Leaflet saying dogs are 'impure' offends locals

Community leaders and residents have criticised leaflets being posted to homes calling for a ban on dogs in public.

The pamphlets say dogs are ‘impure’ and should be ‘limited’ in ‘public spheres’ out of respect for Muslim families.

They have been received by households in Cheetham Hill and Salford and are believed to be connected to a campaign group called ‘For Public Purity’.Senior Cheetham Hill councillor Naeem Hassan branded the idea nonsense and said he believed the messages were designed to divide communities. Other residents in nearby Salford also aired their scepticism.

Fayyaz Ali, 39, who lives on Pentlands Avenue in Salford, is Muslim and has two dogs. He thinks the leaflets are a scam to incite hatred in the community, and he said no Muslim organisation would post such leaflets.

He said:

The leaflets say:

Cheetham Hill councillor Naeem Hassan, who has lived in the community for more than 30 years, called on the public to ignore the leaflets.

He said:

The leaflets include a dog ban logo and website links.Clifton Green, a 36-year-old father-of-two from Salford, said his street was leafleted. The family have a puppy.

He said:

Another resident, Emma Williams, 29, said:

The group ‘For Public Purity’ has its own website and a Facebook page. Organisers say the movement was created ‘as an effort to make life more accommodating for Muslims in the UK by tackling an issue that is rarely discussed, the presence of dogs in the public sphere’.

They say Islamic tradition regards dogs as ‘impure and unclean’.A message on the group’s website reads: