The heartbreaking story of dog torture in Afghanistan has moved the hearts of many a friend of man's best friend.

Update: 

Last night (8/17/11) Mark Levin read my essay about the "sacralized" Islamic brutalization of dogs in Afghanistan on the air and offered his own poignant-and trenchant-commentary about the wisdom of "democratization" efforts in Sharia-based Muslim societies.

 The audio is available HERE, then scroll to minute 75, and listen till the segment ends at minute 87.

The story of extreme cruelty raises the question of the source of this belief that dogs are "unclean." Actually, there are "sectarians" like even the American Sharia-supremacist KA El Fadl who seem to like dogs.

But mainstream Islam draws on the following sources in regarding dogs as filthy:

From Sahih Bukhari, the "rightly guided" course of action is rather clear!:

Narrated Abu Talha:

The Prophet said, "Angels do not enter a house witch has either a dog or a picture in it."

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

Allah's Apostle ordered that the dogs should be killed.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "If somebody keeps a dog, he loses one Qirat (of the reward) of his good deeds everyday, except if he keeps it for the purpose of agriculture or for the protection of livestock. "

Narrated Sufyan bin Abi Zuhair Ash-Shani:

That he heard Allah's Apostle saying, "If somebody keeps a dog that is neither used for farm work nor for guarding the livestock, he will lose one Qirat (of the reward) of his good deeds everyday."