Mood:
caffeinatedTopic: Random Political Diatribe
Right, so the Muslim community in Scotland (all ten of them... no, I kid, but it's a solid minority, what...) is gettin' all hot and bothered over...
This unholy demon of evil intention and ill repute.
...
*sigh*
Well, the idea here is that, of course, dogs're considered 'unclean' by Quaran-standards and, well, therefore (apparently) any reference to the fact that Scottish police use them must be repressed in all facets of Scottish society, including the offending telephone cards being sent out with that adorable li'l guys' face on 'em.
Kinda funny that, technically, by Islamic law, Harems are one of the only things that aren't actually considered Haraam as far as things go, if you get my meaning...
I just said that for the word play: I know that it's actually us Yanks that're currently having the most problems with polygamy, but count the Quaran as one of the books that explicitly condones such a thing...
I digress...
Anyway, I can appreciate the cultural aspect to all this: you wanna think of a dog- mankind's greatest ally in the animal world for 100,000+ years and counting (like it or not)- as filthy, untouchable and, well, evil, then you go right ahead. They eat 'em in Korea, after all, and I eat cows, which are themselves venerated by Hindus, so everyone's got the right to their own opinions and practices.
But here's something that ain't an opinion: police forces around the world use dogs 'cause they're fantastic animals to work with (given that 100,000+ years thing I previously mentioned). What I can see here is the beginning of a slippery slope: today it's outrage over a picture, and tomorrow outrage over the very sight of a cop and his canine ("I cannot adhere to any laws administered by this man", one religious man might say, "because he associates with those unclean beasts".)
Then Scotland'll find its whole canine police force in the doghouse, so to speak.
As far as stories of outrage go, the anti-postcard-people in this one are certainly barking up the wrong tree.
But always remember: when it comes to Political Correctness (especially in the UK) even an idiot's bombastic voice can carry a far stronger bite than its bark...
...alright, I'm done, I think.
