It’s cool that you’re open with how you feel, so that normal folks like myself can avoid you.
:: coughs ::
Dogs except for the Annoying Yappy Dog are filthy, stupid, and ugly. The AYD is loveable and cute.
I hear a jihad comin’
It’s comin’ round the bend
I had more, but it got pretty tasteless pretty quickly. Besides, Johnny Cash deserves better.
- Up on the hill, people never stare.
They just don’t care… *
Speaking as a lifelong dog lover,* I think it’s a free country and you have a perfect right to your opinion.
And I’m grateful to you for voicing that opinion here so that the OP can see how idiotic it sounds to try to criticize Muslims as a group for a trait that so many non-Muslims share (and that so many Muslims in fact don’t share: Exhibit A, adorable photos from Hassan’s Pet Care in Abu Dhabi).
*However, I do draw the line at referring to dog (or cat) owners as the “parents” of their pets. I don’t hate or despise people who choose to call pets their “children”, but that is just way out of my personal comfort zone. Personally, I like the Dutch term “baasje” or “little boss” for pet owner.
I thought “little boss” was the pet.
Hmmph. At least you didn’t say people would think I was from South Carolina.
In practice, very probably. 
Nominally, however, the term refers to the pet owner.
It’s just Asia. Pffht!
Ooooh snap! Take that! Meanies! :mad:
Hmm…Maybe you are more self-aware than I’ve given you credit for.
yuh huh.
Jesus Christ! Do you enjoy daily exercise, three meals a day and plenty of social interaction with like-minded peers? 'Cause I think you’ll find a comfortable home somewhere soon…:eek:
That’s nothing. I know some folks who avoid wearing stripes with plaid!
No particular comments on Muslims and dogs, but “unclean” doesn’t mean physically dirty in this context. Ritual uncleanliness isn’t about dirt; its about your ability to participate in ritual. So, when you read that Islam considers dogs unclean, that means that if a Muslim touches a dog, he or she has to undergo a purification ritual (washing with water or dirt, in this case) before he or she can pray.
Some of the things that dog lovers consider “normal” absolutely blow my mind, like letting a dog lick their face and their feet. How disgusting is that? I’m shuddering at the mere thought!
I remember when I first moved to a big city and first saw people carrying around little plastic bags and picking up their dog’s shit. That has to be one the most debased positions I’ve ever seen a human being voluntarily put themselves in. Perfectly “normal”, though.
I’ve found I have absolutely nothing in common with people who don’t like animals. It’s a completely foreign way of thinking.
Bolding mine with no intent to change the meaning of the quote. Am I the only person who, while skimming, read that a “felchers?”
I did not know that. The SDMB, where even know-it-alls find they don’t know it all.
If you’re that appalled by the “debasement” involved in competent adults combating personal and public health hazards by responsibly disposing of the excrement of innocent creatures dependent on them who cannot assume that responsibility for themselves, I advise you to avoid any situation where you might observe a parent changing an infant’s diaper.
Sensible people consider that providing proper care to loved ones they’re responsible for is a source of pride, not shame or degradation. Even if that care sometimes involves tasks that are unappealing in and of themselves, such as cleaning up shit.
You have many things on your plate, so you didn’t take the time to think about your rant on some message board? I find this an interesting statement on either your priorities or your activities…
The real question is why one would put oneself in a situation where personally disposing of an animal’s excrement becomes a daily responsibility. There’s nothing sensible about that, in my eyes. Surely, the ‘love’ (it is not actually love, but routine & dependence) that a dumb beast is capable of offering does not warrant reducing oneself to the level of a shit carrier.
But it’s really a matter of perception. If I could see what you see in dogs (I’m glad I’m not that person), I’d think it was worth it.
Not that I’m any fan of Muslim or any other religion, but dogs ARE unclean. Smell one. (Except mine, he smells okay. Well, mostly. Unless he’s wet.)
Muslims hate dogs because Zoroastrians worshipped them, and Muslims were sworm enemies of Zoroastrians.
But the Z’s probably didn’t like cats…
I live in the largest Muslim country in the world and have lived here for a total of nearly 15 years since 1993. While I self-identify as a cat person, I like dogs well enough and currently own one. I’ve owned two dogs in the past as a Jakarta resident and currently have plenty of dog-owning friends. So I think I can speak on this subject with some authority.
OP, you have no clue what you are talking about. Every day when I go for my daily run through the neighborhood I see several Indonesians walking well-cared for, obviously beloved dogs. Some of these Indonesians are not Muslims, but many of them are. In a lot of cases, it is a Muslim guard or maid walking the dog as part of the work they do for their employer. They often seem very happy to have such an enjoyable task.
It’s true that there is a higher level of fear toward dogs here, because ordinary people tend to be less familiar with them - and any animal that will bark and jump and slobber on you is potentially scary. But it’s just a bit of caution, nothing more. Fear of the unknown is a normal human behavior and hardly restricted to Muslims. And there is a huge difference between shrinking away from an unfamiliar dog and actively abusing it.
The mother of one of my son’s friends from 5th grade was a devout Muslim who veils. She told me that they had 12 dogs while she was growing up and that she adored them. Depending on what she was wearing, she would or would not pet our dogs when she came over. She had made a conscious decision a few years earlier to become more devout, and so was following rules about having to change clothes/wash up after touching dogs. If it was convenient for her to do whatever ablutions she felt necessary afterward, she’d go crazy over our spaniels.
Honestly, I’ve seen far more abuse of dogs in Bali (a predominantly Hindu island) or on Pohnpei (a predominately Christian island) - or Kosrae (a very devout Christian island where they EAT dogs) than I have on Java, where most people are Muslim.
As is Ayatollah Sistani:
Hurray!