"If one commits the act of sodomy with a cow, an ewe, or a camel, their urine and their excrements become impure, and even their milk may no longer be consumed. The animal must then be killed and as quickly as possible and burned"
About this Quote
The command that the animal “must then be killed...and burned” is more than punishment-by-proxy. It models a worldview in which order is restored not through rehabilitation or discretion, but through elimination and spectacle. Burning forecloses reuse, sale, or quiet absorption back into the economy; it insists on a clean break and sends a message to everyone watching that transgression produces permanent, irredeemable fallout.
Context matters: Khomeini was a statesman whose clerical authority aimed to remake society through Islamic jurisprudence, not merely preach it. This kind of ruling fuses ritual law with governance, pulling intimate behavior into the jurisdiction of the collective. The subtext is a lesson in sovereignty: the regime claims the right to define cleanliness, to police sexuality, and to sacrifice property and livelihood in the name of moral hygiene. The animal is collateral damage, but also a tool - a sacrificial object that converts taboo into enforceable power.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
|---|---|
| Source | Later attribution: Say What? (Doreen Chila-Jones, 2017) modern compilationISBN: 9781946064042 · ID: QSk0DwAAQBAJ
Evidence: ... If one commits the act of sodomy with a cow , an ewe , or a camel , their urine and their excrements become impure , and even their milk may no longer be consumed . The animal must then be killed and as quickly as possible and burned ... Other candidates (1) Islamic Laws (Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Husseini Al-Sistani) (Ayatollah Khomeini)50.0% If a person has sexual intercourse with an animal whose meat is usually eaten, such as a cow, sheep, and camel, their... |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Khomeini, Ayatollah. (2026, February 25). If one commits the act of sodomy with a cow, an ewe, or a camel, their urine and their excrements become impure, and even their milk may no longer be consumed. The animal must then be killed and as quickly as possible and burned. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-one-commits-the-act-of-sodomy-with-a-cow-an-37517/
Chicago Style
Khomeini, Ayatollah. "If one commits the act of sodomy with a cow, an ewe, or a camel, their urine and their excrements become impure, and even their milk may no longer be consumed. The animal must then be killed and as quickly as possible and burned." FixQuotes. February 25, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-one-commits-the-act-of-sodomy-with-a-cow-an-37517/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If one commits the act of sodomy with a cow, an ewe, or a camel, their urine and their excrements become impure, and even their milk may no longer be consumed. The animal must then be killed and as quickly as possible and burned." FixQuotes, 25 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-one-commits-the-act-of-sodomy-with-a-cow-an-37517/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
