Citing a core tradition of concern for animals within Islam, and the universality of the human-animal bond in all cultures, Humane Society International (HSI) – the global arm of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) – has called upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to end its crackdown against petkeeping by Iranian citizens.
"We regret reports that police authorities in Iran are taking steps to suppress petkeeping, and to confiscate dogs from individual citizens. Islam is one of the strongest religious traditions when it comes to its prohibitions on cruelty to animals, and millions of Muslims throughout the world understand their religious duty to take responsibility for the well-being of all creatures," wrote Dr. Bernard Unti, HSI senior policy advisor and a historian of the human-animal bond, in a letter to Mohammad Khazaee, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations. Click here to read the letter.
The presence of petkeeping spans a wide range of cultures across both space and time. In a trend that parallels those in a number of other non-western nations, petkeeping is on the rise in Iran, especially among young people. In China, where authorities have carried out a series of mass roundups of dogs in recent years, resistance from an emerging class of petkeepers has been steady and determined.
In the West as in the East, Unti says, there is confusion about the teachings of Islam concerning dogs. "Whatever the prohibition on the keeping of animals in one's house within Islam, that shouldn't preclude the practice of keeping them in separate quarters, and providing them with the basic regard and care that the Quran requires," said Unti.
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Humane Society International is the international arm of The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization – backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at humanesociety.org.
