sale of pet in Saudi Arabia
Dear readers
Islam respects Cats, Dogs and all other animals. Prophet Mohammed (Peace and blessing of Allah be up on him) told a story of a man who received Paradise, The man was thirsty amid the desert, then saw a small well, he got down to the well and drank water, when he returned he saw a starving dog. He remembered his situation just few minutes before, then he again got down to the well, carried some water in his shoe and given it to that thirsty dog. The other story was of women who tied, tortured and let a cat to die of hungry who will go to hell. Listeners asked “ O Prophet, will we be rewarded from Allah over Four legged animals too, he replied, yes.
Like human life, animals life too sacred in Islam. Once, Prophet asked to put off the fire, when he saw ants passing by. In another occasion he asked a person who ill-treated his camel, don’t you fear Allah over this animal.
Prophet (Peace and blessing of Allah be up on him) has directed the people neither scolds nor curses the animals.
Here we should take care that, if we are having a pet animal we are not spending time and care for them to such an extent that we does not have time For other important activities like remembering God, helping poor and needy people, Undertaking family responsibilities and doing all other good deeds.
I feel fostering a pet is not good in the following cases.
1.When he can enjoy the presents of pet but cannot look after the welfare of it.
2. He use the pet for indecent activities like making pass on women and it disturbs families etc…
3.When he devotes his valuable time towards his pet forgetting all his other responsibility.
Whew….. here I always thought the Pentecosts were wackos …