The concept of impurity comes from the Bible: according to the Jewish religion, animals can be classified as pure or impure (from the alimentary point of view), according to precise rules: for example you can eat every ruminant quadruped that has a divided nail from a fissure, while it is considered an abomination to eat the animals that crawl on the earth, walking on the belly or with more than two feet.
From these rules, we deduce that we should not eat pork and shellfish, but the prohibited animals are numerous, and the chosen criteria, sometimes senseless.
The Koran (2:173) excludes, in addition to blood and dead animals (which of course could be decomposing), only the pig.
Food prescriptions for certain foods may make sense: there are non-edible or potentially harmful meats, but in any case, it should be medicine, certainly not religion, to give food advice! Like humans, every animal can be a bearer of infections, particularly the pig, although today's pigs are very different from those that Muhammad knew: some breeds have percentages of fat comparable to calves, and modern food techniques should guarantee their healthiness! However, it is undoubtedly true that by consuming raw or undercooked pork, of uncertain origin, it is possible to be infected by some dangerous pests!
On the other hand, Muhammad advised milk and camel urine (an animal that he loved so much), as a miracle cure for any pathology, but the camels may be, among other things, carriers of two potentially fatal diseases: trypanosomosis (disease of sleep, also transmitted by tsetse flies) and the MERS (coronavirus Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome), identified for the first time in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, a virus for which there is still no cure or even a vaccine. The WHO attests that since 2012 there have been 2200 cases, especially in Arabia, with 790 deaths, so the syndrome has a very high mortality!
Therefore, if food bans can be quite understandable, the concept of impurities regarding animals that are generally not part of our diet takes on a very different value.
For example, as attested by some Hadiths of al-Bukhari, Muhammad has repeatedly expressed the belief that dogs are impure and unclean animals, in addition to the ridiculous assertion that they alienate angels, or are manifestations of the devil:
- Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar:
Allah's Messenger ordered that the dogs should be killed.
Vol. 4, Book 54, Hadith 540
- Narrated Abu Talha:
I heard Allah's Messenger said: "Angels do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a living creature”.
Vol. 4, Book 54, Hadith 448
- Narrated `Aisha:
The things which annul the prayers were mentioned before me. They said, "Prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman (if they pass in front of the praying people)."
Vol. 1, Book 9, Hadith 490
- Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger said, "If a dog drinks from the utensil of anyone of you it is essential to wash it seven times."
Vol. 1, Book 4, Hadith 173
- It was narrated that Abu Dharr said:
“I asked the Messenger of Allah about the all-black dog and he said: ‘(It is) a devil’
Sunan Ibn Majah Vol. 4, Book 28, Hadith 3210
For about 50,000 years, since prehistoric times, man has used the dog's collaboration to protect the flocks from the aggression of wild animals or the theft of the enemy tribes. It is commonly said that the dog is "the best friend of man": this relationship now very old, started for practical needs, has turned into time, in a special bond and mutual benefit. A dog keeps company, makes the owners active, sociable and in a good mood; and the commitment it requires is offset by numerous positive aspects. Even the simple fact of having a visual contact with your dog can release in our body oxytocin, a hormone of well-being and happiness. A research has also found that those who own a dog are generally less depressed, feel less alone, have higher self-esteem and tend to suffer less than stress.
Dogs were originally descended from wolves. These animals live in packs and are intimately linked to the members of their group from what in human terms we could call loyalty. Stephen Zawistowski, a scientific advisor, states that dogs see the humans they live with, as members of their "herd", and therefore are ready to defend them in all circumstances.
Certainly, no one can deny the important role played by the dog in service and in union with man, on various occasions of danger and relief, and in the daily help offered to the handicapped, whether a motor, sensory or psychic. In the early 60s the American psychiatrist Boris Levinson coined the term 'pet therapy', to indicate a practice of support to other forms of traditional therapies, which exploits the positive effects given by the proximity of an animal, on children, the elderly, people with psychological or relational problems, a complex and delicate syntony that stimulates emotional activation and favors openness to new experiences, new ways of communicating, new interests.
Dogs are not only "friends" of man, they can also be their protectors. They can guide the blind in any place, save people trapped by collapses, avalanches or earthquakes, recover them at sea or in the snow. In addition, some dogs manage to predict the arrival of their master's epileptic seizure, about 15 minutes before this happens. If trained, some dogs start barking to push the patient to sit down to limit the damage of the attack.
In 2004, the neurologist Adam Kirton of Alberta Children's Hospital in Canada published the results of a study done to verify this behavior by dogs in the journal "Neurology". It seems that before an epileptic attack, the patient's body undergoes physiological changes and changes in sweating, which the dog, with its extraordinarily developed sense of smell, can detect. The sense of smell, the knowledge of the smell of one's master and the affection towards him, make the dog assume towards him an attitude of concern and protection. There are also numerous testimonies of parents of epileptic children, according to which the dogs of the house, before the crisis, began to show strange behavior, keeping the sick children away from dangers that could be fatal during the crisis, like the stairs of home.
In many countries with vast snow-covered or icy surfaces, dog-sleigh is still used as a means of locomotion, but currently, dogs are also trained to detect drugs, weapons, explosives or tobacco, working with police patrols.
On the monument standing in front of a Missouri, court is engraved as one of the most moving statements that have ever been dedicated to the boundless love of a dog. In the nineteenth century, George Graham Vest pronounced it before becoming a senator when he sponsored a neighbor whose dog had been killed by another man. When Vest concluded the final pleading, the jury took a few minutes to pronounce the verdict. The plaintiff obtained five hundred dollars of damages, even if the judge could not fulfill the wish of the jurors that the murderer of the dog ended up in jail, because then the law did not admit such a penalty.
These are the words pronounced by Senator Vest:
"... The only friend completely devoid of selfishness that a man can have in this selfish world, the only one who never abandons him, the only one who never finds himself ungrateful or unfair, is the dog. The dog remains close to the owner in prosperity and poverty, in health and in sickness. While staying at his side, he sleeps on the icy ground, when the winter winds blow and the snow falls. He kisses the hand that has no food to offer, licks the wounds and sores caused by the clash with the roughness of the world. Watch over the sleep of a poor man as if he were a prince. When all the other friends leave, he stays. When riches take flight and reputation shatters, it is just as constant in its love as the sun in the path that follows in the sky. If fate leads the master to wander the world like a pariah, without friends and homeless, the faithful dog asks for no other privilege than to accompany him, to protect him from danger and fight against his enemies, and when the final scene arrives and the death holds the master in his embrace and his body is laid in the cold earth, no matter if all the other friends will accompany him; there, near the tomb, there will be the noble dog, with his head between his paws and his eyes, but open as a sign of vigilance, faithful and sincere even in death".
There are many incredible stories, sad and wonderful at the same time, which testify to the extraordinary bond and absolute dedication that dogs feel towards their master.
One of the most famous is the story of Hachiko, the legendary Akita dog whose story, from his native country, has spread to the rest of the world. The most famous dog in Japan, came back to the fore a few years ago, thanks to the moving film version, starring Richard Gere.
Born in Odate, Hachiko, whose real name was Hachi (number eight, considered auspicious), had been adopted just two months by Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at the University of Tokyo.
For two years the little dog accompanied the professor daily to the Shibuya district station and every day he also waited for his return from the university. But on 21 May 1925, the drama takes place. Ueno was struck down by a stroke during a lesson, suddenly dying. Hachiko, however, continued for about 10 years, to go, systematically every day, to the station around 17, the time of arrival of the train of his human companion. Its history, with the passage of time, began to spread throughout Japan becoming the living symbol of canine fidelity. In 1934, when he was still alive, a bronze statue was made in his honor, located right in the railway station that made him famous. Another statue was dedicated to Odate, his hometown, with the same dog present at the inauguration. Hachiko died on March 8, 1935, at the age of 13, a news that ended up on all the front pages of the Japanese newspapers. The dog's embalmed body was then exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum of Nature and Science, while some bones were buried next to the grave where the master rests.
Every year, on the anniversary of the death, a ceremony is held in front of the Hachiko statue to commemorate its inexhaustible devotion to the master. For 80 years since his death, the University of Tokyo wanted to remember him with another statue, this time with his owner. A moving image, waiting for 90 years.
A similar case also happened in Italy. In the winter of 1941, Carlo Soriani found a dog, a crossbreed of English Pointer, wounded in a ditch. The man brought it home and decided to adopt it, giving it the name of Fido (trusty): never name was more suitable. Once reestablished, the dog was a faithful companion of life and every morning he accompanied him from his home to the central square of Luco del Mugello, where Soriani took the bus to Borgo San Lorenzo. After seeing him leave, Fido go back home and then returned to wait for him at the bus stop every evening. On December 30, 1943, the man died under a bombing and that evening Fido waited in vain! But he did not want to surrender to reality, his affection was stronger than time and death: for 14 years, until his death in 1958, he went every day to wait for the bus. Fido carefully examined every passenger coming down from the vehicle, throwing a last disappointed and heartfelt glance at the now empty vehicle, before returning home. On November 9, 1957, the mayor of Borgo San Lorenzo gave Fido a gold medal. A bronze monument was placed shortly after the death of the animal in front of the town hall, with the dedication: "A Fido, an example of loyalty". His story was also told in a video of the Istituto Luce.
Throughout the world, dogs trained in research have saved the lives of many thousands of people, but in some circumstances even the common domestic dogs have turned into real heroes, sometimes sacrificing their lives, to protect their master. I bring only two brief examples.
On May 21, 2014, Chris Wacker was harvesting wild mushrooms in Minnesota, in the company of his dog Toby, a handsome black labrador (according to Muhammad, the black dogs would be demons) of 8 years.
Unfortunately, during the search for mushrooms, the unfortunates came across a couple of big black bears with puppies. It is known that bears, in the presence of their puppies, are particularly aggressive, driven by the instinct of protection towards offspring.
Realizing the danger, the fearless Toby tried to defend his master, barring his way to the female.
Chris, feeling unable to do anything to save his beloved dog, also saw the threat of the other large specimen, decided to escape. When he arrived at the home of his father who lived in those areas, the man was convinced he would not see his dog again, but soon Toby returned to him, despite being seriously injured. It had many fractures and lacerations, with cuts of up to 15 centimeters. Taken to a veterinary clinic, he died in Chris's arms.
A dog is willing to do anything to save the life of his master. To prove it (again) is a story with a happy ending in Michigan, starring a Golden Retriever named Kelsey and his owner Bob. In a cold evening during New Year's Eve parties, with a polar temperature, Bob went out into the garden to get wood for the fireplace, but as he lowered himself, he fell and hurt his neck and lost his senses. Kelsey, arrived to the rescue, immediately stretched out on him to repair him with the heat of his body. Meanwhile, trying to keep him awake, he continued to bark for someone to notice the accident. The neighbors noticed the accident, only after many hours, finding the dog that still protected Bob. Of his injury, he does not remember anything, but the doctor who operated it said that if Kelsey had not been to heat it, Bob would have lost his life by frostbite.
Many Muslim theologians state that the dog's saliva is considered unclean.
The hypothesis that dogs can transmit diseases to men by licking their master, derives mainly from bad information, without any proof corroborated by specific evidence. Many are convinced that by the fact that the dog can lick and eat anything that is on the ground, the man is likely to contract terrible diseases, but some studies show that the bite of a man is much more infected than that of a dog. In the saliva of the dog and the cat are in fact present enzymes, such as lysozyme, and others such as lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, glucose-oxidase. In different chemical ways, these enzymes have a recognized antibacterial activity, and they are used to naturally disinfect the mouth, as well as having an anti-plaque action. So a dog that licks its owner (especially if they are regularly given the vaccines), can hardly transmit diseases, indeed it can transfer beneficial bacteria, which would be interpreted by our body as antibodies. The research, performed by Kim Kelly and Charles Raison, has laid out new rules regarding animal behavior. The dog's bacteria are present in its saliva, coming directly from the intestine: it would be probiotic bacteria, similar to those that we usually find in yogurt, and these antibodies would stimulate the immune response of our body.
In reality the only potentially fatal disease is given by the "Capnocytophaga canimorsus", a subtle bacterium present in the saliva of dogs and other animals that, in contact with human mucous membranes, can provoke septicemia, a general infection to the whole body. A similar case actually occurred: a seventy-year-old pensioner ended up in intensive care for a very rare form of septicemia contracted by her dog, a small greyhound. It took two weeks in intensive care (one-month hospital) and antibiotic treatment to defeat the disease. In reality, any bacterium can cause sepsis and this disease particularly affects people with an already compromised immune system.
Even the cat's saliva can provoke septicemia, but Muhammad, who adored cats (but not dogs), did not include them among the animals considered impure!
All this indicates that, like so many other things, that Muhammad made his choices according to his personal tastes, rather than logical, scientific or religious considerations, then to observe his teachings to the letter, can lead to blatant errors!
Uncritically following his absurd dictates, can generate more violence, beyond that which already spreads the world! In Vienna, Ingrid, a 54-year-old lady, accompanied by her two dogs (one of them with three legs), while she was talking to her neighbors in front of their gate, was brutally assaulted by an 18-year-old Somali girl with a veil, and thrown to the ground. Ingrid was operated twice in the Wilhelminen Hospital: her knee was split and it was necessary to replace it with an artificial implant surgically. The reason for such fury was explained by the girl's husband: "We do not want dogs, they are impure"!
The dog, impure animal? The only impure thing is the mind of people who think that a noble and generous animal like a dog can be considered as such!
Every time I meet an abandoned dog, crossing the eyes of his wet eyes, sad and melancholy, I feel a grip on my heart, if I could, I would take it with me. I limit myself when I can, to feed them. I see him walking away sadly, wandering aimlessly with his uncertain step, in search perhaps vain of a little 'food, and especially a caress that warms his heart: all he seeks is to offer his unconditional dedication to a person that knows how to welcome the great gift of his affection.
After abandoning the culture and rational thinking to follow exclusively the Qur'an, you Muslims, forced into the cage of the (often absurd) prescriptions of Sharia, have renounced some of the highest qualities of man: the ability to feel feelings for any living being and humanity that would allow you to feel empathy towards all your similar. You have chosen instead of the rage and anger against those who do not follow your faith!
Author: Remy Fani
