From the Weekly World News…

MUSLIM DOGS MUST WEAR BURQAS
By Scott Stevens

As if it isn't bad enough that many Muslim women in the Middle East are forced to wear burqas -- now a new edict insists female dogs must wear them, too

"Muslim men got upset watching male dogs sniffing females and then mounting them in public," says Omar Jahal, a Muslim sociologist. "They found it indecent. The dog burqas nip that in the bud.

" The canine burqas -- called barkas -- cover everything but the animal's eyes and ears.

Women in Muslim countries are required to wear burqas so that men don't become sexually aroused.

"In a society where even a woman's ankle is enough to trigger an uproar that she's being suggestive, it's not absurd to say that the sight of dogs going at it the streets can have a similar effect," says Jamal.

"Quite frankly, I think some of the men were jealous that their dogs were having more fun than they were."

Many moderate Muslims have protested the pet burqas. "It makes us look ridiculous," says Mohammed Qootip, a student, who owns a female collie. "Also, it makes it difficult to recognize our dogs. And half the time they end up soiling the burqa. It's a mess." It may be "ruff" but for now, top imams say, the "barkas" are here to stay.