[Cagdu] FW: Europe: article on guide dog in mosque

[tina thomas]

Subject: Europe: article on guide dog in mosque




UK Mosque Welcomes Guiding Dog

Islam Online
http://www.islamonl
<http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-Engl
ish-News/NWELayout&cid=1196786544401>
ine.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&c
id=1196786544401

By Emdad Rahman

LONDON: A mosque in the city of Leicester will soon
allow a dog into its premises to help its blind owner
attend congregational prayers, a precedent supported
by the umbrella Muslim organization and welcomed by
congregants.

"To tackle the inevitable issue of a Muslim owned
guide dog we engaged in conferences with relevant
agencies, imams and mosques in Leicester to learn,
raise
awareness and tackle the issue," Imam Ibrahim Mogra,
chair of the interfaith committee at the Muslim
Council of Britain (MCB), told IslamOnline.net.

"One mosque has been identified in Leicester and we
will pilot a case there in 2008."

Leaders of Al-Falah Mosque have agreed to allow
Mahomed Khatri, a blind Muslim teen, to be accompanied
by a guide dog into the mosque premises.

The retriever is undergoing specialist training by
Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, a national
association which provides guide dogs, to assist and
enable Khatri pray in the mosque.

It will remain in a purpose-built kennel outside the
prayer hall of the mosque and wait for the blind teen
to come out after worship.

Imam Mogra said the MCB, the umbrella organization of
Britain's two million Muslims, carried out a full
review of the Shari`ah ruling on keeping dogs.

"It is correct to say that the saliva of a dog is
regarded impure," he noted.

"In this case the guide dogs are highly trained. A lot
of money is invested in their training and these
animals are very disciplined, and highly unlikely
to jump on people, sniff them unnecessarily or lick
their faces, or any other parts of a person’s body."

A retriever salivates less than other dogs and thus
reduces of the risk of flicking spittle onto
worshippers.

Khatri’s retriever is getting extra training to
restrain it from instincts to lick its owner.

Islam forbids Muslims to keep dogs as pets. However it
is permissible to have a dog for legitimate benefits
such as hunting or guarding.

Urgent
MCB leaders saw tackling the issue of guide dogs as
urgent, given recent incidents in which Muslim
restaurant owners and taxi drivers refused customers
with guide dogs.

"We initially got in touch with national guide dog
associations after controversies highlighted in the
media, surrounding the reluctance of taxi drivers
to allow guide dogs into their vehicles," said imam
Mogra.

In June, Sallahaddin Abdullah was fined £200 in
Cambridge after refusing to allow a blind couple into
his taxi because they had a guide dog.

The MCB then issued a ruling saying British Muslims
should allow guide dogs to enter restaurants and
taxis.

Mogra affirmed that Shari`ah does not preclude being
around guide dogs, and it is actually an Islamic duty
to help the visually impaired.

"We have been involved in consultations for a period
of time and therefore acknowledge that a guide dog
enhances the health and safety of an individual,
it helps a person and enables better mobility."

Welcome
Al-Falah Mosque congregants welcomed allowing Khatri's
guide dog into their mosque.

"I am not bothered in the slightest," Sulaiman Patel,
a regular worshipper at the mosque, told IOL.

Patel insists that the blind Muslim teen should
receive every possible support to help him pray at the
mosque.

"I can’t see any arguments against it," added the
26-year-old bakery manager.

"I’m very proud that my mosque is leading on this."

Idris Desai, 32, praised the Al Falah Mosque
administration for accommodating Khatri's needs.

"It’s no big deal. The dog will not be standing next
to worshippers."

Mariam Lorgat, a student at Loughborough University
where Khatri studies, also commended the mosque
leaders.

"It is appropriate that we are discussing relevant
issues like this," said Lorgat, a regular Al-Falah
Mosque congregant.

"As time goes on there will be more guide dog users,
all over the country. This will help break many
barriers."
Posted February 10th, 2008 by hrc
»http://europenews. <http://europenews.dk/en/node/6945> dk/en/node/6945

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