Rebel Without a Cause: Muslims in Scotland Object to Use of Puppy in Police Postcards
jonathanturley
William Randolph Hearst once said “Show me a magazine with a woman, a dog, or a baby on the cover, and I’ll show you a magazine that sells.” Perhaps following that logic, the Tayside Police Department in Scotland thought that they had the perfect postcard to send to citizens: featuring their new telephone number and this picture of a puppy named Rebel sitting in a police officer’s hat. Instead, the new number was inundated with calls from irate Muslims who view dog as “unclean” — even cute ones.
Shopkeepers in Dundee have heard so many complaints that they have agreed not to show the advert in their windows. The culprit is a dog-in-training named Rebel — a German Shepherd pup born in December.
The Muslim view of dogs as unclean has raised issues in this country, click here. In the meantime, it is not clear what the future of Rebel may be, but his work as a mascot appears to be at an end.
