Young Furry Finds It Hard to Be Herself in Conservative Kuwait

Hello, Papabear,

I am a furry from Kuwait. So basically, I am an Arab furry. My issue is that in Kuwait (Or any other Arab country in particular) really HATES furries. I wish I was joking. I once ended a friendship in school because when my friend founded out I was a furry, he completely called me stuff like "doggy" and kept mocking me as an animal. Someone in 6th grade once tried to choke hold me because I was a furry, but I luckily managed to break his grip and ran away. I hid and saw him carrying a shoe trying to find and hit me. Luckily, he didn’t remember who I was, and now I’m in 7th grade. My brother was a furry hater and really would bash me for my opinions, but luckily now he respects me and doesn't care if I'm a furry. But he brought me to the discussion; my mom completely hated me being a furry, saying it was stupid stuff that brainwashed me online. But luckily my father came and discussed it happily. My father advised me not to be an anti-furry but not a furry either. Now I'm a furry after one year, and they don’t really care.


But I want to address the main issue. It’s hard to be a furry while living in an Arab country; they treat you more harshly than other stereotypes! They use the Holy Quran as a way to try and silence me. The verse was talking about how you shouldn’t imitate an animal, although furries DON'T imitate animals! It’s been a really hard time for me trying to cope with the environment. I always have to hide the fact I am a furry every time I’m near people. What advice could you please tell me to try and be more comfortable around them?

From,
Cherry (age 12, Kuwait)

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Dear Cherry,

Many apologies for the late reply. Apparently, there was a server problem, and I didn't see your email.

Okay, yes, to be a furry in a religious Arabic country is complicated--or in any conservative society, for that matter. And, yes, I am very aware of how the Quran says people should not imitate animals nor even put them in art (people shouldn't be portrayed in art, either, especially not the Prophet). Even though the Bible does not prohibit such things, hatred of furries is also expressed in conservative Christian households, so it's not just about being Muslim; it's about being conservative, inflexible, and hateful about people who are different and don't follow one's religion to the letter.

As long as you live where you do, this will be a problem. It's great, though, that your father understands that your interest in furries is not necessarily sinful or bad in any way, and he seems to have influenced the rest of your family, too, not to bother you about it.

I would suggest that you follow your father's advice and not do anything furry in public. The best thing for you to do is explore the virtual furry community. Now, you seem to have access to a computer (since your email indicates you are not using a school or library server), which means you can access various furry worlds. The most fun for you would be to do so in places where you can have a furry avatar such as SecondLife or VRchat. Are you familiar with these? They offer virtual worlds to explore, many of which specialize in furry communities. You can purchase avatars to "wear" in both of these games, or, once you get more adept at using them, design your own unique furry avatars. VRchat has surpassed the older SecondLife for popularity, probably because you can experience it in 3D if you have VR goggles. You can also do a lot of furry stuff in online games such as World of Warcraft.

Since you are only 12 years old, even if you were in the USA, which has the largest furry community and a vast array of furcons and furmeets to attend, you wouldn't be able to do much in the real world because things like transportation and hotel fees would be an issue (unless your dad went with you). Of course, even adult American furries do more furry stuff online than in the real world, so this is not too much of an issue. As long as your parents are okay with your being a furry online (and do agree to let them supervise you; it's for your own good because you can sometimes run into trolls and bullies even in the furry world), then that is the best option for you.

Write again if you have questions, and I promise a quicker reply!!!

Bear Hugs,
Papabear