There is a myth among pious Muslims that dogs are unclean.” Animal rights campaigners who accompanied Miss Isikalp last week said that at least two of the dogs had been sexually abused. The mayor of ...

Calling dogs an "unclean animal," Montazeri said they "should not be part of Muslims' lives." In 2007, Tehran clamped down on dogs by placing animals in pounds even in cases where they were ...

The bottom line, then is that some animals are tabooed, or eaten, purely because human groups make arbitrary agreements in these matters. If a person wants to fit in, they must follow the taboo.

Traditionally viewed within Islam as unclean, the role of dogs in Egyptian society is now changing. Once a rarity, pet dogs are now a common sight in cities like Cairo, with dog ownership soaring ...