THERE has been a noticeable increase in a disturbing trend among Saudi social media users of posting footage of animal torture online. The ghastly videos of zoosadistic acts are being posted mostly by young men who seem to be vying against one another to torture animals — both wild and domestic. In one video, two men torture a little stallion before finally shooting it dead, in another a fox is set on fire and the latest involved a man mercilessly running over a dog with his car. Studies have shown that people who enjoy inflicting harm on animals are more likely to do so to humans. One survey of psychiatric patients who had repeatedly tortured dogs and cats found all of them had high levels of aggression toward people as well. According to a New York Times report, the FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appear in crime records of serial rapists and murderers. Citizen Salim Al-Shehri said the torture of animals is not only against the law but forbidden in Islam. “It is unfortunate that such video clips are being circulated through WhatsApp and other social media platforms. The killing of helpless animals is illegal and it is regrettable that perpetrators try to justify such violence. No animal should be treated in such a disgusting and sadistic manner,” he said. “Our religion, Islam, forbids such cruel practices. Abdullah Bin Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying that a woman was punished for imprisoning a cat. She did not feed the cat nor did she allow it to eat whatever food it could get outside,” he added while calling on young men to learn from this Hadith of the Prophet (pbuh). Mousa Al-Faifi agreed with Al-Shehri and said the Prophet (pbuh) even forbade overburdening work animals. “A person should not be miserly in providing animals sufficient food to eat and water to drink. Islam considers kindness to animals as one of the reasons for pardoning people's sins so they can enter paradise,” he said. Muhammad Bin Talib Al-Enizi said it was unfortunate that the majority of people who torture animals are from the Kingdom, a country that follows the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet in dealing with human beings and animals. “We have been instructed in Islam to be kind even when slaughtering animals for food. Those who torture animals are going against the moral values and mercy that is taught to us. Such people are merciless and inhumane,” he said. Abdulraheem Bin Khalaf Al-Enizi said people who publish torture videos should fear God. “I saw a video clip showing a man burning a fox and before that a video clip was being circulated that showed a number of young men torturing several foxes and illegally hunting a large number of Dabb lizards. Why do we not fear Allah's punishment?” Psychologist Khaled Bin Mu'awed Al-Mutairi said those who torture animals have a sadistic personality. “Theirs is a disturbed personality that is characterized by cruelty, evil, repeated aggression and a tendency to humiliate others. They enjoy being cruel, terrifying people and being violent. They also enjoy inflicting pain on others and making them suffer. On many occasions, they show aggressive social conduct and enjoy humiliating others in order to feel strong about themselves,” he said. Al-Mutairi added that those who are prone to violence often have someone in the family who suffers from psychological problems. “They can be treated, their behavior can be amended and self-confidence can be built through therapy sessions.”
