Amongst all of God’s creation, mankind is supreme and has remained so owing to the ability to speak, listen and apply a conscious mind. This superiority, indeed, sets us apart from the rest of the creation which inhabits the planet.
However, under no circumstances does it give us a right to be cruel and abuse our position of power. Despite Pakistan being a Muslim country, one important aspect of Islam and humanity that is ignored by the government of Pakistan is the ethical treatment of animals.
Another heinous aspect that keeps this cycle of animal abuse running is the fact that most of us believe that in a country where human rights are nonexistent, talking about animal rights is an unpardonable offense. Animal abusers continue with this cruelty because there is no penalty.
Animal abuse
Animal abuse refers to the neglect and cruelty inflicted upon animals. If the owner of an animal does not provide the necessary protection, food, facilities, and vaccination required for the safety and wellbeing of the animal, it shall be classified as neglect and cruelty, and therefore would be a form of animal abuse.
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1890
In Pakistan, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1890 was amended in January 2018, increasing manifold the fines and punishments to be meted out to offenders but without a holistic approach towards animal welfare.
This act needs to be replaced by fresh legislation recognizing animals as sentient beings with intrinsic values needing protection and care.
Definitions in the legislation should include all major categories of animals and their roles, such as companion pets, therapy dogs, farm animals including fowl, transport animals, zoos, aquaria and wildlife animals, those used for research and testing, and animals in sports.
The act should include standards of health and breeding systems eg fish farming, veterinary services, vaccinations and rabies protocols, stray dogs’ and cats’ management, and appropriate care and hygiene of animals for slaughter.
Islam and Animal Rights
All living beings – humans, birds, animals, insects, etc – are worthy of consideration and respect. Islam has always viewed animals as a special part of God’s creation. Mankind is responsible for whatever it has at its disposal, including animals whose rights must be respected.
The Holy Qur’an, the Hadith, and the history of Islamic civilization offer many examples of kindness, mercy, and compassion for animals. Islam strongly asks Muslims to treat animals with compassion and not to abuse them.
The Holy Qur’an states that all creation praises God, even if this praise is not expressed in human language. Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) often chastised his Companions who mistreated animals and spoke to them about the need for mercy and kindness.
Holy Quran and Animal Welfare
The Holy Quran contains many examples and directives about how Muslims should treat animals. The Quran describes that animals form communities, just as humans do:
“There is not an animal that lives on neither the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but they form communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end” (Quran 6:38).
Dog culling
Stray dogs shot dead instead of being neutered, including puppies and pregnant dogs. Authorities should be appointed to ensure ethical means of controlling the population of stray dogs such as spaying and neutering.
Animal abuse during protests and for political purposes such as the recent examples of a dog and a donkey being mercilessly killed in the name of political support. Authorities should be appointed to ensure that such abuse is discouraged and dealt with in the strictest manner.
A recent incident of animal abuse
In a horrifying incident of animal on 26 July, a kitten died after being allegedly brutally gang-raped by a 15-year-old boy and his friends in Lahore.
The incident came to light after JFK Animal Rescue And Shelter, an animal rights organization, posted about the heinous crime of the teenagers on its Facebook handle.
According to the animal rights organization’s Facebook post, the kitten was bought by the minor’s boy family. After they brought it home, the teenager and his friends gang-raped it for over a week, leaving its internal organs severely damaged.
Kitten rap has become today’s top trend on social networking Twitter, with 8,162 messages sent so far in which people are condemning this heinous act.
Therapies and sex education
It is highly required for serious therapies and sex education programs urgently to fix the issue of animal abuse, despite the opposition of orthodox mullahs.
There is an urgent need for animal rights laws, an active force and helpline to deal with such situations. It is seriously shocking that in a country like Pakistan where women and children do not get justice after heinous rape cases, who will care for an animal.
Need to develop a sense of protecting animals
Unless we as Muslims develop a sense of protecting animals and reprimand people who are cruel towards them, the cycle of abuse will never break.
Reporting abuse to the authorities might appear to be a futile exercise; however, it is important to bring animal cruelty into the notice of people who are in a position to offer help.
Animal abuse of all kinds, including animals used for fighting, whilst working and captivity must be reported to the authorities, regardless of what the outcome might be.
We must realize that if we’re not kind to animals, we’re a very long way from becoming kind to people. The plight of these animals deserves to be heard, so let’s give them a voice.
The top priority should be to revise the existing laws and form a regulatory framework that can act like animal police or watchdog.
We as nation urge the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and the Parliament of Pakistan to recognize these issues, to educate the citizens of Pakistan about animal abuse in its various forms, to discourage it, to form strict laws ensuring the welfare of these innocent creatures and that offenders and abusers be dealt with in the strictest manner.
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