Cruelty to animals is prohibited in the Islamic Sharia and UAE's laws, according to scholars and legal consultants.
Every person who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates or tortures a living animal, or maliciously and intentionally kills an animal, is guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment of up to one year, or by a fine of not more than Dh10,000, or by both the fine and imprisonment, Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaiba, a Dubai-based legal consultant, told Gulf News yesterday.
Al Shaiba was commenting on a Gulf News reader's query. The western expatriate asked, "I would like to know why an animal such as a dog, is so despicable to Muslims. I have lived and worked in the Muslim world for 20 years [Brunei, Jordan, Iran and the UAE] and cannot get a decent answer.
"I have seen dogs stoned, poisoned and purposefully run over by cars, but I cannot understand why. All the dogs I have had in my life have been faithful and have, at times, protected me and my family from break-ins to our home and have been good companions," the reader said.
Al Shaiba said: "The UAE Penal Code states that every person who maliciously and intentionally kills any animal, tortures, torments, deprives it of necessary sustenance, drink, food or cruelly beats it shall receive a prison term of up to one year, a fine of Dh10,000 or both.
"These offences, done to both free roaming and pet animals, can be reported by any member of the public or the owner of the animal to the police who can refer them to the prosecution. The prosecutor will refer the lawsuit to the court."
Al Shaiba added that the Islamic Sharia, on which the UAE laws are based, also clearly prohibits malicious torturing or killing of animals. Islam does not tolerate the torture and the bad treatment meted out to animals.
Prophet clear on the issue, says scholar
Shaikh Mohammad Sulaiman Faraj, a scholar at the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf, quoted the Prophet (PBUH) as having said: "A man saw a dog eating mud from [the severity of] thirst. So, that man took a shoe and filled it with water and kept on pouring the water for the dog till it quenched its thirst. So Allah approved of his deed and permitted him to enter Paradise."
He added: "The Prophet said a woman entered Hell because of a cat which she had tied, neither giving it food nor setting it free to eat from the vermin of the earth."
Gulf News
