In this episode, Malcolm and Simone Collins dive deep into the complex relationship between Muslim cultures and dogs, exploring the historical, religious, and cultural roots behind attitudes toward canines in Islamic societies. The discussion covers everything from ancient scripture and medieval city life to modern controversies, including the case of Hassan Piker and his treatment of dogs. The conversation unpacks how religious texts, urbanization, and evolving public health practices shaped perceptions of dogs, and contrasts these with Western and Jewish cultural attitudes. Along the way, the hosts examine broader questions about cultural compatibility, identity, and the ways in which traditions influence modern behavior. Whether you’re interested in history, religion, cultural analysis, or current events, this episode offers a thought-provoking look at how something as simple as dog ownership can reveal deep societal differences. Join the conversation in the comments and let us know your thoughts! Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share if you enjoy the discussion. Malcolm Collins: [00:00:00] the Young Turks exiled 30,000 to 80,000 Istanbul strays to an island where most died.. Now, fun fact here. This is Turkey that we’re talking about again, the country where he lived. But did you know who has a show called The Young Turks? Simone Collins: Yeah. Malcolm Collins: St. Er, his uncle, so to say, that St. Er was willing to lionize a group systematically genocide, and 30,000 to 80,000 dogs in Istanbul. Right? Simone Collins: Oh my goodness. Malcolm Collins: That this is the environment that Hassan would’ve grown up in. Now his behavior and perspective towards dogs makes more sense. Would you like to know more? Malcolm Collins: Hello Simone. I am excited to be here today. Today we are gonna be discussing something that might be a lot deeper of a topic than our fans might expect, which is why do Muslims like torturing dogs? Um, What? Hold on. [00:01:00] We need to, because people might think I am being like wild here or something like that. Simone Collins: Yeah. Malcolm Collins: Or, so, Simone Collins: well, I remember when you did something similar with Jews and dogs, and then even like a bunch of Jews that we spoke with were like, no, Jews are fine with dogs. And you’re like, what about this and what about this? And they’re like, oh my God. Malcolm Collins: Definitely. I had no idea that my culture was historically pretty an antagonistic to dogs. Simone Collins: Yeah. So I, I’m in that way. I’m not surprised. I’m like, well, yes, surprised me with the Jews. Bring it on with the Muslims, but what. Malcolm Collins: Okay, so let’s go to scripture before we go further, because we’re gonna be tying this into the whole son Piker situation. Oh, okay. For example, in Sahi Muslim quote, the messenger of Allah ordered killing of the dogs and then said, what about. Them IE about the other dogs. And then granted concession to keep the dogs for hunting and the dog for security of the herd. And said, when the dog licks the utensil, wash it seven times and rub it with earth the eighth time. Some narration, even specify harsher views, like quote, [00:02:00] kill all the dogs except those used for hunting and herding in quote or labeling black dogs as devils. These may stem from a seventh century incident in Medina, where the prophet ordered a killing of stray dogs to control a rabies outbreak, sparing the working dogs. Scholars like Imam Malik founder of the Malik School, interpret this. He leniently allowing dogs and homes for protection while others like Imam Shafi restrict them more strictly. So, what I’m pointing out here is this is not a a light thing. They have scripture telling them that they have a religious mandate. To kill every dog that is not being used for herding or active home protection. And some even restrict us further to just herding and hunting dogs. That, Simone Collins: that makes sense though, to a certain extent, like considering how dangerous wild dogs can be. Well, especially Malcolm Collins: if you have Simone Collins: a rabies Malcolm Collins: outbreak in a medieval city. Simone Collins: Yeah. Like, I mean, we always talk about culture, having practical safety and health implications and this, this [00:03:00] makes sense. And also even the whole washing thing. You know, when you have rabies, like you spit is absolutely one way that that can be transferred if you’re not necessarily being bitten, if you, Malcolm Collins: exactly. Simone Collins: So that, that also makes a lot of sense. I’m additionally entertained that perhaps even before the Black Cat is bad luck thing happened. Malcolm Collins: Dogs Simone Collins: are Devil did it first and it was a black dog. Yeah. That, that, what is it with black? Sometimes pet animals. Huh? Like, why? Why are we afraid of those ones? Malcolm Collins: A lot of this is downstream of Muslim populations, which we’re living in, and we’ll talk about this a bit
