Tuesday, October 24, 2006

South Dakota on the Nile

If it wasn't for the negative impact all this not telling the truth has on real patients, I'd be quite amused by the similar techniques used by certain Egyptian and SD physicians (emphasis mine) :


CAIRO (AFP) - A growing number of Islamic fundamentalist doctors are putting their patients' health at risk by telling them to fast during the holy month of Ramadan, a prominent Egyptian doctor said.

"We have noticed that brain and heart accidents are on the rise towards the end of Ramadan," Mohammed Ahmed Nasr, a professor of cardiac surgery from the Egyptian National Heart Institute, told AFP.

"In Islam, one who is suffering from an ailment is not compelled to fast but there are bearded doctors who are simply not telling their patients the truth," he said.

During the holy month, which in Egypt ends Tuesday with the feast of Eid al-Fitr, most Muslims fast from dawn to dusk but continue their regular activity.

"The rise of Islamic fundamentalism in medical circles is a very dangerous phenomenon," said Nasr, who wrote an article that was published Monday in the Egyptian press.

3 Comments:

At 4:35 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Islam permitted anyone who fall sick to brake thier fasting.

Cancer Type

 
At 5:41 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great article. I will pass your blog onto a friend of mine who is currently doing a PHD in a realated subject and I am sure that he will find your blogs very interesting, and useful when doing his research.

Kind Regards SDumville
Your Broadcaster

 
At 12:11 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Greetings, I question whether it is "Islamic fundamentalism" to blame. While some doctors would like to quickly blame "fundamentalism", as a woman who's lived in Egypt & the US, I found that even the university educated in Egypt lacked basic health understanding. For example, I found many in the medical field who where NOT Islamic fundamentalists, may I point out, who thought that a cold should be treated with antibiotics; that a teething baby should be given atnibiotics & that ever would should have a c-section! So, the lack of understanding of Islamic guidelines when it comes to fasting has far less to do with "islamic Fundamentalism" in Egypt & more to do with lack of basic concepts of health. Far too many Egyptians are fasting out of social preasure, & since they mistakenly, don't understand the Islamic laws regarding this matter -- they harm themselves. But physicians shouldn't be blaming "fundamentalism". I was in Egypt during Ramadan & even the lowly illiterate moderate Egyptian has no understanding of the rulings regarding not fasting. I had to explain this many times, since I have a medical condition that makes it impossible for me to fast. So please don't use the boggie man (Islamic fundamentalists) to justify Egyptian ignorance, no matter how rampant.

 

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