An airport without sniffer dogs is not one we would ever want to fly through. Not only are they essential for security in order to detect explosives and illegal narcotics, among other dangerous items, their presence can also cheer up even the most drab of airports.
Celebrity Islamic cleric Abdullah Gymnastiar, better known as Aa Gym, apparently doesn’t see it that way. In a recent Facebook post, he called for sniffer dogs to be eliminated from airports because they are considered impure in Islam.
In the post, Aa Gym told the story about how a sniffer dog at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport sniffed his luggage (as it is trained to do). While Aa Gym recognized that it was a security measure, he didn’t appreciate that the sniffing, according to him, made the clothes in his luggage impure and thus not usable for prayer.
Well, some of us here in Coconuts are practicing Muslims and we think that Aa Gym’s concerns are quite misplaced. In Islam, though there are several views on this, the part of the dog that is impure and should be avoided by people is its saliva. A Muslim isn’t required to thoroughly cleanse themselves following contact with a dog, as long as it doesn’t involve its saliva.
We’d also add that sniffer dogs usually sniff outside the luggage so they don’t come into contact with the contents at all.
In any case, Aa Gym’s Facebook post has become a hotly debated topic, particularly in the comments section. Let us know on our Facebook page where you stand regarding sniffer dogs at airports.
