Iranian Official Claims: 'Women Getting Dogs as Pets Is a Colonial Conspiracy'

A provincial representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader has recently sparked controversy after associating having dogs as pets with "a colonial scheme."

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Seyyed Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini Hamedani, the representative of Ali Khamenei in Alborz, has warned against adopting dogs as pets, saying that such practices are a product of western culture and that Iranians should be aware of it.

Hamedani who is a leading religious figure in Northern Iran has linked having pets with a "planned scheme by colonial powers" in reference to western countries where having animals as pets is a popular practice.

Hamedani's statements were part of a Friday sermon he delivered last week, during which he criticized women's lifestyle in Iran, saying that they are "adopting animals instead of having and raising kids."

In November 2019, Iran’s Consultative Assembly attempted to pass a law to ban dog walking across the country, but it has not affected Iranians' love of dogs over the years.