In Saskatoon, Canada, Muslim taxi drivers are refusing to give rides to blind people with seeing-eye dogs. The drivers have been citing religious grounds, saying dogs are considered "unclean" animals in Islam.
Mike Simmonds, who has been blind for close to 10 years, requires a guide dog with him at all times. He reported to the Sun newspaper that he is bitterly disappointed after taxi drivers at the station by his home have repeatedly refused to give him a ride.
Simmonds turned to the taxi company's management, and was told that the company has no guidelines forbidding discrimination against dog owners. After he was refused by taxis 3 times, Simmonds submitted a complaint to the Saskatchewan Committee of Human Rights.
Muslim antagonism towards dogs is not a new thing in Canada. In 2012, Toronto policearrested a Jew after he shoved back a Muslim who had punched him for not moving his “unclean” dog further away from Muslim women during an anti-Israel rally.
Canine cruelty in the Muslim world was highlighted during the Muslim Brotherhood protests in Egypt, as in late October protesters were found to be using "puppy bombs" by dipping dogs in gasoline and setting them on fire.