The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has decided, at least in Riyadh, that having pets leads to the harassment of women. Thus, they will be banned in the region. It will now be against regulations to buy or sell a cat or dog, to keep a dog within a home, or to take either for a walk. The issue really seems to be the ‘emulation of Western culture’, as two articles in Arab News point to hadith in which animals are seen favorably.
The first piece is essentially a news report, though it quotes various people supporting the ban or scoffing at it. One commenter goes on to note that this will be yet another regulation laid down but unenforced.
Vice cops enforce ban on cats and dogs
The second piece, by Abeer Mishkhas (who is also cited in the first) derides the decision as a poor use of Commission resources. She notes that misusing pets to annoy people should not lead to the banning of pets, but to efforts to correct the annoying behavior.
Cats, dogs the new threat to morality
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July:31:2008 - 08:33
I found this sich an inspiring bit of news that I have written a post about it.
July:31:2008 - 08:33
What about known peodophiles and sexual deviants that teach Islam in Saudi?
Is it time to ban Islam because of the idiots that teach it sometimes?
July:31:2008 - 08:33
welkum 2 da stong ages!!
July:31:2008 - 08:33
Translation please???
July:31:2008 - 08:33
I read this to my cats and told them how lucky they are not to be sent off to a pound for corrupting my morals. One of them promptly disgorged a hairball on my keyboard. I think that is what the Muttawa need, more cats capable of expressing their opinion with such eloquence.
July:31:2008 - 08:33
LOL!!!!
July:31:2008 - 08:33
My mom named her dog boxer “Sadeeq” (Friend) after returning back from Saudi. I love him dearly. He is indeed one of the family. Pets add so much enrichment to the lives of their owners. Too bad the commission doesn’t recognize that.
I think many people look at them like they are dirty and have phobias about them.
Olivetheoil animals do understand us when we talk to them.
July:31:2008 - 08:33
Let’s start a virtual petition to make the muttawa’s pets and walk them on leashes!
Sheesh!!!!
July:31:2008 - 08:33
Carol: they can neither be trained nor housebroken!
And anyway, If you had the choice between a cute kitten and a scruffy, smelly, ugly obnoxious muttawa. which one would you choose?
I see no future in the muttawa-pet
July:31:2008 - 08:33
While dog fighting is properly outlawed just about everywhere, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a regulation prohibiting muttawa fights…
BTW, contrary to the beliefs of some, there is no etymological relationship between the words ‘mutt’ and ‘muttawa’.
July:31:2008 - 08:33
As many of the muttaween owe their roots to prison convictions and lenient sentences from learning The Qur’an, maybe they could stage cage fights with members of the commission?
Johnny Cash played at Falsom, maybe we could get Aboodi Johar to play at local prisons in Saudi?
July:31:2008 - 08:33
I thought ‘muttawa’ was Arabic for ‘yahoo’ (the ones from Gulliver’s travels)
July:31:2008 - 08:33
Slightly off topic, I thought Yahoo.com took a risk in selecting that name…
July:31:2008 - 08:33
Maybe the Mutaween would approve if the dogs and cats were wearing the hijab. They’d be non-existent and asexual then.
July:31:2008 - 08:33
But that would be ”animal cruelty”!!!
Cant do that to the poor animals???
July:31:2008 - 08:33
[...] John Burgess, a former US foreign service officer who blogs about Saudi Arabia, posted about this subject, and then in the comments section joked: BTW, contrary to the beliefs of some, there is no etymological relationship between the words ‘mutt’ and ‘muttawa’. [...]
July:31:2008 - 08:33
[...] John Burgess, un ex-ufficiale del Ministero degli Esteri americano che ha un blog sull'Arabia Saudita, dapprima parla della vicenda con un post per poi scherzare nella sezione dei commenti: Comunque, contrariamente all'opinione di qualcuno, non c'è nessuna relazione etimologica tra le parole ‘mutt’ [cagnolino, ma anche stupido, sempliciotto] e ‘muttawa’. [...]