© Associated Press
– The photo of this Persian cat in the Cat Museum in Tehran is from December 5. The decision to include even this animal (with a special place in Islam) in the project is puzzling.
Many Iranians have chosen to express their displeasure on social media after 75 lawmakers introduced a bill banning “dangerous” pets.
The list is long and practically includes most pets and describes dogs and cats as “dangerous” alongside crocodiles.
If the law were passed, any “illegal” animal would be confiscated and the owner would receive a serious fine of up to 30 times the minimum wage (or almost 2,700 euros).
The unusual solution for cats
The law, introduced in mid-November, goes even further.
– Cats and dogs refuse to convert to Islam, they pay a high price for that.
– The parliament of the Islamic Republic in Iran calls these animals dangerous!!!
– Anybody who keeps these animals at home or care of them will be punished according to the Islamic law. pic.twitter.com/A1ij4BERZh– Dariush Arai (@dariusharai) November 17, 2021
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It makes it impossible for Iranians to interact with animals (except for Research).
First, it equates wild animals that cannot be seen, such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles, mice and monkeys, with cats, dogs and rabbits and other beloved pets in the country.
Second, possession, breeding, and even transportation are also punishable; the latter activity may lead to the confiscation of the vehicle.
According to the service for monitoring and verifying the facts to television France 24 many Iranians fear that the ultra-conservative majority in parliament, which supports stricter animal laws, may adopt the text. A petition has also been submitted to parliament demanding that the text be withdrawn.
Cats are included despite their special place in Islam. While in some Muslim countries “dog” can be perceived as an insult (the dog is considered an unclean animal), the cat is also revered in the hadiths (legends associated with the Prophet Muhammad); unlike dogs, they are free to enter homes, mosques and more. There are legends in various versions, according to which Muhammad left his favorite cat to sleep on his clothes – when he had to get up, he cut the piece of cloth on which it was, so as not to disturb her sleep (in other stories just waited to wake up).
The bill is already creating problems
Even if nothing follows from the bill, its shadow is already looming over Iranian society and creating animal rights problems; shelters report that the number of abandoned pets has increased in recent weeks. Due to a previous ban on the import of pet products, animal food, vaccines and medicines have become much more expensive.
However, there is also an increased interest in cats in the shelters – they do not need to walk, they can hide more easily.
“It was not a sudden decision,” Minu Momeni told AF 24 about the legislative initiative. He recalls that a decade ago they tried to deploy moral police in front of veterinary clinics and confiscate animals, but this caused a scandal.
At least a few attempts there was a limit to the past decade with bills raising pets, including arguments that the practice is unhygienic or non-Islamic (from a proposal to whip walking dogs 74 times with a whip to severe penalties for raising monkeys). Radio Farda notes, however, that the current moment is different because of the victory of ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi in the spring, which inspired like-minded people.
According to Momeni, ultraconservatives fear that raising pets is an imitation of the West. It is possible that the low birth rate (1.6 in Iran compared to 2.02 in Turkey or 1.85 in France) is also a factor – the MPs in question believe that Iranians choose pets as an alternative to having children.
“Above all, this hard-line current wants to remind Iranian youth and the urban class, which is most interested in having pets for themselves and their ability to control every detail of public life and even the daily lives of citizens.” says about “Sky News Arabia” the Iranian researcher Shahram Rufi.
“Put your picture of a dangerous animal here,” is the caption below one of the Instagram photos of cats viewed by France 24 monitoring. “Dad’s Dangerous Animal,” reads a photo of a dog on Twitter.
From an animal protection law to a law banning them
Politicians also expressed outrage: “What has this cute cat and a crocodile got to do with it,” wrote Mohammad Ali Abtahi, chief of staff to former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, under a photo on Instagram.
“France 24” quotes and interview for the Iranian media of one of the legislators behind the project – Hosseinali Deligani, who said that “walking dogs and cats is like harassing people and restricting their freedoms.”
“People can keep cows or sheep in public parks, and that would upset public order. This law will avoid such a misunderstanding.”
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Iranian MP
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Paradoxically, only a few months ago, a completely different law was passed – against animal cruelty, after a long campaign of activists for cases of violence against stray dogs and others. However, the measures adopted in the summer also show that with a sufficiently active campaign and engaged public opinion, change can be achieved.
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