7/May/06

In the United Kingdom,there are about two million British muslims,including 30 000 muslim doctors and health professionals and many hundred of muslim lawyers and solicitors;

They all,with all the muslim patients,have a clear united view against any intentional ending of the life of any patient,whatever means or way,direct or indirect,active or passive,by commission or omission,or by depriving patients of their basic human rights to food,fluid and life saving treatment.

We British muslims would like in particular to submit to you,our strong opposition to your Lord Joffe's Bill(Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill);

Our strong opposition is based on our religious beliefs which prohibit any step to end any one's life,even if the patient request that.

Life is SACRED,and only our Almighty GOD,the Creator of all,has the RIGHT and the POWER and the PLAN to end any one's life,especially the patient and the old or the so called:Terminally ill!
This is why all types of Euthanasia(whether direct or indirect,active or passive,by action or by omission) are prohibited by all Holy Scriptures,for the BEST INTEREST of the patient,for the BEST INTEREST of the medical profession and for the BEST INTEREST of the society

GOD Almighty has said in the final Holy Book AL QUR'AN:

In the Name of GOD,the Most Compassionate,the Most Merciful

-"GOD/ALLAH TAKES THE SOUL AT THE TIME OF THEIR DEATH,AND THOSE THAT DIED DURING THEIR SLEEP..."(Chapter 39,verse 42)

-"AND(/GOD) IS THE ONE WHO GAVE YOU LIFE,THEN SHALL HE ORDAIN YOU TO DIE,THEN SHALL HE GIVE YOU YOUR LIFE AGAIN,TRULY MANKIND IS UNGRATEFUL.."
(Chapter 22,verse 66)
-"DO NOT KILL YOURSELVES,FOR VERILY ALLAH HAS BEEN TO YOU MOST MERCIFUL"
(Chapter 4,verse 29)
-"...TAKE NOT LIFE WHICH GOD/ALLAH HAS MADE SACRED"
(Chapter 6,verse 151)..

We would like now to go through the Bill in order to give you our observation/critical remarks regarding many of the issues raised in the Bill,especially as we discovered many MISLEADING DECEIVING TERMS!;

FIRST: ASSISTED DYING?

This is not true...because the patient is not dying as such,but the Bill/doctor will end the life of a living patient,there is no natural dying process..because when the natural dying process do occur,there will be no one on earth able to stop it.,and there will be no need for any assistance!
Assisted dying is in practice:assisted suicide..and this is criminal to do that.
A patient has the RIGHT FOR BEST TREATMENT BUT HE/SHE HAS NO RIGHT TO BE KILLED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE MEDICAL DOCTOR..and there is no such thing as:RIGHT TO DIE..because GOD Almighty has started and created the life of the patient and He only himself has the RIGHT to end the life ofthe patient according to HIS TIME/PLAN.
The right to die in fact is blasphemous.!

SECOND: TERMINALLY ILL?

There could be some patients who are considered"Terminally ill",but they are not going to die soon,as thought by some doctors..and many survive for long and almost normal life.
Besides medical technology and treatment are moving very fast today..and some new treatment could be discovered..(for us:muslims,we do believe that for every disease there is a cure).
So the case is not hopeless at all!

THIRD:MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO DIE?

This is deceiving too..! as the assistance is given to someone who is alive and not dying as such.
We better be honest with ourselves and say clearly:
MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO END DELIBERATELY A LIFE...MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO KILL???
the word: TO DIE is very misleading indeed

We have to admit that many patients are vulnerable and feel under pressure sometimes to get out of this life,here we badly need to address the family and social and medical need and support to these patients.
Also,some patients,sometimes,do suffer from subclinical depression,and many doctors do miss the diagnosis! here one does need to treat the hidden depression and not the desire to die.
(I am saying that as a qualified psychatrist).

Muslim doctors will definetely have CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION to get involved in any life ending/killing to any patient,not only that but,they will have also CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION to do the simple referral to other doctor,as it is still criminal for us to do that too.

No doubt this Bill also will open the door for any suicidal patient without been" terminally ill"
or in a difficult temporal patch of his/her life or suffering,to ask to be killed by the doctorr!

We doctors ,all over the world,have been educated and "programmed" to protect and save life all the times,except those in the natural dying process,but now this Bill is going to cause a SCHIZOID/SPLIT in our personalities ,when we start ending deliberately the life of our patients(KILLING)...no doubt the trust between the patients and the doctors will be affected too.

To legalise this Bill,no doubt,will open the door to new thousands doctors,like Dr Shipman,the serial killer...!
Not only that but,many relatives will conspire and pressurise the vulnerable patient to be killed,merely for financial interest and for inheritance..! we should not be surprised if some doctors get involved too in the medical game of MURDER!

We are also concerned about the members of our muslim/asian communities who are often vulnerable because of language difficulties and cultural differences when their rights will be jeopardised!.
This Bill will take us away also from doing proper medical researches into the causes of dementia,cancer and many other diseases.

Not only the British muslims( The Muslim Council of Britain,Muslim Doctors and Dentists Association as well as the Islamic Medical Association) do oppose this Bill,but our Christian and Catholic friends as stated by many of their leaders... as well as our Jewish friends,as stated lately on 6th May by the Chief Rabbi Mr Jonathan Sacks ,all are opposing the Bill completely.

Also: The Royal College of General Practitioners,the Royal College of Nursing,the Association for Palliative Medicine,the National Group of Palliative Care Nurse Consultants and recently,the Royal College of Psychiatrists expressed their deep concern regarding any change in the law!

Life is a great GIFT from the Creator..and it is a pity that the doctors are going to take it out from the innocent vulnerable patients,instead of respecting life and the medical profession.

Finally, on behalf of all the British muslims,we would like to appeal to ALL LORDS/Baroness to WITHDRAW THIS DEADLY BILL(LORD JOFFE's BILL)....
which is against GOD,all Holy Scriptures(Islamic,Christians,Jewish..) and against good medical practice !
It is very inhumane and criminal too when our doctors become KILLERS or the means to kill their weak vulnerable patients!!!!


Dr A.Majid Katme (MBBCh,DPM)
Spokesman:Islamic Medical Association/UK