TITLE: DOGS ARE (NOT) HARAM IN IRAQ

Majority of Muslims see dogs as dirty animals. But it wasn't always like that. Based on historical sources dogs helped their owners to protect animals like sheep or goats - Muslims dad so many of them. They also helped preventing herds from running away or guarded them from predators. They also played a very important role during hunting expeditions. Many of the world's largest cities in the millennium between 700 - 1700 belonged to Muslims. They were very helpful in that time, because in addition to protecting property they also ate garbage on the streets. From Damascus and Baghdad to Cairo and Istanbul, dogs were supported as consumers of waste to keep city streets clean. Situation began to changed approximately two hundreds years ago. Many diseases were associated with a large amount of waste and poor hygiene. And those who ate the garbage, the dogs, also rode with it. It did not last long and at the beginning of the nineteenth century in general, people began to look at dogs as dirty, disease-transmitting, and dangerous animals. However, as we can see in today's Iraq, dogs are becoming more and more popular, especially among people from higher social classes. More and more veterinary stations and even salons for dogs are opening in the capital. But it will probably take long time for the dogs to cleanse themselves of the unfair reputation.

AUTHOR: Jarmila Stukova (Czech Republic)

A recognized Czech photographer and a film documentary maker. She is also co-founder an internet platform – https://natbase.cz – where renowned journalists publish, as well as experts and talented young scientists. She has been focusing on countries suffering from war, poverty and social problems since 2005. Amongst other issues, she has documented children prostitution in Ethiopia, the earthquake in Haiti, acid attacks in India, ironing of women’s breasts in Cameron, violence against women in Afghanistan or the frontlines in Iraq. She was awarded many times in the Czech Press Photo competition for her collection of photos from Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Syria, Cameroon, Jordan and other countries.