Iranian officials have expanded ban on dogs from walking to cities across the country, citing public order and health and safety issues.
The ban reflects a 2019 police order that prohibits dogs walking in the capital Tehran – which has extended to at least 18 other cities in the past week. Transporting dogs in vehicles has also been banned.
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has been frowning with the ownership of dogs, and authorities regard them as a legacy of “unclean” and Western cultural influence.
But despite efforts to stop it, dog sovereignty is rising, especially among young people, which is seen as a form of rebellion against the restrictive Iranian regime.
Cities including Isfahan and Kerman recently introduced bans, according to AFP.
According to local media reports, an official in the western city of Ilam imposed an injunction on Sunday, saying “legal action” would take “legal action” against those who violate the new rules.
However, the past enforcement restrictions were fragmented, while many dog owners continued to walk dogs in public places in Tehran and other parts of Iran.
There is no national law that directly prohibits ownership of dogs, but prosecutors often issue local restrictions on police enforcement.
Abbas Najafi, prosecutor of the Western city of Hamedan, told Iran State Newspaper that “dog walks the dog is a threat to public health, peace and comfort.”
The owner is sometimes arrested and the dog is confiscated Walk in public.
Many people walk dogs at night in secluded areas, or drive to escape detection.
Politicians in the Islamic regime believe that pet ownership is non-Islamic. Many religious scholars believe that stroking dogs or contacting their saliva is “Nagi” or wild impure.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has previously described the ownership of dogs – for “reproachable” in addition to herding, hunting and security purposes.
In 2021, 75 lawmakers denounced the ownership of dogs as a “destructive social problem” that could “gradually change the way Iranian and Islamic life”.
Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance banned advertising for pets or pet-related products in 2010 – In 2014, Parliament had a drive to fine or even whip dogs, although the bill did not pass.
After the recent crackdown, critics argue that police should focus on public safety rather than targeting dog owners and limiting individual freedoms in a time of increasing focus on violent crime.
Owning dog ownership, ignoring Iran’s mandatory hijacking laws, participating in underground parties and drinking has been a form of quiet rebellion against the Iranian theocratic regime.
