More than 800 people came together on Sunday for the first "I Want To Touch A Dog" event at the One Utama shopping complex in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, according to Asia One.
Syed Azmi Alhabshi, a pharmacist in his 30s who is afraid of dogs, thought that if he and others could get over that fear, they could truly live the peace that Islam teaches. "The objective is to overcome one's fear of dogs, to understand them better and also to practice 'sertu.' It is not to promote dog adoption," Alhabshi told The Malaysian Insider.
Erasing the fear of dogs will also decrease the violence and abuse dogs in Malaysia are faced with, according to The Malaysian Insider. "I have seen cases of people running away at the sight of a dog, or throw stones at it," said Alhabshi. "It broke my heart... How do people feel when they see an animal ill-treated, abused or knocked over?"
The attendees of the "I Want To Touch A Dog" event were instructed to wear different colors to indicate their boundaries with the animals. Those who only came to watch wore orange. Those who wanted to touch a dog wore yellow. Volunteers and pet owners wore red.
About half of the attendees were Muslims and many wore yellow. A woman named Fatimah wore a black veil that allowed only her eyes to be seen. "I came here to learn more about interacting with dogs, about 'samak' and 'sertu' cleansing. I've never done such a thing before," Fatimah told Asia One.
Not everyone was as open to the idea.
Sobri Osman, the director of the Persatuan Jemaah Pondok-pondok Kedah, said the Muslims who participated do not know much about their faith, according to The Sun Daily. Osman suggested the next dog event be called "Do Not Go Near Dogs," as staying away is the proper way to "handle" a dog.
Osman cautioned Muslims who touched the dogs to cleanse themselves. "If they are confident that they were dry and the dogs they touched were also dry, it is not necessary for them to do so," Osman said. "Otherwise, they should do the proper cleansing method or their prayers will not be accepted."
What does Alhabshi think of that?
"To quote Kimora Lee Simmons, if you don't have haters, you are not there yet," he told The Malaysian Insider.
