Iran to outlaw dog ownership
After actively trying to acquire nuclear weapons, supporting various terrorist factions and gunning down their own citizens who were protesting against the current regime, Iran may be just about to take one step too far – by banning dog ownership.
A bill that has been submitted in the country’s parliament in Tehran looks to enshrine strict punishment in its penal code for owning a pooch for as well as posing a “public health hazard”, having a pet dog “also poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the West”.
The punitive measures proposed include a $500 (£300) fine and the confiscation of the offending animal. It’s not clear what the authorities would have in store for any hapless pooch taken away from its owner, but we could hazard a guess…
In recent times, Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has come under a hail of criticism from the West. They have been accused of supporting terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and contributing to the deaths of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by supplying insurgents with ever-more powerful improvised explosive devices (IUDs). Lately, the world watched aghast as citizens who were calling for political reform were brutally gunned down. Given Iran’s track record for torturing prisoners, many animal welfare activists will be wondering what fate will have in store for the country’s dog population should the law be passed, especially since owning a dog will, in the eyes of the law, be a sure sign of sympathising with the countries like America and the United Kingdom.
However, will institutionalised animal cruelty be enough to spur NATO and America into action? Given the situation with Libya and Syria, only time will tell.
