Saudi to ban sale of cats and dogs

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Saturday 09 September 2006, 14:26 Makka Time, 11:26 GMT  

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.

But the cat ban has baffled many. Islamic traditions say that Muhammad,
Islam's founder, loved cats - even in one instance letting a cat drink from
his ablutions water before he washed himself for prayers.

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.

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.

Strict laws

"I was shocked when I heard about it," said Fahd al-Mutairi, who owns 35 pet
cats. "What was even more shocking was to hear that the ban came from an
authority that has nothing to do with such an issue"

Fahd al-Mutairi  

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 decree has not been enforced yet, according to several pet shop owners
and veterinary clinics in Jiddah. It applies only to selling dogs and cats,
and there was no sign the Muttawa would confiscate pets.

The decree did not say whether the religious police would try to stop people
from appearing in public with their dog or cat - or whether owners would be
allowed to sell puppies or kittens born to their pets.

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.

"I was shocked when I heard about it," said Fahd al-Mutairi, who owns 35 pet
cats. "What was even more shocking was to hear that the ban came from an
authority that has nothing to do with such an issue."

"I would understand if it came from the Health Ministry or anybody charged
with ensuring pets coming from outside do not carry diseases," added the
23-year-old flower-shop owner.

Reuters