DOG OWNERS IN Iran could face up to 74 lashes for owning or walking a dog.
A draft Bill that has been signed by 32 members of the Iranian parliament would ban keeping dogs at home or walking them in public.
Dog owners could also be fined substantially if they were to break the proposed laws.
The animals are regarded as unclean under Islamic custom and they are not common in Iran, although some families do keep them behind closed doors and, especially in more affluent areas, walk them outside.
Iran’s ‘morality police’ have previously stopped dog walkers and either cautioned them or confiscated the animals.
Hardliners in Iran’s parliament are worried about an “invasion” of Western culture, including satellite television and the internet, with dog ownership also being seen as un-Islamic.
The reformist Shargh newspaper has reported that if the new Bill is passed by parliament then those guilty of dog-related offences could face lashes or fines ranging from 10 million rials to 100 million rials (€300 to almost €3,000).
“Anyone who walks or plays with animals such as dogs or monkeys in public places will damage Islamic culture, as well as the hygiene and peace of others, especially women and children,” the draft law states.
Confiscated animals would be sent to zoos, forests or the wilderness.
A similar law was proposed three years ago, but politicians in the 290-member parliament dismissed it.
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