[nagdu] Fresh thinking helps blind Muslims tackle dog taboo

[Ginger Kutsch]

Fresh thinking helps blind Muslims tackle dog taboo 
Julie Szego 
April 7, 2011
 
Karima Shirzad with her guide dog Tashi (left) and Neslihan Sari
with Sarita. The women had to overcome cultural resistance to the
idea of owning dogs. Photo: Rebecca Hallas
 
FOR blind Muslims Neslihan Sari and Karima Shirzad, fulfilling
their wish for a guide dog meant navigating a cultural minefield.
 
They longed for greater independence but felt trapped by the
Islamic prohibition on pet dogs, described in the teachings as
''unclean''. This led each on a critical journey through Koranic
scripture - and into sometimes painful conflict with family
members reluctant to welcome a dog into the fold.
 
''Having a dog was like a dream that was never going to come
true,'' said Afghan-born Ms Shirzad, who, like Ms Sari, owes her
impairment to disease.
 
At first, her own fear of dogs held her back; later her family
was the stumbling block.
 
''My parents were very supportive, but one of my siblings was at
first not accepting . and said, 'Why do you need a dog,
everything will be unclean.' . I got sick with anxiety and
depression because [a dog] was my only hope and I felt like this
was the end of me.''
 
The Islamic taboo surrounding dogs has been a source of
consternation and controversy in recent times. In 2006, the
Victorian Taxi Association appealed to the mufti of Melbourne to
give religious approval for Muslim drivers to carry guide dogs,
after a number of blind passengers lodged complaints of
discrimination.
 
A year later, the Muslim Council of Britain said dogs could enter
mosques. Meanwhile, a Muslim woman in Detroit reportedly opted
for the alternative of a trained miniature horse.
 
Guide Dogs Victoria works to raise awareness in Muslim
communities of both the legal rights of guide dog owners and the
animals' critical role in improving lives. A guide dogs seminar
held in January for Victoria's Board of Imams elicited an
''overwhelmingly positive'' response, according to Brisbane-based
trainer Bashir Ebrahim, himself a Muslim.
 
''Like many things, it's a complicated issue,'' he said. ''You'll
hear a diversity of views among Muslims . many interpretations of
rulings are culturally rather than religiously based.''
 
After copious research, the Turkish-born Ms Sari came to the same
conclusion.
 
''This prohibition has been grossly misinterpreted,'' she said.
''There are a few Koranic references [to dogs] and there are
differences of opinion among jurists and stuff. I did research on
the fatwas [and] on new religious judgments - all say a dog is
permissible if kept for a purpose, like, say, hunting and I feel
I've got that.
 
''Some people do say dogs have jinn or evil spirit receptors, but
. I think dogs have been victims of myths and mediaeval
prejudice.''
 
Ms Shirzad agrees, as does her grandfather in Iran who sought
advice from religious authorities. ''He said it [the dog] is OK
because you need it, it's like a prescription for you.''
 
Both women ultimately prevailed. Ms Sari's mother gave her
blessing after ''a bit of tears and arguments'' and after a
trainer brought around two dogs that impressed as placid and
obedient. And as Ms Shirzad's suffering intensified, her
sibling's resolve melted.
 
Ms Sari has had Labrador Sarita since July last year, while Tashi
is Ms Shirzad's second guide dog. Still, both women prefer to
restrict the dogs' movement inside the home.
 
Says Ms Shirzad: ''I live alone now, and after I moved in my
father built Tashi a beautiful bedroom in a shed.''
 
This story was found at:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/fresh-thinking-helps-blind-musl
ims-tackle-dog-taboo-20110406-1d4ie.html