Iran: Defiant Shia cleric takes in stray dogs
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Social media sensation: Tabatabaei posts regularly – to his more than 80,000 followers – heart-breaking stories of abused and neglected dogs that he has treated in his shelter. The many hundreds of comments from his young fans request rescue updates and send well wishes to the animals -
Man's best friend? Not always: in some parts of the Muslim world, dogs are considered unclean, driven away with shouting, sticks and stones, and sometimes even shot by city workers in failed attempts to control the feral population -
Keeping dogs a sign of Western decadence: Iran's hard-liners have been pushing for laws that would prohibit dog-walking in public. But that hasn't stopped Tabatabaei from opening a shelter in the holy city of Qom. He's an unlikely advocate for animal rights in a society deeply divided over the role of religion in public life -
Islam prohibits animal cruelty: across the Middle East, people put out food and water for stray cats, often seen safely wandering in and out of public buildings. But in Iran and other countries, dogs are shunned by many, while local authorities periodically shoot and poison them -
Kindness, peace and friendship: Tabatabaei, an animal lover who wears the Shia black turban signifying he is a descendant of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, seeks to bridge the divide. "It's pretty weird for people to witness a religious figure doing this stuff," he said. "But my videos seem to leave a good impression" -
Religious edict goes against the grain: Iran's clerical establishment, which has ruled the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, proclaimed dogs to be "unclean" and advocates against keeping them as pets. Many younger Iranians ignore such calls -
Compassion with consequences: when pictures surfaced of Tabatabaei tending to dogs while wearing his clerical robes in 2021, a religious court ordered him to be defrocked. The ruling was later suspended, but he remains cautious. These days the Shia cleric wears ordinary clothes while tending to the dogs and cleaning their kennels at Bamak Paradise -
Shelter established in 2021: "We take in dogs with disabilities that cannot survive in the wild and have a hard time finding adoptive homes," he said. "Many of them are dogs I've personally nursed back to health. They stay here until they fully recover and regain their strength" -
Reliant on donations: he is supported by animal lovers in Iran and abroad. Yet the funds available for such pursuits have dried up in recent years as the United States has ramped up economic sanctions over Iran's disputed nuclear programme. With the country's banking system almost completely cut off from the outside world, funds are very hard to come by -
Sanctions and Iran's cratering economy: with many Iranians struggling to get by, there is little left over for the cleric's furry friends. "I appeal to Western governments to consider making exceptions for organisations like ours that engage in humanitarian and peaceful endeavours," says Tabatabaei -
Hopes for change: the Shia cleric wishes to see the ban on dog-walking in parks lifted. "Pet owners must take their dogs and other pets out for walks," he said. "Sadly, we still don't have laws to protect animal rights, and there are no regulations in place to prevent animal cruelty" -
Despite recent anticlerical tensions, Tabatabaei remains a beloved figure for many: Zahra Hojabri recently found a puppy dying on the side of the road. The gentle cleric was the first person she thought of to help the tiny canine. "I think he is an angel, more than a human. I can't put it into words," she said