Rover just fetched me this horrible news. I am well and truly torn. It looks like either I lose Rover or I lose all my Trotskyite friends. I know, I know, you wouldn't want all your Trotskyite friends thinking you're Islamophobic, so you'd do the right thing. You'd ditch Rover. But darn it anyway, Rover fetches so well, and I spent a long time learning him that trick. I hate to see all my effort just go for nothing. But, yeah, there is Islamophobia to consider. So long, Rover, you were a good friend to me. But you were never a Trotskyite.
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Saudi to ban sale of cats and dogs
Municipal authorities in the Saudi Arabian cities of Mecca and Jeddah have banned the sale of cats and dogs as un-Islamic. ...
Saudi's religious police, the Muttawa, have been instructed to prevent the sale of cats and dogs in order to prevent the spread of Western ideas into the highly Islamic country, Saudi media reported on Friday.
"Some youths have been buying them and parading them in public," said a memo sent from the Municipal Affairs Ministry to Jeddah's city government to explain the ban.
The Muttawa are normally tasked with forcing women to cover themselves, ensuring that men attend mosque prayers and enforcing other Islamic obligations.
Banning the sale of dogs may surprise few in the desert kingdom, since conservative Muslims despise dogs as ritually unclean. ... 1.
From Islam Q&A: Ruling on having a dog
According to Islaamic Sharee'ah, it is not permitted to keep a dog except within narrowly-defined limits, as the Prophet explained: "Whoever keeps a dog, his good deeds will decrease every day by one qeeraat (a unit of measurement), unless it is a dog for farming or herding." Dogs are extremely naajis (impure, unclean). Keeping dogs nowadays is the habit of the kuffaar (infidels), who adopt them as friends, kiss them, let them lick them and their clothes, sleep with them and even leave them money in their wills. Keeping a dog is an imitation of the kuffaar. Some Muslims may claim that they need to keep a dog at home for purposes of protection, to which we respond that nowadays there are burglar alarm systems and other measures one may take for security purposes, and there is no need to keep a dog, praise be to Allaah. 2.
Pet owning is common in the Arab world, though dogs are rarely kept as pets. Islam traditionally allows Muslims to keep dogs for security and hunting purposes.
Emulation of the 'infidels'
In the past decades, owning dogs or cats has become a fashion statement among Saudis, a Saudi news report said on Saturday.
Showing off a Doberman, pit bull or a fancy breed of feline has become a status symbol.
For religious conservatives, however, the practice is a dangerous immitation of non-Islamic cultures, just like eating fast food, wearing shorts and jeans, or listening to pop music. 3.
[B]lind people with their guide dogs are finding it increasingly difficult to get a taxi ride, and not just in the [Norwegian] capital. In Oslo, Muslims make up such a high percentage of cab drivers that it can be hard to obtain a taxi during Islamic holidays. The following example is from the city of Drammen outside Oslo, one of the Norwegian municipalities where the number of Muslim immigrants is now so large that the conflicts are becoming significant.
Grethe Olsen, accompanied by her guide dog Isak, experienced being rejected by no less than 21 taxis before finally getting a ride. Olsen thinks the taxi drivers said no for religious reasons. The Norwegian Blind Association confirms that this is a well known problem all over the country, especially in cities with many immigrants. It arises when a blind person accompanied by a guide dog wants to take a taxi from a stand, instead of ordering one in advance.... 4.
Saudi religious leaders say all these practices should be resisted because they undermine traditions and distract people from their religious duties.
"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? This is blind emulation of the infidels. ...
.... Although the religious police have the task of enforcing Saudi Arabia's strict moral code, city authorities in Jedda and Mecca have also been urged to help enforce the ban on pet sales.
The Saudi government gives the Muttawa wide leeway to enforce any rule they deem necessary to uphold the social order. ...
The ban has distressed cat and dog lovers. Some have wondered why the religious police are focusing on this issue when the country has far more important challenges to deal with, such as terrorism and unemployment. ... 5.
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1. Saudi to ban the sale of cats and dogs as un-Islamic.
2. http://fjordman.blogspot.com
3. Saudi
4. fjordman
5. Saudi
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