Woman arrested for dog-washing 'insult' to Islam

Maznah Yusof, 38, a dog trainer, was detained at national police headquarters while she is being investigated for causing religious disharmony, according to her lawyer Latheefa Koya.

A police officer confirmed the arrest of Maznah, but did not give details.

Maznah’s controversial video clip showed her near a mosque with three dogs while a special prayer recited during the first day of Ramadan was playing in the background.

The video also showed her washing her dogs’ paws and then feeding them cookies usually eaten to break fasts.

In interviews with several Malaysian online news portals prior to her arrest, Maznah said she made the video three years ago with no intention of insulting her religion. Rather, she wanted to educate people about dogs and the importance of cleanliness.

On Monday, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin lambasted the video and deplored “the callousness of some towards Islam and Muslim sensitivities”. Earlier in the month, government prosecutors charged a Malaysian couple for insulting Islam for posting a picture on the social networking website Facebook that apparently showed them eating pork-rib soup, with the caption “fragrant, delicious and appetising”, in Malay. Pork is forbidden to practitioners of Islam.

Approximately 61 per cent of Malaysia’s 29 million people are Muslims. Of the rest, 20 per cent are Buddhist, 9 per cent Christian, and around 6 per cent Hindu.