How are pets seen by Muslims?

Dogs are considered "unclean" under Islamic tradition but, while relatively rare in Iran, some people do keep them as pets.
By issuing a fatwa -- a religious ruling -- Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has sent a clear message that this trend must stop.
"Friendship with dogs is a blind imitation of the West," he was quoted as saying in Javan daily. "There are lots of people in the West who love their dogs more than their wives and children."

Source: Iran cleric says dogs "unclean" and not to be kept as pets (Reuters).

Does Islam promote love?

A Saudi court has convicted a man and sentenced him to four months in prison and 90 lashes for kissing a woman in a mall.

Source: Saudi convicts young man for kissing woman in mall (Associated Press).

How are women seen by Muslim leaders?

Women in Saudi Arabia should give their breast milk to male colleagues and acquaintances in order to avoid breaking strict Islamic law forbidding mixing between the sexes, two powerful Saudi clerics have said. They are at odds, however, over precisely how the milk should be conveyed.

Source:  Saudi Clerics Advocate Adult Breast-Feeding (AOL News).

Are Saudi women happy with orthodox Islam?

In an unprecedented outburst toward Saudi Arabia's religious police, a married woman shot at several officers in a patrol car after she was caught in an "illegal seclusion" with another man in the province of Ha'il on Tuesday.

Source: Woman opens fire on religious police officers (Lost Angeles Times).