From The Economic Times:


An over-reliance on rather literalist interpretations of faith can cause some rather piquant problems. And while we, in India, are all too aware of this, perhaps a more clearer expression of the issue may be found in places like Saudi Arabia. Now, it is a unique place in more ways than one. For example, it is the only country in the world named after a family, or one man, to be precise.

It also remains a nation that is still debating whether to allow women the right to drive. The right to vote, we presume, may take a tad longer. But then, what else can one expect when a nation has an organisation called the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Neat and clean, that appellation leaves little room for doubt or dithering.

This worthy body, also called the Muttawa or the Religious Police, has just come out with another measure to promote the development of morality among the public. Pets, specifically, cats and dogs, can’t be bought anymore and neither can current owners take them for a walk from now on.

The wisdom behind the edict is that men, apparently, were using the pets to make passes at women. Since the commission did not elaborate this intriguing issue further, we can only speculate. The views of the women, naturally, are not known. Perhaps the dogs were trained by enterprising owners to perform some nifty tricks when the object of stymied affections happened to pass by.

One cannot, however, think of what cats can do to promote budding affairs. Or maybe their purring in public was deemed too provocative. In our own land, we do have a tradition of pets playing a role in amorous matters. Think kabootars and miyan mithus. The disheartened Saudi youngster would do well to learn a trick or two from us.

But we do know that love can sprout in the unlikeliest of places. Take the fact that the Kingdom remains a pet ally of the democracy-loving United States. That, it seems, reveals some truths about cats and dogs.