Mais says ‘I Want To Touch A Dog’ manipulated its goals

The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) today said that holding, kissing and hugging dogs during Sunday’s "I Want To Touch A Dog" event was not in line with the programme’s stated objectives as presented to the council.

Mais chairman Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa said he received a working paper on the programme from its organisers on October 3.

It outlined how it was aimed at teaching Muslims on the Islamic laws pertaining to dogs.

“The deliberate acts of holding, hugging and kissing dogs by Muslims like what happened that day is deeply regretted because such acts are against the ‘syarak’ laws.

“It was also not how the organisers had depicted it (to Mais) and was not in line with the programme’s objectives as mentioned in the organiser’s application’”

Adzib said the organisers had informed him that the objectives were: to explain the need to help dogs during emergency situations; situations when Muslims were allowed to keep dogs as pets; how to hold and manage dogs; and how to cleanse oneself after coming into contact with a wet dog.

“I understand that the intention or objection was to shed light and understanding on the laws related to the position of dogs from the Islamic perspective.

“Among the guidelines given to the Selangor mufti department as mentioned in the letter on October 9 was that while dogs provide many benefits to humans, Allah forbids that we touch them when we are wet and it is dry, or vice versa.

“This contact is considered unclean. But if both are dry, it is not considered unclean. That is why if dogs are kept to guard homes or to hunt, they must be kept outside the house.

"I Want To Touch A Dog" last Sunday drew a crowd of over 1,000 people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

But, the programme was criticised by several muftis and Malays who questioned the motive behind it.

Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Sh‎ukri Mohamad called for the organisers as well as the Muslims who touched the dogs to repent, saying that they had mocked Allah's laws.

Former Johor Mufti Datuk Nooh Gadut believed that the event was an attempt to insult the ulama and religious authorities.

The Johor Religious Council said deliberately touching a dog was haram (forbidden) because it was najis, or unclean, according to the Shafie and Hanbali schools of thought.

Former Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said that while the ulama unanimously agreed that a dry dog was not unclean, a person could still touch something unclean on the condition that they clean themselves afterwards.

"The Shafie school of thought is rather firm on this. But, other schools are wider and easier." – October 21, 2014.

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