The Cat is King in Kuwait
The Kuwait Times printed an article in the Friday Times called The Cat is King in Kuwait, a really fluff piece about how the cats in Kuwait own the streets.
In contrast – and I wish I could print out even a portion of this article, but it is not online, and I no longer have the paper – on Thursday, Ben Garcia wrote a truly heart wrenching editorial/opinion piece about how the children living in his building were chasing, catching, stomping, throwing, swinging and torturing cats. Ironically, two cats they killed, either by stomping or drowning, ended up in the building water supply. One of the maids told her employer that the water tasted funny, and the employer told her the water in Kuwait always tastes funny. (I’m sorry, but that part really made me laugh.)
Mr. Garcia’s article was gut wrenching. He found it an irony that the tortured cats ended up spreading their dead bacteria with the entire building, where the children lived. But the fact that these children think it is OK to stomp on cats makes me almost physically ill.
In the Christian religion, Jesus said we are to protect the little ones. He is thought to be referring to children, but as humans, we are to be stewards of all creation. Doesn’t that means caring for all things, great and small? It means protecting our environment. It also means respecting all life, and giving respect to all humans, no matter what walk of life they are in. If there is any justification for a belief in re-incarnation, it is to learn from another point of view the lessons we fail to learn in this life.
Like wouldn’t we be kinder to the Bangladeshi street worker if we knew he might be our grandfather who beat his servants, or imposed himself on the maid?
I don’t think it meant we are to be all vegetarian, as he gave us animals for meat, but I believe we are to be wise and thoughtful in the use of all he gives us, so abundantly, in our daily lives. I am willing to bet that the Qur’an says something similar. (Can anyone help me out, here?)
So cats are abundant in Kuwait, but King? King of the garbage bin, king of skin diseases, queen of the swollen belly looking for a safe quiet place to give birth? These poor cats have a tough enough life without anyone giving them additional pain or harassment.
And what if these small creatures are angels in disguise, and we hard-heartedly allow them to starve, to wander, to be beaten and abused? Can’t we sin as easily by neglecting to do anything as by actively choosing to harm?
How can parents tolerate that kind of behavior in their children, allowing them to torment these creatures? What kind of lessons are the children learning?
I think finding a dead cat in the drinking water supply would be pretty horrifying – and I can’t help but think it is fitting for people who would allow their children to torture small creatures.
Bravo, Ben Garcia, first for speaking up and shaming those children, and second for writing it up for the Kuwait Times. It isn’t easy to read, but it is right to bring it to our attention.
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In our religion, we are supposed to be kind to animals also. These are sick and uneducated bastards who don’t have parents with brains.
*laughing* Tell us how you REALLY feel, R!
Just kidding. I’m sorry, sometimes I laugh so that I don’t cry. Cruelty, any kind of cruelty, is just so repugnant to me. It took me three days to even write that blog entry. I didn’t know how, I was just at a loss. I believe every living being has a spirit – the cats are in a better place, but oh, R, I worry about these children, who find pleasure in inflicting pain, suffering, and death.
😦 In Islam it is absolutely haram to harm an animal…this is some kind of twisted cultural garbage that parents did when they were young, and children continue with today. Many people (muslims) have it in their mind that “animals are dirty” and that it’s okay to mistreat them. R is pretty much dead-on, in my opinion…uneducated who don’t care to change their ways.
There are many areas cited in qur’an and hadith that speak about the treatment of animals.
http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=65567&ln=eng&txt=cats
A very well-known hadith speaks about how a woman went to the hellfire because of her mistreatment of a cat…let me see if I can find it..
“It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A woman entered Hell because of a cat which she tied up and did not feed, nor did she let it loose to feed upon the vermin of the earth.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3140; Muslim, 2242).”
(here, the word “vermin” is meaning bugs, rats, etc)
(http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=7004&ln=eng&txt=cats)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, according to a report narrated by Ibn ‘Umar: “Allaah has cursed the one who does that.” It is also cruelty to the animal, destruction of its life and a waste of its monetary value; it is a failure to slaughter it properly if it is an animal that can be slaughtered and eaten, and it is a waste of its usefulness if it is not an animal that can be slaughtered and eaten.”
———————————-
If we look at the big picture, at all of the ahadith and if we read the qur’an from beginning to end, we see that as human beings that we are blessed with a beautiful world, and that it is our responsibility to care for all that we are surrounded with.
http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=13379&ln=eng&txt=animals%20we%20can%20kill <—explains the ayah (verse) regarding creation..
And Allaah forgave a prostitute because she was kind to a dog. Al-Bukhaari also narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whilst a dog was walking around a well, almost dying of thirst, one of the prostitutes of Bani Israa’eel saw him, took off her shoe and gave him water. She was forgiven because of that.” (Ahaadeeth al-Anbiyaa’, 3208)
The mosques in our neighborhood here lays out cans of tuna for the cats on fridays, and I have seen many maids feeding the strays (the maids in our villa give the leftovers every day, lamb and rice usually…the cats here are FAT!)..around 2pm is a popular time for the cats to come meowing around the doors – it’s lunchtime! Alhamdulillah, not everyone is ignorant in the treatment of animals, nor ignorant of their obligations towards the smaller creatures that are on our planet.
I too have to think that the poisoning of the drinking water is poetic justice for their horrible mistreatment of the cats. Education and parents who are actually parenting is key.
I knew I could count on you, Huda *she says, triumphantly!* Great info, and I like it that you could cite your sources.
And I totally LOVE the idea of the mosque putting out tins of tuna on Fridays. That is truly the heart of religion, isn’t it, feeding the needy?
Thanks for your great input.
lol you’re so sweet masha Allaah..I’m glad that I was able to help 🙂 Andyou know, the first time that I saw the Imam putting the tuna out for the cats on friday, the girls and I were “awwwwwwwwwwwwwww” ‘ing all over the place..we thought it was so sweet, and so indicative of the kind spirit that a good muslim is supposed to exude.
Alhamdulillah, many people are NOT ignorant of their faith. Yes, I agree with your thinking.. it truly is the heart of religion – caring for those who are less fortunate.
With Ramadhaan approaching in 11/12 days insha Allah, many of us will be focussing on strengthening our faith. Insha Allaah we don’t forget the small creatures too. (as one furry one winds his way around my legs as I’m typing lol)
My greatest frustration is the evil that we do in the name of religion. Jesus’ most frequent target was those who thought they were the MOST righteous, but suffered from hardness of heart, and judging others when their own houses (hearts) needed cleaning. I think Islam takes the same view, that in the end of times, we will be judged by our hearts . . . and Ramadan is a good time for all of us to examine our hearts and see what might be there that we would not want examined, and try to get it forgiven – and GONE.
Thanks again, Huda, for your great input.
Kitties RULE! 😀
3baid – we wish. The ones we rescue have a sweet life. The ones we can’t – their lives are the proverbial “nasty, brutal and short.”
yet again,…
i believe that people should be required to take an “i’m not a moron” test so they can have a liscence to procreate.
would save the world a whole lot of trouble.
Uhhhhh, Skunk . . .I’m not so sure I would have been allowed to procreate! Sometimes I can do some fairly moronic things. 😦
So like who writes up the qualifications? ? ?
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surre in islam it’s not allowed to ham any one &should respect every creature … THANKGOD we are muslims & GOD gave us islam
and about these childs they are heartless >>this behaviour is not from islam