Sayed Mahdi Tabatabaei posts regularly heart-breaking stories of abused and neglected dogs that he has treated in his shelter (photo: Vahid Salemi/AP Photo/picture-alliance)
It's rare these days for a turbaned cleric in Iran to attract a large following of adoring young fans on Instagram, but Sayed Mahdi Tabatabaei has done it by rescuing street dogs in defiance of a local taboo.
