 |
| iStock |
| Iran. |
Several months of harassment of petkeepers by officials in Tehran subsided in mid-October after an international outcry that included a formal
letter of protest from Humane Society International (HSI) and a one-hour Voice of America Farsi-language broadcast on the subject that reached an estimated 14 million Iranian homes.
The Crackdown
Using the rationale that petkeeping was a Western fetish inconsistent with Islamic principles, authorities in Iran’s capital had warned citizens not to take their animals outside and had seized a number of owned animals for impoundment at a remote facility.
With petkeepers in Tehran living in fear of having their dogs taken away by the police, HSI senior policy adviser Bernard Unti appeared for a full hour on September 29 on “Roundtable With You,” a Voice of America television show with a large viewing audience in Iran. Taking calls directly from citizens in Tehran struggling to protect their animals under the policy, Unti heard accounts of people afraid to take their animals to the park, to the veterinarian’s office, or to any public place.
Unti also authored HSI’s September 19 letter protesting the policy to Iran’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations. The letter deplored the harassment of petkeepers, the prohibition on walking animals in public and the confiscation of dogs by police.
A Historical Basis for Petkeeping
The crackdown, Unti argued, was based on fundamental misinterpretations of Islamic views on animals and the social history of petkeeping. In his letter and during his Voice of America appearance, Unti cited positive evidence of concern for animals from the Qu’ran and other Islamic sources, and disputed the validity of officials' interpretations of certain ahadith (oral traditions relating to the life and deeds of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)) frequently cited in an attempt to deter petkeeping and concern for animals.
Moreover, far from being a Western phenomenon incompatible with Islamic tradition, he contended, petkeeping has been popular in a wide range of cultures across both space and time. During the VOA broadcast, Unti pointed out recent archaeological findings that showed people and their pets being buried together in ancient Iran.
A Rising Concern for Animal Welfare
Both petkeeping and concern for stray animals in Iran have been on the rise in recent years, and in 2003, Iranians launched the first animal shelter in their country, VAFA. Since its founding, VAFA, approximately 50 miles outside of Tehran, has saved hundred of homeless dogs, spaying and neutering them and helping to find suitable human families for them.
The petkeeping trend in Iran closely parallels those of a number of other non-Western nations. In China, for example, where authorities have carried out a series of mass roundups of dogs, resistance from an emerging class of petkeepers has remained strong.
The cause of animal welfare is gaining ground throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and a major conference for groups in the region is scheduled for December 13-15 in Cairo, Egypt. One hoped-for outcome for such a conference would be the formation of a regional confederation.
HSI has supported a number of groups in the region, providing funds, practical advice, and scholarships to allow their representatives to attend our Animal Care Expo and other training events.
