The Star, Malaysia
written by Rahmah Ghazali
Saturday October 25, 2014
PETALING JAYA - Syed Azmi Abhalshi (pic), the man behind the controversial 'I Want To Touch A Dog', has apologised for the furore the event has caused.
However, the social activist stressed that the programme was meant to be educational, and not to promote liberalism as alleged by certain quarters.
"I organised this event because of Allah, not to deviate the people's faiths, try to change the Islamic rules of law, poke fun at the ulama or encourage pluralism," he told a packed press conference at Kelab Sri Selangor, here.
Reading from a press statement, he also admitted that there were weaknesses to the programme, and apologised for the trouble and insensitivities that the programme had caused.
Soon after reading the statement, Syed Azmi left the press conference abruptly and did not take any questions from the floor.
His lawyer, Syahredzan Johan said he had to leave for his own safety as he was getting "severe death threats" since the event was held.
The Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia (Jakim) said it would be conducting an investigation into the event, which was held at Central Park in Bandar Utama last Sunday.
The event, aimed at dispelling negative perception of dogs particularly among Muslims, started out as a small get-together for those curious about dogs.
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Al Jazeera News
written by Staff
Tuesday October 21, 2014
Islamic authorities in Malaysia are conducting an investigation into a controversial "dog patting" event aimed at removing the stigma regarding the animal in the multi-ethnic Muslim-majority country.
The event, titled "I want to touch a dog" and held in a park on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, encouraged patting dogs, widely considered to be unclean in Islam, and reportedly drew hundreds of Muslims, raising the ire of religious leaders.
Islamic authorities said they would investigate the event, while a Muslim leader, Nooh Gadut, said it was an attempt to insult clerics.
"Don't try to create a culture that is opposite to Islam," he was quoted by local media as saying.
The organiser, Syed Azmi Alhabshi, who is a Muslim, had said his intention was to help people overcome their fear of dogs and promote compassion towards animals.
Many Malaysians posted positive comments about the event on social media.
"This is so heart warming to see a good change in my home country," one Facebook user said.
Muslims who took part in the event last Sunday performed in a special washing ritual at the end of the event.
The Southeast Asian country generally practises a moderate brand of Islam, but conservative views have gained increasing traction in recent years, with minorities complaining of what they see as Islamisation.
Recently, rights groups appealed for the government to repeal laws discriminating against transgender people after it was revealed that the group faced assault and extortion from authorities.
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Time Magazine
written by Charlie Campbell
Thursday October 23, 2014
Hard-liners in Malaysia insist he “should be stoned to death” because dogs are considered unclean
A Malaysian social activist has received death threats and torrents of online abuse for organizing a dog-familiarization event that religious conservatives claim insults Islam.
More than 1,000 people attended the “I Want to Touch a Dog” event in the affluent Bandar Utama neighborhood on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to learn about Islam’s views on canines and become familiar with the animals, which are a source of fear for many Malaysians.
But the event’s planner, Syed Azmi Alhabshi, has now been forced into hiding after hard-liners insisted he “should be stoned to death.”
Traditionally, dogs are considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam as they are thought of as dirty (impure). But while conservatives advocate complete avoidance, moderates simply say Muslims should not touch the animal’s mucous membranes — such as the nose or mouth — which are considered especially impure. Even if that happens, they say, there is a special cleansing ritual that can be followed.
How to touch dogs in an Islamic way was the point of the “I Want to Touch a Dog” event. Although officially haram, many Malaysians own dogs for security, partly because of a worsening national crime wave. (Malaysia’s Selangor Islamic Religious Department, an influential clerical body, says that Muslims can own dogs as working animals, for security, hunting and other functions.)
Siti Sakinah, an NGO worker, attended the event with her children in order to “overcome their fear and to learn that dogs are also creatures created by Allah that need love and care,” she told the Malaysian Insider.
On Thursday, respected Malaysian human-rights campaigner Marina Mahathir wrote an op-ed in the Star newspaper defending Syed Azmi and slamming the “ignorance” of those orchestrating the hate campaign.
“I didn’t realize that kindness is now considered despicable but then the world has turned upside down,” she wrote. “Never mind that the intention of those who attended was to learn about one of God’s own creatures and how to treat them kindly.”
The dog debate in Malaysia is in fact nothing new. In colonial times, local people were forced to deal with an alien influx of dogs brought by British planters and officials, which in turn made the pets fashionable among many prominent Malays, including royals.
At this time, a vibrant and largely cordial discourse thrived between the kaum tua (old conservatives) and kaum muda (young moderates) about how to handle dogs. The issue was even documented in a book by celebrated American historian William R. Roff.
Today, however, this polarity is hugely politicized. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government has brazenly fostered religious conservatism to win the ethnic Malay vote, and some of those attacking Syed Azmi say that he is part of a Zionist plot.
One Facebook user’s comment — as reported by the Malaysian Insider — illustrates the level of paranoia in the hard-line camp. The user said the dog-familiarization event was part of “a Jewish agenda to Christianise Muslim-Malaysians through subtle measures.”
Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert based in Kuala Lumpur for the Center for East Asia Democratic Studies, tells TIME that the conservatives “have been dominating the discourse and want to continue imposing their perspective.”
Marina argues that the storm has been cooked up by authorities attempting to maintain control. After all, she asks, “how does hating anything and everything make us happy and better Muslims?”
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