Posted on 01/31/2012 7:19:50 AM PST by bayouranger
A Dutch Muslim politician has called for a ban on dogs in The Hague, the third-largest city in the Netherlands.
Islamic legal tradition holds that dogs are "unclean" animals, and some say the call to ban them in Holland and elsewhere represents an attempted encroachment of Islamic Sharia law in Europe.
This latest canine controversy -- which the Dutch public has greeted with a mix of amusement and outrage -- follows dozens of other Muslim-vs-dog-related incidents in Europe. Critics say it reflects the growing assertiveness of Muslims in Europe as they attempt to impose Islamic legal and religious norms on European society.
The Dutch dustup erupted after Hasan Küçük, a Turkish-Dutch representative on The Hague city council for the Islam Democrats, vehemently opposed a proposal by the Party for the Animals (Partij voor de Dieren) to make the city more dog friendly.
According to a January 28 report in the Amsterdam-based newspaper De Telegraaf, Küçük counter-argued that keeping dogs as pets is tantamount to animal abuse and he then called for the possession of dogs in The Hague to be criminalized.
According to its website, the Islam Democrats [ID] party is "founded on the Islamic principles of justice, equality and solidarity. ID is a bottom-up response to the large gap between the Muslim and immigrant communities and local politics…ID focuses on the political awareness within the Muslim and immigrant communities. Awareness about the need to organize, but also the need for mutual support."
Paul ter Linden, who represents the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) on The Hague city council, responded to Küçük by saying: "In this country pet ownership is legal. Whoever disagrees with this should move to another country."
Dutch political commentators believe Küçük's declarations are a provocation designed to stir up the Muslim population in The Hague. Muslims -- who now make up more than 12% of the city's population of 500,000 -- view dogs as ritually unclean animals and Küçük's call for a ban on them is a sure vote-getter, they say.
The incident in Holland follows dog-related controversies in other European countries.
In Spain, two Islamic groups based in Lérida -- a city in the northeastern region of Catalonia where 29,000 Muslims now make up around 20% of the city's total population -- asked local officials to regulate the presence of dogs in public spaces so they do not "offend Muslims."
Muslims demanded that dogs be banned from all forms of public transportation including all city buses as well as from all areas frequented by Muslim immigrants. Muslims said the presence of dogs in Lérida violates their religious freedom and their right to live according to Islamic principles.
After the municipality refused to acquiesce to Muslim demands, the city experienced a wave of dog poisonings. More than a dozen dogs were poisoned in September 2011 (local media reports here, here, here, here and here) in Lérida's working class neighborhoods of Cappont and La Bordeta, districts that are heavily populated by Muslim immigrants and where many dogs have been killed over the past several years.
Local residents taking their dogs for walks say they have been harassed by Muslim immigrants who are opposed to seeing the animals in public. Muslims have also launched a number of anti-dog campaigns on Islamic websites and blogs based in Spain.
In Britain, which has become "ground zero" for Europe's canine controversies, blind passengers are being ordered off buses or refused taxi rides because Muslim drivers or passengers object to their "unclean" guide dogs.
In Reading, for example, one pensioner, a cancer sufferer, was repeatedly confronted by drivers and asked to get off the bus because of his guide dog. He also faced hostility at a hospital and in a supermarket over the animal.
In Nottingham, a Muslim taxi driver refused to carry a blind man because he was accompanied by his guide dog. The taxi driver was later fined £300 ($470).
In Stafford, a Muslim taxi driver refused to carry an elderly blind couple from a grocery store because they were accompanied by their seeing-eye dog.
In Tunbridge Wells, Kent, a blind man was turned away from an Indian restaurant because the owner said it was against his Muslim beliefs to allow dogs into his establishment.
In London, a bus driver prevented a woman from boarding a bus with her dog because there was a Muslim lady on the bus who "might be upset by the dog." As the woman attempted to complain, the doors closed and the bus drove away. When a second bus arrived, she again tried to embark, but was stopped again, this time because the driver said he was Muslim.
Also in Britain, police sniffer dogs trained to spot terrorists at train stations may no longer come into contact with Muslim passengers, following complaints that it was offensive to their religion.
A report for the Transport Department advised that the animals should only touch passengers' luggage because it is considered "more acceptable." British Transport Police still use sniffer dogs -- which are trained to detect explosives -- with any passengers regardless of faith, but handlers are now more aware of "cultural sensitivities."
Sniffer dogs used by police to search mosques and Muslim homes are now being fitted with leather bootees to cover their paws so that they do not cause offense.
Critics say the complaints are just another example of Muslims trying to force their rules and morals on British society. Tory MP Philip Davies said: "As far as I am concerned, everyone should be treated equally in the face of the law and we cannot have people of different religious groups laying the law down. I hope the police will go about their business as they would do normally."
Meanwhile, Muslim prisoners in Britain are being given fresh clothes and bedding after sniffer dogs search their cells.
The inmates say their bedclothes and prison uniforms must be changed according to Islamic law if they have come anywhere near dog saliva. Government rules mean prison wardens must hand out replacement sets after random drug searches to avoid religious discrimination claims.
The dogs have also been banned from touching copies of the Islamic holy book the Koran and other religious items. Prisoners are handed special bags to protect the articles.
In Scotland, the Tayside Police Department apologized for featuring a German shepherd puppy as part of a campaign to publicize its new non-emergency telephone number. The postcards are potentially offensive to the city's 3,000-strong Muslim community.
In Norway, Gry Berg, a blind woman, was denied entry into four taxis in the center of Oslo because she was accompanied by her guide dog.
In France, Marie Laforêt, one of the country's most well-known singers and actresses, appeared in a Paris courtroom in December to defend herself against charges that a job advertisement she placed discriminated against Muslims.
The 72-year-old Laforêt had placed an ad on an Internet website looking for someone to do some work on her terrace in 2009. She specified in the ad that "people with allergies or orthodox Muslims" should not apply "due to a small Chihuahua."
Laforêt claimed that she made the stipulation because she believed the Muslim faith saw dogs as unclean.
The case was taken up by an anti-discrimination group called the Movement against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP), which lodged a complaint against Laforêt.
Laforêt's lawyer said his client "knew that the presence of a dog could conflict with the religious convictions of orthodox Muslims. It was a sign of respect." But Muslims rejected her defense.
Re your #59:
“They MUST take the route you demand by law.”
The only “law” muzzies recognize is Sharia.
Being the supreme race / religion, what have you, their law supersedes any and all other systems... or so they are indoctrinated to assume.
Expecting them to comply with any other system is considered to be an “attack against Islam” and an act of war, justifying if not obliging their collective retaliatory action.
Try refusing to serve or accommodate a Black, a Hispanic, some other “minority” or especially a Muslim, and see how long you remain employed or own your business.
When was the last time a Muslim had to apologize to a Kafir over their discrimination against them, however? Does anyone even bother filing discrimination complaints against Muslims?
The double standard and semi - official favoritism afforded to Islam even here in the States has been rampant for many years now.
A lot of people don’t realize that it is unacceptable for a non Muslim to argue with a Muslim, and if the Muslim cannot win the argument, they are not only allowed to kill you, but are religiously obligated and expected to. That’s why so many of the Afghani “Policemen” murder their coalition Trainers; admonition from a Kafir will not be tolerated, even if it means martyring ones self in order to fulfill their murderous obligation.
They haven’t quite reached the point of getting away with that here yet, but don’t be too sure. Arguments with Islamics are to be avoided at all costs unless you are well armed, have friends who are armed, are quick on the draw, have a really good Lawyer and live in a fortified bunker.
Is it worth it?
Is it even possible to get a cab in NYC that isn’t driven by a Musselman? They pretty much control the transportation system in much of our society now, don’t they? Gee; I wonder why that might be?
I don’t want to see Muslims in “pubic” at all.......
re: Collecting stories for the upcoming book: The Divinity of Dogs
Sounds like that will be a very good read!
I had an experience in a cab last year that sounds like the situation you described, but I didn’t realize it at the time.
Anyway, we got into it about which way to go, and then he locked the doors and said we were going to the airport.
I said if you don’t pull over right now, I’m going to kick you the the head right through that plastic and then break your neck.
He pulled over and I unlocked the doors and I happily then got out- didn’t pay him obviously.
No dogs?! Dammit, those are fighting words. Tell the mudslimes to go hump themselves.
Sorry, forgot to address this. I don't remember the kennel's name, but the guy who ran it was Wil Maas (IIRC). I have a story to tell about that weekend (it was about 1995), as it was the highlight of that trip to my family's native land.
It was my interest in learning more about dog training that brought me to Southern Holland, as in 1995 there were was virtually no Internet and I didn't know of any resources other than devouring my monthly issue of Dog Sports, at that time, the best resource around). I had reference to Wil Maas from the breeder who had sold me my (then) current dog. I made abundantly clear to Wil that I wasn't in Holland looking for a dog (I already had a big Dutch Shepherd dog). Yet that interest of mine made him curious. He sent me with one of his men to a KNPV trial that Saturday, much of which I taped. His man and I chatted a fair bit, commenting about each dog.
These were almost all hyper-driven Malinois, all but a couple of them too twitchy for a family protection dog. We were up until two talking, Wil wanted to know more about the American market, complaining that people here cared more about a cert on the wall than they did about the dog. He was thinking of retiring here to see what he could do.
After finishing the trial the next day, as I was accompanied by a dealer, Wil joined us to visit a seller. The dog flunked the "slick floor" test, as he'd spent almost his entire life outdoors. But the seller wanted to prove a point, so we packed off to the nearest dog training park a few blocks away. As the guy was going through the motions for his unimpressed prospective client, out of the corner of my eye, I saw what I came to see: A guy training his dog.
This absolutely gorgeous Mal was just in love with this guy. As the sun lowered, his fringes glowed. The guy spoke and the dog hit the grass with a thud and a grin. He heeled the dog and it was with nuzzles. This dog would kill to defend his pack, gladly, and without question, but only on command.
I stood there, almost in tears. Wil had already told me that he judges a dog by its obedience more than by its performance in a trial and I could see why. He saw me, walked over, and watched me watch. Every move was perfect. This dog was having a blast just hanging out with his teacher and leader. Wil put his hand on my shoulder, "I know what you want, and you are right. When you come to Holland again looking for a dog, let me know." This time, we were up until three. If I ever go back, it will be for a pup.
These people love what they do, and love their dogs with their lives. God help the idiot Mussie-wussie who tries to throw his weight around with them. These guys (almost all ex-military) are armed and ready.
Yeah, the Musdumbs may have overstepped the level of tolerance when it comes to dogs. Too many hundreds of millions of people know the value, love, and companionship of a dog.
Yeah, I was thinking exactly of the same thing. Dogs, working and show, are a big deal and a significant business in parts of Europe. No one (and I repeat no one) is going to outlaw dogs there, without an armed takeover of the government.
Also, does anyone else see a problem with restricting bomb dogs in mosques, and other Muslim strongholds?
Doberman begging for bacon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2fzGkpB7-A
Reminder to fellow Freepers. Give your dog his daily bacon. ;-)
Even for FR that's a pretty encompassing statement....
I think that's exactly what this is about.
Re 124;
Interesting. No doubt he had a gang of his “Brothers” waiting at the Airport (have you noticed how airports are infested with them?) to “teach you a lesson”. Did he make a radio call in Arabic after you got into it?
Good move speaking to Muchmett in a language he obviously understood - but had he not wanted to bother cleaning your blood off of his back seat upholstery you might have met the .40 Glock he probably keeps under his dirty bathrobe. It’s probably also providential that you got out where there were some witnesses around.
It appears as though the gloves are about to come off, now that we are pushing that toxic 20% population infiltration level in some of our host cities.
Your Police are pretty heavily infiltrated by now, aren’t they?
If you have to defend yourself from a Sharia attack, don’t plan on Officer Hammid being your friend.
Have the gang rapes started in your part of town yet?
Actually no, I haven’t ever seen an Arabic or Muslim policeman.
Not ever.
They are very mixed, black, white Hispanic.
THE ONLY place I see muslims in Manhattan are driving cabs, and rarely at outside this one Mosque on 92 or something or other.
Would you believe that one of my Shepherds can NOT stand Muslim men?? It’s true... the dog knows..
I met Jon Provost (little Timmy) last year. Nice guy, is active in animal rescues in northern CA.
Ahhh... Guess I missed that. I thought it was predominately about banning dogs in general at Muslim request... Good!
With a flea collar.
Swell. My cat Pumpkin has that ‘M’ on his head.
He’s my baby and I can’t live without him.
Air bursts of aerosolized pork rings! Allahu fubar!
Dog loathing is the sixth pillar of Islam after murder, rape, robbery, child sodomy and female genital mutilation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.