Islamic clerics express outrage over dog-petting event in Malaysia

Islamic clerics in a Malaysian city have reportedly expressed outrage over an event in which people were invited to pet dogs, many of whom were Muslims.

The news of the event, "I Want to Touch a Dog," spread on Facebook and was attended by more than 800 people at the One Utama shopping center in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia this weekend. It was organized to help people, who are apprehensive of dogs, to learn more about them by touching them.

However, Islamic cleric Pahang mufti Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Othman said on Tuesday that Muslims who attended the event should have referred to the religious authorities first if they wanted to do something against Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam which regards dogs as unclean, reported The Washington Post.

Touching dogs is considered a taboo by many Malay Muslims.

The organizer of the event, Syed Azmi, said that the point of organizing the event was to show dog lovers how to properly clean themselves according to Islamic practices (sertu) after touching animals.