Quote: “As retaliation for the military presence, the Taliban carried out a series of deadly attacks, beheadings anddestruction of girls’ schools. They also continued to gain ground, setting up checkpoints throughout the area.”
No matter what the reason for the confrontation in Northern Pakistan is, there is no justification for attacking Girl’s Schools. The Taliban (extreme Wahhabi branch of Islam and Taleban) object them as un-Islamic although education and gathering knowledge (even from “as far as from China”) is one of the most important duties for both sexes in Islam.
“And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his punishment is hell; he shall abide in it, and God will send His wrath on him and curse him and prepare for him a painful chastisement. (Q.4:93)
“And do not kill any You shall not kill any person - for God has made life sacred - except in the course of justice, and whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir authority, so let him not exceed the just limits in slaying; surely he is aided.” (Q.17:33)
“…… You shall not kill - God has made life sacred - except in the course of justice. These are His commandments to you, that you may understand.” (Q.6:151)
“The true servants of The Merciful are they who walk gently on Earth, and who, when the foolish address them, reply with (words of) peace.” (Quran 25:63)
……………………………….
On woman rights Qur’an gives also women a substantial role in choosing their own life partners:
“Do not prevent them from marrying their husbands when they agree between themselves in a lawful manner.” (Q.2:232)
According to the Qur’an, the accusation (of unchastity) must be proven by four eyewitnesses, a practical impossibility. Even then a death penalty is not ordered in the Qur’an. The occasional stoning to death as punishment for adultery is a an ancient tradition also in the pre-Christian era as mentioned in the Bible. An unjustified accusation is a grave sin:
“Surely those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware (of the evil), are cursed in this world and hereafter, and they shall have a grievous chastisement.” (Qur’an 24:23)
“And those who speak evil things of the believing men and the believing women without their having earned (it), they are guilty indeed of a false accusation and a manifest sin.” (Q. 33:58)
Q.4:15 “And as for those who are guilty of an indecency from among your women, call to witnesses against them four (witnesses) from among you; then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death comes close to them or God opens some way for them.”
The logical conclusion from these Verses of the Holy Quran is that a harsh punishment is not advised, but immorally behaving woman should be kept at home or until God shows a solution for thesituation.The stoning of womenISNOTmentioned in the Quran but it was quite common in the pre-Islamic Middle East, as it was at the time of Jesus, a Prophet to Muslims, too. Quoting the Bible, John 8:1-3“If any of you have not committed a sin you can throw the first stone at her.”
(CNN) — A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonmentand deportation from the kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house, according to local media reports.
According to the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan, troubles for the woman, Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, began last year when a member of the religious police entered her house in the city of Al-Chamli and found her with two unrelated men, “Fahd” and “Hadian.”
Fahd told the policeman he had the right to be there, because Sawadi had breast-fed him as a baby and was therefore considered to be a son to her in Islam, according to Al-Watan. Fahd, 24, added that his friend Hadian was escorting him as he delivered bread for the elderly woman. The policeman then arrested both men.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, feared by many Saudis, is made up of several thousand religious policemen charged with duties such as enforcing dress codes, prayer times and segregation of the sexes. Under Saudi law, women face many restrictions, including a strict dress code and a ban on driving. Women also need to have a man’s permission to travel.
Al Watan obtained the court’s verdict and reported it was partly based on the testimony of the religious police. In his ruling, the judge said it was proved that Fahd is not Sawadi’s son through breastfeeding.
The court also doled out punishment to the two men. Fahd was sentenced to four months in prison and 40 lashes; Hadian was sentenced to six months in prison and 60 lashes. In a phone call with Al Watan, the judge declined to comment and suggested the newspaper review the case with the Ministry of Justice. Sawadi told the newspaper that she will appeal, adding that Fahd is indeed her son through breastfeeding…
Please read on the right Panel also my other topics, like Women and Islam.
In Islam there is a punishment for adultery which must be witnessed by four people, a practical impossibility. But even then it is not a death penalty, or corporal punishment:
“And as for those who are guilty of an indecency from among your women, call to witnesses against them four (witnesses) from among you; then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death comes close to them or God opens some way for them.” (Q.4:15)
The punishment by flogging comes from the Hadith’s and as my readers must know by now, I am quite critical about them.
Therefore modern scholars argue that Islam does not favor a harsh punishment, which was practiced before Islam. Like stoning to death was common as it was in Christian Palestine, too. We all are responsible for our deeds on the last day, when our good deeds are weighed against our bad deeds. Grandma mingling with two boys who go shopping for her is not a grave sin, in my humble opinion (sorry my sarcasm, cannot help it!)
BUT: there is a hash punishment for accusing chaste women, and I wish these religious fanatics will get their share on the last day:
Qur’an 24:23: “Surely those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware (of the evil), are cursed in this world and hereafter, and they shall have a grievous chastisement.”
Qur’an 24:2-4: “Those who accuse married women of adultery, then fail to produce four witnesses, you shall whip them eighty lashes, and do not accept any testimony from them; they are wicked.”
Qur’an 33:58: “And those who speak evil things of the believing men and the believing women without their having earned (it), they are guilty indeed of a false accusation and a manifest sin.”
While reading this article I had to think of the gravest sins in Islam:
an invention (which is NOT based on the Quranic teaching) to the practice of faith is one of them.
I cannot imagine that God would not allow women to drive or grandma to send her neighbor’s boys for shopping or stopping by for a chat - a case like this, where she knows him all his life. In fact I believe the reason for not allowing women to drive has not so much to do with them but much more with men, who harass women - it is quite common in Saudi Arabia.
I pray to God to guide Muslims back to the right path!
“Uncertainty, violence darken Afghans’ hopeBy Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY
DOAB, Afghanistan
— For the first time, the girls in this village were starting to learn — reading, writing, geography, history, math, science. They were starting to dream, too: Star student Roya Noori, 15, illiterate two years ago, wanted to become an architect. Harzoo Mohammedy, 14, planned to go to medical school. And Zuhal Noori, 12, saw herself at the controls of a commercial jet. Then the learning stopped. The new schoolhouse came under rocket fire last spring from the surrounding hills. Mysterious letters turned up at night, threatening to kill any girls who stayed in school and their principal…”
“Taliban extremists in Pakistan’s troubled northwest Swat Valley have banned girls from attending school, threatening to kill any female students.The threat was delivered this week by local Taliban commander Shah Durran in an address carried on an illegally-run radio station in the area……Swat residents said Taliban fighters had already destroyed scores of government-run schools, leading some to set up private schools in their homes to educate girls.An official at the Pakistani education ministry said there are more than 1,580 schools registered in Swat - once known for its top-flight schools.”Already Taliban militants have destroyed 252 schools, mainly those where girls and boys were studying together,” he added…. “
“Afghan girls scarred in acid attack Five Afghan schoolgils have been attacked with battery acid by suspected Taliban fighters in the southern city of Kandahar.The attack on Wednesday occurred when two men on motorbikes confronted the students outside the Mirwais Nika Girls High School.Two girls were seriously injured by what was discovered to be battery acid.School girls in Kandahar are easily identifiable by their uniform - black trousers, a white shirt, black coat and a headscarf.”
This is a crucial question. Before the invasion of Afghanistan by communist Russia it was despite of grave poverty a striving country, almost a role model for other backward countries with almost a half of the people on government payroll were women, mostly women teachers.
“The government began to bring in much-needed reforms, but with restraint and prudence. Labour unions were legalized, a minimum wage was established, a progressive income tax was introduced, men and women were given equal rights, and girls were encouraged to go to school.
On September 1, 1978, there was an abolition of all debts owed by farmers. A program was being developed for major land reform, and it was expected that
all farm families (including landlords) would be given the equivalent of equal amounts of land… “
Taliban are the most strict and extreme interpretation of Wahhabism coming from Saudi Arabia. In Islamthe education is one of the most important duties for both sexes (as it is stated in the Quran and which should be the first and foremost source of understanding) . These extremists get their ideology of the Hadith’s, traditions of which I am quite critical about (human memory can fail even with best intensions). They were collected and selected only after 250-300 years after the death of Prophet Mohammed. In many cases they contradict direct advice found in the Quran.
Since in Saudi Arabia the first girl’s schools opened just 2 years after the opening of the first boy’s school they have never been closed.Building Bridges: A Conversation with Princess Loulwa Al-Faisal Question: What concerns you about the perception among Americans about the role of women in Saudi Arabia?Princess Loulwa al-Faisal: Well, if they were to listen only to the media they would think that the women in Saudi Arabia are completely suppressed, not educated, and don’t have any jobs. The reality is that while education started for men in 1960, it started for women just two years later in 1962. Actually, prior to the start of the Ministry of Education there already were schools for women, private schools, including Dar-Al-Hanan which my mother [Queen Effat] opened in 1955.You should also know that at that point in our history we were a country of 5% literacy and at the moment we’re a country of 5% illiteracy. That shows how far we have come in just seventy years - even less if you consider that formal education started 50 years ago.”
“The Saudi government has allowed Muslim clerics to control education for many years and it’s modern version is The Ministry of Education, founded during the reign of King Saud and with the current King Fahd as the first Minister and he was responsible for the creation of the education system and curriculum. What went on in the classrooms, though, was largely invisible to the government bureaucracy. The curriculum itself was modeled on traditional education methods, emphasizing memorization at the expense of critical thinking. The texts, heavily influenced by religious authorities, compounded the narrowness of the education. No outside analysis of the Saudi textbooks had been made before 2002, so the content of those books is not really known. Following analyses in 2002, however, the Saudi government concluded that there were problems with the books…”Yet from another article I learn that “Saudi Arabia Discovers School Busing for Girls”
While researching for this theme I became a little more optimistic after all since Saudi Arabia, which has an enormous influence in being a role model, have started to show the way for the radical elements within the Muslim community. Too long these matters were left to the Clerics alone.
The world changes and Mulims must adjust to it, otherwise we will have enormous problems when modernity and tradition collide. There is no other way than building bridges and find a way to live peacefully in a shrinking world.
I should mention a short Email I received the other day from a reader:
”Quite a terrible site, may Allah guide you back to the truth. Regards M. “
By looking closer I found out, that it came from a very conservative corner of Islam. Where i.e. stoning of women is standard punishment.
It hit a sensitive nerve, because that is exactly what I always ask from my Creator – to show me the right path. And I am confident.
I think Islam’s image in the rest of the world is so tarnished and misinterpreted, that we cannot bury our heads in the desert sands.We must confront the accusationsand look at the things like they are, and yes, it can be painful.
“zeppelinsteenIn Malaysia where I come from, there is approx. 60% Muslims. We have a lot of Christians as well. But the Muslims here are totally different from theMiddle East. For example we don’t have any problem with women rights or whatsoever. Yet, other religions are going well with Islam. I think it’s not about challenging stereotypes, it is changing attitudes of the ARABS! “
Yes, he or she is right:the Problem is not Islam.
The problem is, that some Muslims do not realize that what they believe to be Islamic teaching is in fact tradition.The Hadith’s (traditions) sometimes clearly contradict the Holy Quran. The best example is the stoning of adulterous women as it still happens in some areas in theMiddle East. It was common practice before Christianity, which Jesus abolished (pls. read the article below“Stoning of a child”).
In the Quran there is NO mentioning of it but a sura, that cannot be misinterpreted:
“And as for those who are guilty of an indecency from among your women, call to witnesses against them four (witnesses) from among you; then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death comes close to them or God opens some way for them.”(Quran 4:15)
They somehow manage to distort the Original Message of Righteousness, Tolerance and Humanity. It was Islam, that introduced 1400 years ago all these virtues to then pagan Bedouins, who were warring each other in bloody tribal conflicts. And it is not solely the problem of the Arabs, who count only around 15 % of the Muslims worldwide.
The reason is that many preachers still prefer the Hadith’s, even if there are clear instructions of tolerance, forgiveness, human rights, even animal rights and “do not kill” in the Quran.
… ” The YouTube Visionary Award was established to highlight those who use YouTube as a global platform for positive social change.
As the site has become a destination for humanitarianism, philanthropy, education and public service, this award pays tribute to individuals whose videos advance these principles in innovative, thought-provoking ways.
“Queen Rania sets the standard for breaking down stereotypes and her YouTube videos are nothing short of inspirational,” said YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, adding “It is both a pleasure and an honor to present her with this much-deserved tribute.”
” Queen Rania launched her YouTube channel in March 2008 to foster an open dialogue and combat ignorance and stereotypes.
Her YouTube videos bridge the gap between Eastern and Western cultures by examining the increasing involvement of women in the Middle East workforce and by debunking misguided assumptions about Muslims and Arabs.
To date, Her Majesty’s channel has generated nearly 3 million video views and received more than 43,000 messages from users around the world.
Another woman among the 100 most powerful women in the world is
HM Queen Rania of Jordan (Number 80 on Forbes 100 Most powerful women of the world list and maybe not so significant but worth of mentioning - the third most beautiful woman in the world in the 2005 top 100 of Harpers & Queen magazine).
She is an outspoken advocate of women rights and well loved and respected in her home country. She is a new idol of an Arab woman, wise, family oriented and sympathetic.
And as so many of us she is frustrated over the ongoing misinformation and stereotyping of Muslims and especially Arabs and Arab women. She is introducing herself now on Youtube, where the youth of the world is communicating and is reaching out for dialog.
In need of information and Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s thoughts I contacted Hirsi Ali at the only address I found, her official website. A few days later I received an answer which I copy here partly, because this is our common interest:
“.. Unfortunately, Ms. Hirsi Ali’s schedule does not permit her to respond to every email personally, but please rest assured your message has been passed on to her.
I understand that you did not find what you were looking for on this website, which does not surprise me, as this is the very first incarnation of the site and was put together quite quickly. We are in the process of redoing the entire site, and will include much more extensive information, including interviews, speeches, blogs, and links to articles, etc. This new website should be up within the first week or two of April. Please feel free to be in touch at any time. Sincerely, Administrator”
As I suspected, she is not managing her website by herself. I invited her as guest writer to my blog, but obviously she is not interested.
Hirsi Ali came to stardom through the murder of her friend Theo Van Gogh (human life is sacred!).
She wrote the text and her voice is heard on the controversial movie he was making about Islam. A stereotyping and simplifying peace of work, “Submission”, a 10-minute film in English.
My theory is, without knowing Ayaan Hirsi Ali personally, that she is being used by these extremist for their agenda without her realizing it. She is outspoken, she is right by criticizing the hundred of years old customs she experienced in her childhood and youth. But what Muslims do is not necessarily Islamic. From the excerpts I have found on the internet she is not familiar at all what the Qur’an really says.
Her close friend Theo Van Gogh was a right wing radical, we could say a Nazi, read for yourself: Theo Van Gogh on Jews, on Women ( including MP Ayaan HIrsi Ali)Quote:” 5. Who killed him and why?
The arrested suspect wrote a rambling five page letter and left it at Van Gogh’s body.
Though his parents were from Morocco, he was raised in The Netherlands in Dutch and apparently did not know Arabic. The letter had nothing on Van Gogh. It was a long ramble on purported quotes from the Jewish Talmud. The suspect was said to be upset by his mother’s death and TV footage of US soldiers killing wounded Iraqi civilians. There is not any proof that he did not act alone. So, an INDIVIDUAL killed Van Gogh. Not “Islam”. Not even “political Islam.” Again: not, NEVER ANY excuse for this terrible murder. It seems murderer and victim had something in common: both fairly intelligent but mentally disturbed.“Quoting Wikipedia:“Controversial statements-
Although Van Gogh was known as a friendly, tolerant character in person, in the 1980s he became a newspaper columnist, and through the years he used his columns to vent his anger at politicians, actors, film directors, writers and other people he considered to be part of “the establishment”.He incurred the anger of leading members of the Jewish community by making comments about what he saw as the Jewish preoccupation with Auschwitz. This quote from a 1991 magazine interview is a typical example of such commentary. Van Gogh explained a “smell of caramel” by stating that “today they’re only burning diabetic Jews”. When he was criticized by the Jewish historian Evelien Gans, he wrote in Folia Civitatis magazine: “I suspect that Ms. Gans gets wet dreams about being fucked by Dr Mengele.” He also expressed the wish that she would sue him so that she would have to explain in court why his remarks were false.Van Gogh rejected every form of religion. In the late 1990s he started to focus on Islam. He caused widespread resentment in the Muslim community by consistently referring to them as geitenneukers (goat-fuckers). Although it is not clear whether Van Gogh actually coined the term geitenneukers, he certainly popularized it. He felt strongly that political Islam is an increasing threat to liberal western societies, and said that, if he’d been younger, he would have emigrated to the U.S.A., which he considered to be a beacon of light in a darkening world.
One of the few politicians who seemed to be exempt from Van Gogh’s criticisms was the conservative leader Pim Fortuyn, who was assassinated in 2002. Van Gogh usually referred to him as the divine baldhead. After the death of Fortuyn, Van Gogh continued attacking the remaining members of the Lijst Pim Fortuyn as he did other politicians. His political idol from then on was Ayaan Hirsi Ali.”
Another controversial movie“Fitna” from the same Dutch right wing corner, this time from from Geert Wilders. Unfortunately the rush to watch this peace of cinematic “peace of art” is so big that the video does not download completely. But I think I am not missing much.
From the very first pictures I realized that he is taking suras of the Qur’an out of context - suras from war situations (the Qur’an came in fractions in the course of 22 years, on different occasions, pls. read the topics 2, 3 and 4 on the right panel, too). Sadly enough, I must admit that the Islamic extremists are doing exactly the same while the Qur’an as a whole is an appeal for humanity, equality and righteousness.
As I suspected all along, this campaign against Islam has to be seen in a larger concept. In my opinion the main forces behind it isthe worldwide Jewish community(which by the way is very influential in the country which is their main ally, USA!)
Remember the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and the Caricature contest with the theme “Islam”, the responsible editor Flemming Rose is from Jewish faith. By black-painting Islam they are trying provoce violent response from Muslim youth and “prove” that there is no peace making possible with Muslims. By now image of Muslims in the world is at its lowest point. And as the time goes by Israel is creating facts on the ground, there is not much terrirtory left for a Palestinian state.
Geert Wilders Wikipedia: “.. The Dutch newspaper Telegraaf reported in May 2007 that Geert Wilders had been shadowed by the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service for years, when he was foreign affairs spokesman for the VVD. During that time, Wilders had been regularly meeting officials at the Israeli Embassy in The Hague.[8] Sources in the security service said that the agency was surveilling conversations between Wilders and Israeli personnel.[9] The security services denied the allegations, insisting it had never shadowed or eavesdropped on Wilders.[10]”
The State of Israel is delaying the Middle East process by ever enlargening the illegal settlements and by the enclosure of the remaining Palestinian lands. One could write volumes about this theme.
But people who have closely watched the peace process since the first Oslo peace agreement cannot oversee the systematic sabotage of this undertaking. Israelis see the whole West Bank and some more conservative circles even larger areas like South Lebanon and parts of syria and Sinai to be their Promised Land.
The latest attempt yesterday by the outgoing pres. Bush was sending Ms. Rice to Israel for negotiations, which went with the same routine as usual: the same day or the day after Israel officially announces building new settlements or enlargening older ones while these activity is prohibited in occupied territories by international law and especially a part of the Oslo Accords.
Quoting USA Today: “AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had barely left Israel on Monday following her latest peacekeeping mission when Israeli officials announced plans to build 1,400 new homes on land Palestinians claim for a future state.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to keep building in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, dismissing Palestinian claims that construction on contested land is the greatest obstacle to peace.
The disclosure of the construction plans immediately after Rice’s visit demonstrated the intensity of the political pressures that Olmert faces, but it threatened to make it even harder for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to convince skeptical Palestinians that diplomacy, not violence, would win them a state….”
“And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: Peace.” Quran 25.63
was named in 2005 by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
For some time now it has been in my mind that I should write about her, because she is spreading information as Islamic which actually is NOT and the readers of her bestsellers and articles hardly can make the difference what is true and what is her view. Everything she says should be seen on the background of her Somalian childhood. It is one of poorest and most backward countries in the world and its traditions should be seen in that perspective. There is also an interview with her on Youtube“On Losing Faith In Islam”
She is a Dutch feminist born in Somalia. When she was eight her family left Somalia for Saudi Arabia, then for Ethiopia and eventually settled in Kenya. From Germany se came to the Netherlands where she sought and obtained political asylum in 1992, under circumstances that later became the center of a political controversy.
A political crises surrounding the potential stripping of her Dutch citizenship led to her resignation from the parlament, and led indirectly to the fall of the second Balkenende cabinet.
She is known in the West by her assumed name, Hirsi Ali, instead of her original name, Hirsi Magan.
She opposes vehemently immigration to the Netherlands while she herself lied about almost everything when getting her asylum status and later her Dutch citizenship.
In its critic of Ali’s autobiography, The Economist called her a “chameleon of a woman”, referring to her talent for reinvention and opportunism.
Speaking of opportunism: her books are translated into numerous languages and turned best sellers. She is living now in the United States and recently I came across an ad: “URGEND APPEAL: Please Help Protect Ayaan Hirsi Ali” on the website of Richard Dawkinds, wheere she is collcting money forher personal safety. Strange, don’t you think? All these best seller -books and fame cannot pay for her bodyguards?
Hirsi Ali is today an atheist renouncing Islam. She is free to believe or not to believe, it is her decision. As it is stated in the Quran “There is no compulsion in faith” (Qur’an 2:256)
There might be Hadith’s in which a death penalty is suggested for abandoning Islam. But in light of the numerous relating passages of the holy Quran they do not weigh much.
Please read also the Topic No. 7 “What the Qur’an says about…” on the right panel. I would be delighted to have Ayaan on my blog reading these statements. All her arguing would be nullified.
I am not denying that Islam is often distorted out of ignorance or due to uneducated preachers, too much have been changed in the original Messageof Peace and Humanity and it urgently needs revival.
And as I surf the net trying to find specific statements from her about Islam I could not find any! Strange. There is her Homepage but there is no writing or thoughts from her, just a link to collect money for her safety. Very strange, one of the 100 most influential people in the world has nothing to say on her website.
I have to pick up lines from articles and try to answer them one by one.
Quote: “Hirsi Ali criticizes Prophet Mohammed on the grounds of both his morality and personality. In January 2003 she told the Dutch paper Trouw, “Mohammed is, seen by our Western standards, a pervert”, as he married, at the age of 52, Aisha, who was six years old, and the time of consummation, nine. “
As I have written very detailed in this blog about Aisha I just direct you, my reader, to articles on the right panel, No.4 “Biography of Mohammad” (the names and ages of the wives of Prophet Muhammed are listed at the end of the article)
Just a short reminder: from surviving documents we can estimate the age of Aisha at the time of her marriage. She must have been in her late teens or early twenties.
His first marriage with the wealthy widow Khadijah (who was his employer) lasted for 25 years, it was monogamous and very happy. She bore him all his surviving children.
His other wives where aged widows, a young slave girl Maria (a “present” from an African ruler and whom he set free and married and who gave him his only son,w ho died in infancy). Lady Aisha remained childless and after the death of the Prophet she continued teaching Islam and even participated in politics of the early Muslim community.
“ I SWEAR in the presence of the Almighty and before my family, my teachers and my peers that according to my ability and judgment I will keep this Oath and Stipulation.
TO RECKON all who have taught me this art equally dear to me as my parents and in the same spirit and dedication to impart a knowledge of the art of medicine to others. I will continue with diligence to keep abreast of advances in medicine. I will treat without exception all who seek my ministrations, so long as the treatment of others is not compromised thereby, and I will seek the counsel of particularly skilled physicians where indicated for the benefit of my patient.
I WILL FOLLOW that method of treatment which according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patient and abstain from whatever is harmful or mischievous. I will neither prescribe nor administer a lethal dose of medicine to any patient even if asked nor counsel any such thing nor perform the utmost respect for every human life from fertilization to natural death and reject abortion that deliberately takes a unique human life.
WITH PURITY, HOLINESS AND BENEFICENCE I will pass my life and practice my art. Except for the prudent correction of an imminent danger, I will neither treat any patient nor carry out any research on any human being without the valid informed consent of the subject or the appropriate legal protector thereof, understanding that research must have as its purpose the furtherance of the health of that individual. Into whatever patient setting I enter, I will go for the benefit of the sick and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief or corruption and further from the seduction of any patient.
WHATEVER IN CONNECTION with my professional practice or not in connection with it I may see or hear in the lives of my patients which ought not be spoken abroad, I will not divulge, reckoning that all such should be kept secret.
WHILE I CONTINUE to keep this Oath unviolated may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art and science of medicine with the blessing of the Almighty and respected by my peers and society, but should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse by my lot.” (Modern Version of the Hippocratic Oath )
Original, ca.2400 yrs. ago
While surfing the net for news you can sometimes get really frustrated about the ignorance of the Muslims themselves and overwhelmed by the thought HOW to straighten things out. Because news like this are extremely harmful to the religion itself and only heats up the discussion about the confrontation of cultures.
Great Britain has a large Muslim minority, most of them immigrants and their offspring from Pakistan and India. Other Muslims who come to interact with them tell stories of strange beliefs and practices. Like when meeting someone who is coming from a pilgrimage or just coming near from there they come and touch you in the belief that they could catch some of the spirit themselves.
Their mother tongue is not Arabic and probably in the past preachers and self taught scholars have introduced beliefs that Islam does not accept.
According to this TIME news Article (and there are a lot more of them on the Net!) SOME Muslim medical students are refusing to examine female patients and to study about illnesses caused by alcohol and sexually transmitted diseases. Or pharmacists refuse to sell certain medication related to matters they object.
Quote:“Muslim medical students get picky
… Some Muslim medical students are refusing to attend lectures or answer exam questions on alcohol-related or sexually transmitted diseases because they claim it offends their religious beliefs.
Some trainee doctors say learning to treat the diseases conflicts with their faith, which states that Muslims should not drink alcohol and rejects sexual promiscuity.
A small number of Muslim medical students have even refused to treat patients of the opposite sex. One male student was prepared to fail his final exams rather than carry out a basic examination of a female patient…”
Another Quote from a professional:Dr Abdul Majid Katme, of the Islamic Medical Association, said: “To learn about alcohol, to learn about sexually transmitted disease, to learn about abortion, it gives us more evidence to campaign against it. There is a difference between learning and practising. ”
My opinion is that a medical student has to learn everything there is to learn about the profession as the Prophet himself instructed believers to attain knowledge wherever it is, even as far as China!
If a doctor refuses to treat a patient of opposite sex when there is no other doctor available and the patient is harmed by this or even dies, then the doctor has broken his or her oath and must be punished.
An ordinary person who does not help another person in distress is punishable by law. In this case it wuld be manslaughter by the doctor because his or her knowledge could have prevented the death!
(Number 80 on 
