Iran’s dog walkers could face 74 lashes in criminalisation of pet ownership

A volunteer feeds dogs at the Vafa animal shelter in Hashtgerd, Iran. Photograph: Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images

A group of Iranian MPs has proposed making it a criminal offence to keep dogs as pets or walk them in public, with offenders subject to 74 lashes or a fine.

Iran’s reformist Shargh newspaper reported on Thursday that 32 members of parliament, who are mostly affiliated to the conservatives, had put forward the proposal for the legislative body to vote on.

If the bill passes the Majlis (Iranian parliament), “walking dogs, trading them or keeping them at home will be punishable by 74 lashes or a fine of 1m to 10m Tomans [an equivalent of £200 to £2,000],” Shargh said.

“Walking and playing with animals such as dogs and monkeys outdoors and in public places are harmful to the health and the peace of other people, especially kids and women, and are against our Islamic culture,” the bill says.

Elias Naderan, Esmail Kowsari and Fatemeh Alia are among influential Iranian parliamentarians who support the proposal.

Iranian police forces, licensed hunters, farmers and shepherds are exempted from the punishment, according to the bill, which aims at cracking down on people who take their pets outdoors.

According to Islamic custom, dogs are unclean. Iranians avoid keeping them at home in general, though a minority, especially in north Tehran’s wealthy districts, enjoy keeping pets.

Iran’s morality police, deployed in public places, have previously cracked down on dog owners, cautioning them or confiscating their animals. They also caution people whose clothes or hairstyles are deemed inappropriate.

Hardliners in Iran are particularly worried about what they call a “cultural invasion” from the west and see pet ownership, especially dogs, as an imitation of western culture.

Senior officials have previously warned citizens against dog ownership, including the police chief, Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, who said two years ago that his forces were ready to deal with those who defied the regulations.

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, a prominent hardline cleric, has also previously issued a fatwa against keeping dogs.

It was not clear if the majority of Iranian MPs would approve such a bill but the parliament is dominated by conservatives who are likely to share the views of those behind the proposal.