Dog In Islam,In An Insult Or Just Misunderstood?

KUALA LUMPUR: Dogs and Muslims are a very touchy subject, no doubt. Just on the heels of Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee's 'bak kut teh' Ramadhan posting on their Facebook account, an old video uploaded several years ago has gone viral purportedly insulting Islam by associating Aidilfitri with dogs. For the most part, Muslims hold on to the belief that dogs are haram in Islam. To associate a holy celebration such as Aidilfitri with dogs is seen to be as a blatant insult and insensitive. However, how much do we really understand about the position of dogs in Islam? How many of us who cry foul that the video is an insult actually bother to research and find out about what Islam says about dogs? And how many of those who are non-Muslims understand the concern pertaining to dogs in Islam before crying foul that Muslims are being overly sensitive in the case of this video, or any other instances related to dogs? Before the age of borderless information, for the most part, we accept things and do not question much. We were taught that dogs are haram and we stuck to it without questioning. But today, people have questions and as in the nature of questions, it has to be addressed. In light of the video incident, we at Malaysian Digest, would like to attempt to break down this matter and bring to light several explanations on dogs in Islam to give a clearer perspective to our readers so you can make your own conclusion on whether the video was an insult to Islam or not. Or could we be overly sensitive and quick to jump without thinking of how it makes us look in the end? The first thing that is clear to most Muslims and is not far from being the truth is that owning dogs in Islam is not like owning cats or hamsters or birds or fishes. Another thing that is also apparent but is overlooked by ignorant Muslims is that dogs, like any other animals, must not be mistreated or harmed. Animal cruelty is a big no-no in Islam because Islam is a religion that is full of compassion. Muslims must not only treat humans with respect, but also all living things. To the understanding of this writer, there is no where in Islam that states a Muslim can be cruel to animals. In a well-documented report, it has been said that the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself taught that a prostitute, and in some versions, a sinning man, secured their places in Heaven by saving the life of a dog dying of thirst in the desert.* Therefore this clearly illustrates the point that Muslims are not to be cruel to dogs, or any other animals for that matter. Now on the matter of portraying dogs equals to insulting Islam, it is rather subjective and resides in a grey area. The best to do, of course, is not to quicky arrive at a conclusion that in the end will only serve in creating unnecessary tension. Another thing that is apparent in the instance of Chetz Yusof and the dog-Raya video she made in 2010 is that, at best, it was not the most appropriate way to 'educate', as she reasoned. Knowing full well that she lives in Malaysia, a country that is sensitive when it comes to racial and religious matters, what is perhaps an effort to educate can be misconstrued as an attempt to provoke. The late film director, Yasmin Ahmad, also wanted to educate the public about dogs. She too received flak, but the way she attempted to educate was not too provocative. Yasmin featured a scene in her movie Gubra, where an Imam touched a dog before going to the mosque to do his prayers. What we need to note before jumping and saying that it was insulting for her to portray that scene is the fact that the dog was dry. If the dog was dry and the person touched the dog with dry hands, there is no issue. One only needs to samak (washing the body part that came in contact with the dog with sand and water) if either dog our toucher was wet. Therefore to say that Chetz Yusof's video was an insult to Islam, is probably jumping the gun a little. But the video is provocative in manner, in that Chetz played on the sensitivity of Malaysian Muslims, without attempting to further explain on the position of dogs in Islam. Perhaps it can be said that Chetz herself is not aware of the full explanation of dogs in Islam, choosing only to take one side of the explanation that suited her. That is the case with many today, who choose to only take half the explanation of something that suits their lifestyle, while leaving out the rest that they feel are too imposing. Malaysian Digest spoke to Ustaz Daud Che Ngah, who said that a Muslim can keep dogs for guarding purposes, but this is based on three conditions: 1. Must get the consent of their neighbors, if the neighbors are Muslims. 2. Must be put in an area where they are free to ease themselves. 3. Must not be used to hunt other animals. However Ustaz Daud also noted that dogs are not to be kept as pets like cats, because it is considered 'najis mughallazah'. He added that a dog's owner can touch his or her dog, provided both are dry, and if either one is not, the owner needs to wash himself with sand water, and six times after with water (air mutlak). Another local Islamic scholar, Dr Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin, meanwhile, told Malaysian Digest that dogs are not the enemies in Islam. "Scientifically, the viruses a dog carries are not the same as cats; Muslims can keep dogs for safety but they must not be together in the house, or sleep together with their owners," he said. "Islam does not tell us to go and kill dogs," Dr Asri added. We also spoke to another scholar, Ustaz Rosdi Long, who echoed the statements made by Ustaz Daud Che Ngah and Dr Asri. He added that a dogs position in Islam is not exactly like pigs, whereby it is stated clearly in the Quran that pigs are haram for Muslims. Therefore different scholars have had differing views when it comes to dog ownership in Islam. Meanwhile, on a website, www.islamicconcern.com*, an article says that it is not haram to own a dog, though it is not hygienic to keep a dog in the house; and it is not haram to touch a dog or any other animal. If the saliva of a dog touches you or any part of your clothing, then it is required of you to wash the body part touched and the item of clothing touched by the dog’s mouth or snout. With the basic explanation given above, a conclusion can be made that Chetz video is more an indication of Chetz' lack of intelligence rather than a blatant insult of Islam. Islam is a religion filled with compassion, as mentioned earlier. Sometimes it is the people who turn it into something that is not. News reports yesterday said that Chetz Yusof has been hauled in by the police for questioning over the video. Another important thing to note is that the video was posted by her in 2010. The police should also consider arresting the individuals who were responsible for recirculating the video these past few days, with the captions of 'Lagi Video Menghina Islam,' which is clearly more provocative than the video itself. Among the first few accounts on YouTube to cause Chetz's video to go viral is TheHarimauTV and acaiseven fiska. A recent update on the situation of Chetz Yusof is that she is being sent to Segamat IPD where a police report was initially lodged against the video she made.