Assalamu alaikum, I’d meant to post the below like weeks ago, but have not gotten around to it, so here it is…
Assalamu alaikum / greetings, well, the issue of Muslims and dog
guides has come up again. This time on a dog guide discussion list
that I belong to. The discussion started when a list participant
forwarded the article about the mosque in England that was going to let
the dog guide in to the masjid, albeit the dog would be kept in a
kennel until the dog’s handler came out from performing prayers.
This precipitated a series of messages, generally running the gambet from “well, this seems like progress” to “this isn’t really access, why can’t the dog just be a dog, why does the dog have to be in the kennel”, to “what kind of guide dog schools do they have in England to give this guy a dog, those schools must be desperate”, etc., etc.
Well, at this point, I had to chime in and try to explain things,
although I did find it interesting that, although many of the list
members knew that I was a Muslim, no one bothered to actually ask me what I thought about it, it seemed that some just started making assumptions and getting all in a tizzy, so I had to say something. To be honest, I found some of the messages quite offensive, as if Muslims who have an aversion to dogs have no right to be heard, or their concerns taken into consideration, yet people who are blind deserve all of that and more (which they do, but so do Muslims). I also was offended by the “schools must be desperate to give a Muslim a guide dog” comment, and the “this isn’t accessibility” comment. Sometimes, ya know, you have to compromise, to accommodate, in order for you to get what you want. Plus, as both a dog guide user and a Muslim, as I have outlined below, there are many reasons I can see as to why a kennel was provided for the dog, and the dog not allowed to stay in the prayer area (and cleanliness/purity is not the only issue/reason).
Anyway, I posted a couple of messages, briefly explaining the
differing opinions regarding the impurity of dogs, or at least the
saliva of the dog, that a minority of scholars don’t have the issues with impurity that other scholars might, and because of how masjids are set up and how Muslim prayer is performed, and also because of the seeming lack of education about dog guides in the Muslim community, coupled with many Muslims’ fear and outright loathing of dogs for both
religious and cultural reasons, that a kennel is not such a bad thing after all. True, it might not be the *best* thing, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction, and definitely better than the dog not being allowed in at all. In short, I tried to explain the differing opinions regarding the cleanliness of dogs, briefly explained how Muslims pray, and that it would be hard to find a place to put a dog unless in a corner where they are out of the way, or, well, in a kennel, so they are safe, don’t get stepped on, etc. Basically, when
dealing with Muslims and dog guides, one needs to be sensitive to Muslims’ concerns about purity, as it affects many acts of worship, while also giving dog guide users equal access.
OK, so I’m digressing. After this discussion, I received many emails, some of them clarifying some of their positions, and much of my initial offense at the reaction of some to the article was dealt with, in that I could try to clear up some misconceptions, while at the same time address some very real concerns, and some very real experiences, that many dog guide users have had with Muslims in regard to their dogs. And this is a very painful and angering issue for them. I relay two stories, both from the same woman (name withheld), to illustrate some of the experiences that many blind people who use dog guides experience from Muslims.
IMHO, this issue really needs to be addressed within the community, people need to be educated, one because in this country, it’s the law that dog guides and their handlers have access to all public spaces, and secondly, because as Muslims we must act in the best way, and refusing service to a blind person with a dog is not “acting in the
best way”. And so the stories begin.
First story:
“I, for one, am grateful to you for your openess and willingness to shed some light on this very important and interesting subject. For myself, it has been a bit confusing, so I refrained from commenting on the article. I do know very little about Islam, however, I do understand that there are as widely varying practices as in any other
religious population. I am sure indiviual interpretations vary greatly as well.
This is of particular interest to me as a few months ago, a very
upsetting incident occured regarding this subject. I have seen the same doctor for over three years. I saw this doctor every 3 months, and upon my first appt. with with my dog guide with me, I was waiting in the office. When he came in, I didn’t pick up on his uncomfortablness. He did not ask any questions, completely ignored my dog. Of course, I was still in the very new phase of being a team and went on and on about what a wonderful thing my new “partner” was in my
life. I received my prescriptions and next appt date and left
smiling, thinking innocently (or ignorantly) that all was well. 3
months past and I went to my next appt. The receptionist called me to the desk and told me I needed to leave the dog outside with someone. I said, that is not an option. She said, well, you are just training him, right? I said, No, I am legally blind and he is my guide and returned to my seat in the waiting area. Then, she called me again to the counter and said the office manager wished to speak with me. This
woman said, The problem is, your doctor is afraid of dogs. To which I replied, Sorry. and took my seat again. By this point, I was very confused, but remained calm and tried not to get upset. After waiting much longer than normal, a man called me back and took me to my doctor’s office and he sat behind the desk. I asked, who are you and
where is DR. M? He told me his name and said, maybe I picked up the wrong file, just a moment and I will check. When he returned, He said, I will see you. Dr. M is Muslim and in that religion dogs are unclean. I found it quite disturbing that my doctor for 3 years refused to see me, and did not even have the professional courtesy to at minimum, call me before my appt. and explain his feelings, etc.
Had this been the case, I would not have thought anything else about it. I firmly believe in respecting all religous practices and
beliefs, whether or not I share them.
Ginny, I would appreciate your thoughts and or suggestions, from your knowledge and experience on this incident. I was unsure how to respond, so I have not as of yet. In some ways I feel as if I should let this Dr. know that I was distressed and dissapointed by his actions and that I would have been very understanding and sympathetic to his religous concerns had he but explained them to me, himself…even by phone or letter, if not in person.
Thank you , again for your postings to the list on this matter. It is always good to share knowledge on such an important matter, regardless of the understanding or reaction of some.”
What kind of a message does it send to non-Muslims when this sort of thing happens? What kind of “dawa” does this send? Are we truly exemplifying the good character that we should as Muslims by treating people in the way described above? Even if the doctor had an issue with the dog, couldn’t he have told her himself, or let her know that he would be transferring her case to another doctor? And the fact that hte office staff told the woman that she should leave the dog outside, well, legally, that is outright discriminatory! Whatever the case, even if the doctor had concerns about the dog, there was definitely a better way to have handled this situation and thereby avoid the distress this woman felt as a result. Ideally, he should have let her know, in person what his concerns were and why, he should have respectfully explained things to her, and offered to have another doctor see her on her next visit! And he should have perhaps given her an opportunity to explain to him what exactly the dog was used for. But no, unfortunately, he did not do any of these things and as a result, you have a very distressed person, when there was absolutely no reason for that to have happened. How many others have had these
sorts of experiences and are further alienated from Islam by them? And that is the question that troubles me. Because most non-Muslims don’t know anything about fiqh opinions regarding dogs, issues of cleanliness and purity, etc., and by the time experiences like these have happened, I don’t think they’d much care, all they’re thinking of is how hurt they’ve felt, perhaps how humiliated they’ve felt, and all of the other types of feelings that you have when you’ve been discriminated against or treated differently. Perhaps if fiqh and other issues had been explained beforehand, before the act of discrimination or bad treatment takes place, as could have happened in the doctor’s case, then hurt feelings could have been avoided.
The lady also related a second story (which I thought was included in the draft of this post but I’ve somehow lost it), which involves her trip to a gas station/convenience store where she was flat-out refused entry, and not only that was yelled and screamed at by both the store’s owner and their daughter. So much so that it caused a scene and the police were called. Basically, it was a “you can’t bring the dog in this store because we’re Muslim and don’t like dogs so get out”. And this was an establishment who had heretofore treated this lady and her fiancee? I think it was, very well, that is until the day she tried to go into pay for the gas that she bought, as well as purchase a few other items, and had the nerve to take her dog guide with her. Again, we can ask the question “how does this set a good example of Islam and Muslims”, etc. But this doesn’t help how this person is feeling when the even is going on, or the emotions that come after it.
Surely, there has to be a way that religious concerns and those of dog guide users can both be addressed and accommodated at the same time. However, what pains me is that I’ve heard some echoes in the blindness community that seem to suggest anger and resentment toward Muslims (or at least people of ethnicities who are predominantly Muslim), because of the service that blind people have gotten, or because of denial of service, simply because they use a dog guide to get around independently.
CAIR has recently started dealing with htis issue, at least in Minnesota, however, IMHO, this should have been dealt with sooner, and Inshallah, other Muslim organizations will take this on, because, well, it’s just the right thing to do, along with it giving us the opportunity to present Islam in its true light. And you can do this and still keep in mind the legitimate concerns that many Muslims have toward dogs.
