Originally posted by mugsy
except that Islam says that dogs are dirty.
Ah, I was not aware of that. Well, each faith / culture / country has different beliefs regarding which animals are considered edible, domesticated, kept as pets, etc. Perhaps way, way long ago, in the part of the world where Islam was born, the dogs were nothing like the wonderful companions we know them as now, so they were considered unclean. Maybe the "dog" was actually some other kind of wild, canine type animal, and through the years it came to be known as a "dog". Those who want to remain true to the faith have to follow the Quran, even if it does exclude dogs. I'd be interested to know if there are Muslims who like and own dogs, in spite of their faith. I know there are Christians who don't follow Jesus's teachings to the letter either, and they "make exceptions" sometimes. It's a shame that religions can't "evolve", to be more adaptive to a modern world. The books were written so long ago, when life was pretty basic and there was not as much general knowledge or sharing of cultures.