Posted by Elizabeth Vaughn
Photo of Ferosha, by Elizabeth Vaughn
CTV of Vancouver reported that numerous flyers had been posted at a local park which read, “Many Muslims live in this area and dogs are considered filthy in Islam. Please keep your dogs on a leash and away from the Muslims who live in this community.”
The city’s mayor was questioned about the signs by CTV and said they had not been issued by the city. However, he said “Whether they were produced by a well-meaning member of the Muslim community or by someone wanting to cause contention, the fact remains that there are current bylaws in place that enforce areas for dogs to be on leash, except in designated off-leash areas.”
The Stream.com’s John Zmirak reports that, as growing numbers of Muslims immigrate to non-Muslim countries, there have been similar calls to accommodate their cultural aversion to dogs.
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Due to the proportionately larger Muslim populations living in European countries, many of these incidents have taken place over there.
He cites a case in which a Dutch Muslim politician called for dogs to be banned in The Hague, one of the Netherlands biggest cities. Banned?
According to the Gatestone Institute:
In Spain, two Islamic groups based in Lérida — a city in the northeastern region of Catalonia where 29,000 Muslims now make up around 20% of the city’s total population — asked local officials to regulate the presence of dogs in public spaces so they do not “offend Muslims.” … Muslims said the presence of dogs in Lérida violates their religious freedom and their right to live according to Islamic principles.
After their proposals were rejected by local politicians, an epidemic of dog-poisonings followed.
Zmirak says England has “become “ground zero” for Europe’s canine controversies. Blind passengers are being ordered off buses or refused taxi rides because Muslim drivers or passengers object to their “unclean” guide dogs.”
It also happens in the U.S. There have been numerous reported cases of blind travelers being refused rides by Muslim taxi drivers. According to a PJ Media article, over 75% of the Minneapolis Airport taxi drivers are Somali and many of them have refused service to fares with dogs. “When forced to do so, some of them simply quit.”
I can envision a blind man with his service dog, exhausted from a long flight, having to stand outside the Minneapolis airport terminal until a non-Muslim driver finally pulls up.
I happen to love dogs. In fact, I like dogs more than I like most people. That said, I certainly support leash laws and would never impose my dogs on others.
But Muslims cannot expect Americans or Brits or anybody else to change their ways of life to accommodate them. Although we must certainly treat Muslims with respect, they must make more of an effort to assimilate into the local culture of their adopted countries.
Here’s to God’s greatest gift to mankind – the dog!