27 December 2011 / 2 Safar 1433

REMEMBERING GAZA

Today marks three years since the three week Operation Cast Lead bombardment of Gaza from 27 Dec 2008 to 19 Jan 2009. The perennial, illegitimate and inhumane blockade has led to progressive isolation and deprivation of the Gaza Strip and restricted access to essential items vital for “normal existence”, making the daily process of living extremely difficult. Its people die slowly, its children are malnourished, an alarming 66% of its 9-12 months old and 35% of pregnant women are anemic, its water contaminated, 80% of its people is dependent on UN Food Aid and the youth unemployment rate a soaring 65%.

The Gaza invasion is yet one more tragic story in a long, sad tragedy that has befallen a people whose story has been denied and distorted. The people of Gaza have become destitutes in their homeland, more so the women and children. The current situation has been described as a crisis of human dignity. The dehumanization of the Palestinians of Gaza continues unabated. But we will not forget.

Viva Palestina Malaysia’s 14 man team as part of the Viva Palestina 5 convoy of 380 volunteers from 30 countries driving 147 vehicles carrying humanitarian aid worth in excess of USD 5 million entered Gaza in October 2010 and delivered a powerful message that the world has not forgotten them and global efforts were underway to overturn the cruel siege on Gaza.

The past three years has seen a myriad of VPM activities advocating justice and self determination for Palestine and transferring much needed funds for various projects in besieged Gaza. In summary, a total of nearly RM 1 million of your generous contribution has been disbursed to fund various medical, educational, micro-financing and women’s projects in Gaza.

In the first quarter of 2012, Viva Palestina 6 Life Line to Gaza will take on another mission to Gaza. VPM will be a major player of this international humanitarian mission and plans to raise a sum of RM 3/4 million to fund an integrated agricultural and animal husbandry project, a Palestinian heritage project and train Gaza doctors in post-graduate medicine and surgery in Malaysian medical schools.

This year round we have tweaked our advocacy and awareness campaign to showcase Gaza Remembrance Day in a national high impact Kuala Lumpur Palestine Film Festival (KLPFF). Breaking new grounds VPM and FINAS (National Film Development Corporation Malaysia) will be staging our KLPFF from 4-6 February 2012, at the Golden Screen Cinemas, Pavillion, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. The films screened will document many of the humanitarian issues besetting Palestine and the festival doubles as a major VPM fund raising initiative for our Viva Palestina 6 Life Line to Gaza.

The pain and sufferings of Gaza still speaks to us from thousands of miles away. When VP5 left Gaza, the people of Gaza kept thanking us but in essence it is we who should thank them. These courageous people teach us every day, every hour, every moment what it’s like to be brave, strong and resilient. They live against all odds and we are humbled by their unbroken spirit that soars even with clipped wings.

Brave people of Gaza, may Allah grant you more strength, bravery and fortitude. May your spirit remain unbroken and irrepressible.

May you stand united, firm and defiant against the enemy. Brave people of Gaza, we salute you and we await the day when victory greets you Insha Allah.

Viva Palestina!
Dato’ Dr. Musa Mohd Nordin
Chairman

http://papisma.org/fekahperubatan/index.php?s=injections#3e

3. Substances and actions that nullify the fasting

According to the Quran and the authentic Sunnah of the prophet (pbuh) three
actions nullify fasting: eating, drinking and sexual intercourse. Therefore,
the passing of any solid or liquid sybstance that can be described as food
or drink, in any quantity through the gullet would nullify fasting. Accord
ingly, the p.articipants agreed unanimously that the following do not
nullIfy fasting.

1. Eye and ear drops, and ear wash.
2. Nitroglycerine tablets placed under the tongue for the treatment of
angina.
3. Insertion into the vagina of pessaries, medical ovules, vaginal washes,
vaginal speculum, and doctor’s or midwife’s fingers during pelvic
examination.
4. Insertion of the urethroscope into man or woman radio-opaque media for
X-ray diagnosis or bladder irrigation.
5. Tooth drilling, extraction, cleaning or the use of mis-wak and
toothbursh, provided nothing is swallowed into the stomach, do not nullify
fasting.
6. Injections through the skin or muscle or joints or veins, with the
exception ofintravenous feeding.
7 .Blood donation or receiving blood transfusion.
8. Oxygen and anaesthetic gases.
9. All substances absorbed into the body through the skin, such as creams,
ointments, and medicated plaster.
10 .Drawing blood samples for laboratory testing.
11 .Catheter and media for arteriography of heart or other organs.
12 .Endoscopy for diagnostic or intervention purposes.
13. Mouth wash, gargle or oral spray, provided nothing  is swallowed into
the stomach.
14 .Hysteroscopy or insertion of an intrauterine device.
15. Biopsy of the liver or other organs.

A majority ofparticipants added the following:

1. Nose drops, nose sprays, and inhalers.
2.  Anal injections, anoscopes, or digital rectal examination.
3. Surgery involving general anaesthetic, if the patient decided to fast.
4. Machine or intraperitoneal renal dialysis.
5. Use of gastroscope, provided it does not entail the introduction of
liquids or other substances into the stomach.

On the conclusion of its business, the Seminar was pleased to express its
deeply-felt thanks and appreciation to His Majesty, King Hassan II of the
Kingdom of Morocco, for his kind support of the Seminar which was hosted by
the Kingdom of Morocco. The Seminar prays to God to grant His Majesty and
His Heir victory and glory, and the people of the Kingdom of Morocco
prosperity and progress. The Seminar further thanks His Majesty’s Government
and officials for their warm welcome and generous hospitality.

The Islamic Organisation for Medical Sciences wishes to express its sincere
thanks to all the participating organisa- tions, including Hassan II
Institute for Medical and Scientific Research on Rarnadhan, the ISESCO, the
Institute of Islamic Fiqh, Jeddah, and the World Health Orgarusation
Regional Office. The IOMS would also like to extend its thanks to all the
Islamic jurists, doctors and scientists who have contributed to the
successful outcome of this Seminar, praying to God to reward them in a most
generous and compassionate way.     God’s peace and mercy be upon you

Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa
Courtesy of harakahdaily.net/en

What is perhaps clear to the perceptive minds of many rational thinking Muslims is that the challenge facing Muslims currently is not merely one of reformulating democratic principles in an Islamic idiom, but also of reforming and adapting Islam’s ethical and legal percept to the practice of democracy.

About a century ago, prospects appeared fairly hopeful that Islam would find a way to devise a system between faith and modernity.

Great theologians such as Muhammad Abduh (left) argued that while certain aspects of religion would remain immutable especially those concerning ibādah (worship) and aqīdah (creed); issues of governance should be addressed through human reason since they fall under the realms of al-mutaghaiyyirat (the changing).

It was Abduh’s reformist agenda and rationalism then, with its emphasis on reason (‘aql) and God’s justice (‘adl), which seemed as if it might be able to ground a dynamic Islamic theology capable of successfully meeting the challenges of modernity.

Alas, these promising attempts were thwarted by the rise of the literal Salafis and its ramifications.

Ath-thawabit (the Immutable) and al-mutaghaiyyirat (the Changing)

One of the most prominent Islamic scholars and intellectuals who is at the forefront in combating the literalists is non-other than Tariq Ramadan (right), the grandson of the founder of The Muslim Brotherhood, Hasan al-Banna.

Tariq Ramadan in his book Radical Reform asserted that the contemporary literalist approach puts into evidence three reductions or confusions, which restrict interpretation and in effect make it impossible to give adequate answers to contemporary challenges.

The first reduction is the failure to distinguish between that which, in the Revelation, is immutable and that which is subject to change in accordance to the temporal evolution and environmental changes.

While injunctions and prohibitions may be absolute and immutable in themselves, their concrete implementation may take different or changing forms according to the environment.

At social and cultural level for example, while the principle of modesty and its rules is established in Islamic ethics, its implementation in any given society has always had to take into account local cultures and habits. By failing to distinguish sufficiently between the immutable and the changing, contemporary literalists exert a series of other confusions involving grave consequences.

Between Principles and Models

The effect of this confusion leads to a second reduction involving failure to differentiate between principles and models. While principles can be absolute and eternal, their implementations in time or in history are relative, changing and in constant mutation.

Thus, the principles of justice, equality, rights and liberty that guided the Prophet remain the references beyond history, but the model of the city of Madinah is a historical realization linked to the realities and requirements of his time.

So, while we try to remain faithful to the principles, we cannot merely imitate or duplicate a historical model that no longer corresponds to the requirements of our own.

This same temptation can be found in some contemporary Salafi trends that advocate an almost exclusive political commitment, by trying to return to a specific historical political structure at the expense of the principles that govern such community.

Ramadan asserted that the essence in being faithful to the Prophet is not in imitating their behaviour, or trying to reproduce their historically dated achievements, but it lies in recapturing their spiritual strength and intellectual energy to achieve the most cogent social model for our time, as they did for theirs. It is not to repeat its form but to grasp its substance, spirit and objectives.

Between Aqidah or Ibadah and Mu’amalah

The third reduction according to Ramadan is the failure to distinguish between legal methodology linked to the aqīdah (creed) and the ibādah (worship); to that which deals with mu’amalah (social affairs).

While in the two spheres of aqīdah and ibādah, we are confronted with teachings that are determined by Revelation; the sphere of mu’amalah is exactly the opposite, where everything is allowed except that which is explicitly forbidden by Revelation.

The basic principle, in social affairs, is permissible (al-asl fil-ashyā al-ibāha), thus opening to humankind the fields of rationality, creativity and research. As long as they remain faithful to principles, any social, economic or political productions are not bid’ah (despicable innovations from the viewpoint of religion) but instead should be viewed as achievements for the welfare of humankind.

This threefold confusion and reduction has major consequences on contemporary Islamic thought and tends to stem any reform of the reading, understanding and implementation of the texts in a new historical context. Generally, it results in oversimplifying the message of Islam and eventually contradicts its timeless eternal objectives.

The Role of Ijtihad

History has shown that, since the day when religious scholars decided to ‘close the door of Ijtihād’ (independent reasoning) around the thirteenth century, the Muslim world has been but a static civilization, confined to the slavish exposition of the ideas of their predecessors, making every small step forward a major struggle.

Islah (reform) and tajdid (renewal) have been choked out of Muslim lands and Muslim reformers and thinkers have been either vilified or persecuted, effectively blocking the reformation that would have accommodated the religion and its believers to modernity.

This is where Tariq Ramadan emphasized on the need for ijtihād in pursuing the reform agenda.

According to him, ijtihād has always consisted in promoting a critical reading of texts when they were open for interpretation, or when the texts were silent about a particular situation, or when the context imperatively needed to be taken into account in the implementation of texts, even though the texts appear to be qat’ie (explicit).

The legitimacy and necessity of such critical readings are rarely questioned, except of course by those following the narrowest literalist trends.

The dialectical relationship between text and context is an appeal to human intelligence to find a way to be faithful through the merging of two levels of knowledge, that of the eternal principles of practice and ethics and that of the ever-changing realities of human societies.

Reform: An adaptation or transformation

All reformist schools agreed that Muslim legal scholars must think through and reconsider fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) in light of the new challenges of their time. Ijtihād was considered, as Muhammad Iqbal put it, as the natural instrument, offered by the Islamic legal tradition, to achieve such renovation and renewal.

Due to globalization, fuqahā’ (legal scholars) are now beset with questions linked to the viability of Islam’s prescription in this new age.

The world is moving on and legal scholars are forever lagging behind that constantly accelerating progress that seems to escape them.

Hence, Ramadan proposes, a transformative approach rather than adaptive approach. Transformation reform, according to him is more exacting, in that it adds a further step, and condition, to the whole process. It aims to change the order of things in the very name of the ethics it attempts to be faithful to. In other words, to add a further step going from the texts to the context, to act on the context and improve it, without ever accepting its shortcomings as matters of fate.

A radical reform

This further step requires that a fundamental condition be fulfilled. That is acquiring deep knowledge of the context, and fully mastering all areas of knowledge including the human sciences. So a radical reform aiming to change the world, as well as providing a new reading of the texts, cannot rely on ulamā’ an-nusus (text experts) only, but requires a full and equal integration of all available human knowledge.

In this respect, the need is urgent to widen the circle of expertise and call on ulamā’ al-waqi’ (context specialists) and no longer only text specialists or ulamā’ an-nusus.

Radical reform is an appeal to reconsider the sources to their necessary reconciliation with the world, its evolution and human knowledge. Thus reconciling conscience with science is imperative.

There will definitely have to be debate areas, and there will be disagreements. But the contemporary Muslim conscience has to transform this turmoil of converging or contradictory ideas into an energy of debate, renewal and creativity that produces faithfulness as well as serene coherence at the heart of our modern age and its challenges.

A ‘Muslim Martin Luther’

Tariq Ramadan has emerged as one of the foremost voices of reformist Islam. His belief in an integrative approach, one that marries a reinvigorated theological, value-based approach with a spiritually realistic understanding of contemporary problems is an important recipe for true reform.

And his insistence that as the world continues to change, there is a requirement for a second look at the Qur’ān and other Islamic texts is consistent with the spirit of reform and renewal.

His call for this rereading of Islamic texts because of the many misconceptions within the Islamic communities, to some extent resembles Luther’s claim to return to the supposedly “pure text”, freed from its many accumulated misconceptions.

However, while Luther’s rereading liberated Christian scripture from the Church’s monopoly and opened an avenue for its translation into all European languages, Ramadan’s endeavour has yet to be embraced fully by the Muslim themselves, the majority of whom are still trapped in the traditionalist-salafi-modernist polemics and discourse.

Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola has been a supporter of Israel since 1966. There have even been a number of recent events to show their support.

In 1997, the Government of Israel Economic Mission honoured Coca-Cola at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel for the last 30 years and for refusing to abide by the Arab League boycott of Israel.

On October 11^th 2001, where Coca-Cola World Headquarters hosted and was the main sponsor of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Eagle Star Awards Gala.

In February 2002, Coca-Cola teamed up with “Friends of Israel” and National Hillel to cosponsor a lecture given by the infamous ionist correspondent Linda Gradstein at the University of Minnesota.

In July 2002, it was announced that Coca-Cola was to build a plant on stolen Palestinian land at Kiryat Gat, in return for millions in incentives from the Israeli government. The new plant will be employing 700 Israelis. The land, Kiryat (Qiryat) Gat, has an industrial park built on the lands of the village of Iraq Al Manshiya. The residents were ethnically cleansed in 1949 in contravention of International Law. This land would have been part of Arab Palestine under the partition plan adopted by the United Nations in 1947. However, this has not been the case.

In October 2005, Coca-Cola increased its investment in Israel by buying a 51% controlling interest in the Tavor Winery. Tavor Winery is an Israeli company that is based on occupied Palestinian land at the foot of Mount Tavor, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Mcdonald’s
McDonald’s Corporation is a major corporate partner of the Jewish United Fund(JUF) / Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. McDonald’s Corporation was honoured during JUF centennial celebration in 2000 as a first tier corporate partner to the cause of Zionism.

Through its Israel Commission, the JUF “works to maintain American military, economic and diplomatic support for Israel; monitors and, when necessary, responds to media coverage of Israel”.

The JUF runs “Partnership to Israel” programs with the city of Kiryat Gat and the rural areas of Lachish and Shafir. Every year it provides financial aid annually to help the development of Kiryat Gat and to promote further illegal settlements there. This city is built on stolen Palestinian land – the lands of the villages of Iraq al Manshiya and Al-Faluja whose residents were ethnically cleansed in 1949 in contravention of International Law.

L’Oreal
L’Oreal has been present in Israel since 1983 via the Migdal Ha’Emek plant. The settlement of this town was established in 1952 on lands belonging to the ethically cleansed Palestinian village of al-Mujaydil, whose inhabitants are still denied the right to return to their homes. Like many other Israeli settlements in Palestinian villages, Migdal Ha-emek discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel, denying them the right to buy, rent or live on any part of the town, simply because they are “non Jews”

To reinforce its presence in the country, it established L’Oreal Israel in 1994. L’Oreal Israel manufacturers a line of products using minerals that are from the Dead Sea. This line is called ‘Natural Sea Beauty’ that is exported to 22 countries. What is not known is that one third of the western shore of the Dead Sea lies in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This part of the Dead Sea is closed to the Palestinians by Israeli military occupation and apartheid practices, while Israel uses the Dead Sea for international tourism, mining and improving its image.

With all this, L’Oreal has also awarded a $100,000 “lifetime achievement” award to a scientist at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science in July 2008. The Weizmann Institute has been a major centre for clandestine research and development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons on behalf of Israel’s military establish with which L’Oreal has close ties with.

Nestle
In 2008, Osem Investments and Swiss parent Nestle, signed a deal to buy 51 percent of a unit of Maabarot Products. Maabarot Products’ shares have been traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since November 1993, hence Nestle supports economic activity in Israel.

In 1998 Nestle received the Jubilee Award from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, being “the highest tribute ever awarded by the State of Israel in recognition of those individuals and organizations, that through their investments and trade relationships, have done the most to strengthen the Israeli economy.”

Nestle, makers of Maggi Mi, Milo, Nescafe and other products, builds on stolen Palestinian lands and sells its products globally supporting the Israeli economy

Nestle’s main presence in Israel is in Sderot, a settlement founded in 1951 about two kilometres from the Gaza Strip built on the lands of the Palestinian town Al-Najd, which was ethnically cleansed in 1948.

Nestle owns a 53.8% state in  Israeli food maker Osem Investments which acts in part as a global training centre for Nestle staff. Nestle has over 4000 Israeli employees in 11 plants in “development zones”. One such zone is in Kiryat Gat built on the former site of Palestinian village Iraq al-Manshiyya, destroyed by Israelis after 1948. Another is a ready-baked cakes factory in Ahihud; and a logistics centre in Nachsholim (Al-Tantura).

Viva Palestina Malaysia
http://completemalaysia.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48241196804

Advisory for Caregivers and Contacts

Advisory for Patients

Dato’ Dr. Musa Mohd. Nordin FRCP, FAMM

Adjunct Prof. of Paediatrics

Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences

INTRODUCTION:

During the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, often described as the most devastating epidemic in recorded history, 1 in 5 person was infected and an estimated 50 million lives were lost (1). The disease was so widespread and pervasive that even the children  had a tune which they skipped rope to: I had a little bird, its name was Enza, I opened the window and In-Flu-Enza.

EPIDEMIOLOGY:

Past pandemics and the seasonal influenza have always placed children, especially those less than two years old at increased risk of influenza related morbidity and mortality. Analysis of 7,706 confirmed cases of the Novel Influenza A (H1N1) from 28 countries in the European Union up to 6 June 2009, showed that 54% of the cases occurred in children and young adults under 20 years of age (22 % in children under 10 years) (2).  A report of 642 confirmed cases of Influenza A ( H1N1) in the USA showed that 60% of cases were in the paediatric population less than 18 years (20% in under 10 year olds) (3).

This may suggest that the younger population are more biologically susceptible to the virus than older persons. Their mobility and travel may also predispose them to the virus. Some researchers have shown that  1 in 3 persons aged above 60 years have pre-existing cross reactive antibodies, which may explain why only 4% and 5% in the European and American Influenza A reports respectively, were in those more than 50 years old.

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS:

Children are afflicted by many respiratory illnesses and it may be very difficult to  distinguish more common acute respiratory tract infections from the Novel Influenza A infection. Besides, children are less likely to present with the classical symptoms of Influenza A infection, namely high grade fever, sore throat, cough, difficulty breathing, headache and myalgia.

Infants may present to the health care worker (HCW) with fever and lethargy, maybe poor feeding and diarrhea and vomiting (acute gastroenteritis being a more common explanation) and no other symptoms or signs related to the respiratory tract. A high index of suspicion is required to make the diagnosis  especially if there is a travel history or contact with a case. Interestingly, 25% in the American and 14% in the European cohort  of Influenza A patients had symptoms (diarrhea and vomiting) related to the gastro-intestinal tract which is not typically found in seasonal influenza (4).

Unless early diagnosis is made, the child may deteriorate with symptoms and signs of severe disease which includes; cessation of breathing, rapid breathing, difficulty breathing, turning blue, dehydration, altered consciousness and irritability.

RISK FACTORS FOR SEVERE MORBIDITY OR MORTALITY:

A subset of children who are at an even higher risk of influenza related complications includes the following (5) :

1. Less than 2 years old
2. Immunosuppression caused by medications or HIV
3. On long term aspirin therapy
4. Chronic pulmonary, cardiac, hepatic, haematological, neurological, neuromuscular or metabolic disorders
5. Conditions such as cerebral palsy, intellectual and developmental disability, seizure disorders etc which may impair respiratory function.

TRANSMISSION AND CASE FATALITY RATES:

The Novel Influenza A (H1N1), which the WHO declared on June 11, 2009, as the causative strain of the first pandemic of the 21^st century, bears a disturbing resemblance to the H1N1 virus strain which caused the 1918 flu pandemic and is affecting more younger than older people (6). Transmissibilty of the Novel virus is also much higher than the seasonal influenza, and the estimated rates of human-to-human transmission is similar to the lower estimates of previous influenza pandemics. It has spread within a space of 6 weeks what the previous pandemics could only do in 6 months, facilitated by modern air travel.

Estimates of Case Fatality Rates (CFR) from the Novel Influenza A (H1N1) is lower than the seasonal flu (0.5 – 1%) which is lower than the Spanish Flu (2.5%) which is lower than the Avian Flu (50%). The European Centre  for Disease Control  & Prevention (ECDC) in  its risk assessment report for H1N1 wrote; “a reasonable assumption is a hospitalization rate of  1-2% and CFR of 0.1-0.2%” (7). This was in comparison to  earlier estimates of 0.4% (4 in 1,000) based on data from Mexico (8). The high estimates from Mexico was probably related to it being a new illness not early and correctly recognized; delay in seeking medical attention and the quality of critical care afforded to the  patients who often presented in a moribund condition. In the US alone, there are 200,000 influenza related hospitalizations annually and 36,000 influenza associated deaths during each influenza season (9). Though the disease severity and mortality rate is much less than the seasonal influenza, the virulence of the Novel Influenza A may change as it mutates and the permissive transmission will further facilitate and present opportunities for the Novel virus to replicate and reassort itself in new host species; potentially evolving into a more lethal virus which would have a significant impact on human history and the global economy.

CONTAINMENT AND MITIGATION PHASES:

Global containment of the virus has failed and the WHO has stopped tallying laboratory confirmed cases as the increase is very rapid and the available resources could be better utilized (10). The most effective  strategy to break this exponential chain of transmission and control the epidemic is through a mass vaccination program. The first pandemic vaccine trial in humans are underway in Australia and if found to be safe and effective,  a mass immunization program will be launched, earliest before the end of 2009 (11).

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHILDREN:

Meanwhile, during the mitigation phase, various universal influenza pandemic preparedness programs have been implemented to decrease the global impact of this Novel virus. Measures specific to the health and lives of children include :

1. a.       Focusing on children’s hygiene is one of the best way to reduce transmission of the flu virus. This is probably because children are very sociable and enjoys the most amount of physical contact with other people. Encouraging parents, teachers and day care workers to promote frequent hand washing and other good hygiene practices would go a long way towards mitigating this outbreak. In Pittsburgh, during the Spanish Flu pandemic, school children were given information to take home and warned not to gather in groups .  A review of several published studies showed that frequent hand washing, using gloves, gowns and masks with filtration, and isolating probable cases helped to reduce transmission of viral respiratory diseases (12). 
2. b.      Children with confirmed or probable Influenza A infection and not sick enough to warrant hospital care should be home quarantined and all related public health measures should be strictly adhered.  
3. Hospitals and Health Care Workers (HCW) are bearing the brunt of this added clinical burden. Triage at the entry points of all healthcare facilities are meant to timely identify suspected cases for clinical management and decrease the risk of transmission to other patients and HCW. Children should not be brought to hospitals and other healthcare facilities unless they are sick and require specific treatment. Do not be intimidated by HCW who are adorning masks, gowns and gloves because they are working in a high risk environment and require them for their personal protection. During the onset of the first outbreak in Mexico, in March-April 2009, 22 HCW developed influenza like illness (ILI) within 7 days of contact with the index patient and required treatment with oseltamivir (13).
4. A whole host of  non-pharmacological interventions were undertaken in 1918 to mitigate the impact of the influenza pandemic (14). These included the wearing of surgical masks, encouraging people to stay home, prohibition of public gatherings and the closure of schools. St. Louis in the US, which implemented an early and sustained strategy of school closures and cancellation of public gatherings did not experience as  severe an outbreak when compared to other US cities. The WHO has recommended  that the closure  of  schools is one of the mitigation measures that should be considered by countries if the pandemic continues to worsen (15).
5. Children are more likely to be sicker and die from the seasonal influenza than the Novel Influenza A. The seasonal influenza is preventable and all children should continue to get their annual seasonal flu shots. It is not expected to provide any substantial protection against the Novel Influenza A virus. The US CDC recently extended the use of the
   influenza vaccine to children up to 18 years from the previous 6 months – 5
   year olds. Those above 65 years and persons with co-morbidities were similarly
   listed as high priority for the  influenza vaccination (16).
6. Parents should make sure that their children’s other immunizations are up to date. Many of the deaths during the 1918 pandemic were not directly caused by the H1N1 virus but were due to secondary bacterial pneumonia which set in after the virus had weakened the body’s defences (17). The most common bacteria isolated from ante-mortem and post-morten specimens were the pneumococcus (50%), haemophilus influenza (25%), staphylococcus aureus and meningococcus. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine, the Hib vaccine and the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine would help prevent against a big proportion of the killer co-pathogens.
7. Because children  are particularly susceptible to the new flu virus, HCW may need to be especially alert to secondary bacterial infections in their narrower airways. The advent and availability of effective and affordable antibiotics against these bacterial superinfections has helped to reduce complications from influenza (18). If a child has had the flu for five to seven days and is not improving or getting worse, this is one situation where doctors would need to seriously consider prescribing appropriate antibiotics.
8. The Novel Influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the anti-virals, oral oseltamivir and inhaled zanamivir. It is most effective when commenced within 48 hours of developing ILI and administered for five days (19). Notwithstanding, many patients with Influenza A (H1N1) have recovered spontaneously without anti-viral treatment. The most common adverse effects of oseltamivir are nausea and vomiting which improves by taking it with food. Children with severe clinical illness, radiological abnormalities and other co-morbidities as outlined earlier should be considered for early anti-viral therapy.
9. Sometimes antivirals are given to otherwise well  children who are known or strongly suspected to have been exposed to another person with the Novel Influenza A virus. This chemoprophylaxis with anti-virals is to prevent the child  from becoming infected with the virus or to make the infection milder. Prophylactic oseltamivir is approved for children 12 months or older and should be started upon exposure and continued for 7 to 10 days, at a lower dose than for therapy. Zanamivir is approved for chemoprophylaxis in children 5 years or older (20).

 

CONCLUSION:

 

Since its first appearance in April 2009, at the US-Mexican border, the Novel Influenza A (H1N!) has spread to over 160 countries, infected well in excess of 200,000 people and claimed more than 800 lives (21). The WHO on June 11, 2009, declared an influenza pandemic caused by this Novel strain. Children and young adults are more susceptible to the Novel strain than the elderly population. Though the clinical syndrome is relatively less severe than the seasonal flu, the human-human transmission of the strain is universal and exponential. Global Influenza Pandemic Preparedness plans are in place to mitigate the human and socio-economic impact of this Novel flu virus. No vaccine is presently available to prevent infection with the Novel virus, break its chain of transmission and to contain and control the epidemic. Human trials with the pandemic vaccine are now in progress and should be available for large scale immunization before the close of 2009.

28th August 2009

While Mr. P. Gunasegaran ( No to whipping for drinking, 28 Aug 2009, Star ) and those in the similar vein are entitled to their freedom of expression, it nonetheless needs to be pointed out that his abrasive intrusion into the intoxicating whipping debate is in extreme bad taste and a blatant affront to Muslim sensitivity.

His high and mighty pronouncement ( read fatwa ) based on his secular theology and his one sentence reference to some unnamed Muslim scholar, makes him an overnight jurist ( read Mufti ) !

Despite 52 years of Merdeka, quite apparently and most unfortunately, the civilized and democratic values of mutual respect is sorely missing in our multi-religious co-existence. And as far as Muslims are concerned, there has been one too many Islamophobic sentiments snowballing by the day in the mainstream editorials, press reports and cyber portals.

Fed by deep-seated prejudice, and popular misconceptions towards Islam and the Shariah, the words “barbaric”, “cruel”, and “inhumane” are hurled without regard for the sensitivity of Muslims.

Barbaric, cruel, and inhumane are after all relative terms that are employed to demonize the other. This media onslaught, directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly, attempts to belittle and humiliate the Shariah justice system, an entire institution whose place in our nation is legitimated by history and the Constitution.

What else does one make of the following headlines “and lets do away with a slew of outmoded, archaic laws in the statute books, both syariah and civil”. He further adds “there is real danger of disarray when man purports to speak for God”. I hasten to respond by asking – should we then let him (the editor) play God or better still be God ?

Islam, meaning ‘submission’- however awkward such a notion is to secular liberal thinking – is acceptance with a free conscience both the tenets of the faith and outwardly the injunctions of the Shariah which encompasses formal ritual worship and the regulation of personal and social mores based on sacred texts.

Believers of other faiths, liberal secularists and secular atheists need to understand that Islam is the governing principle in every aspect of a Muslim’s life to a degree seldom seen in the adherents and practitioners of other religions. Islam is not just a matter of rituals and worship; Islam is a complete way of life. For those who cannot or will not accept the crucial importance of this most important reality in the life of all Muslims we can only say, hopefully without insult, please stay out of our business.

As Muslims we have no difficulty accepting that non-Muslims have different beliefs and live their lives differently than we do. Please show us the same courtesy.

His editorial among others, reflect the distressing trend that non-Muslims are making ill-informed, prejudiced and unwelcome comments on the religion of the majority of people of this country. This is very unhealthy, and dangerously crossing the lines of civilized discourse.

There exists a myriad of opinions on the issue of consumption of intoxicants. But the Muslim scholars are unanimous that the offender must be punished.

If the offence is considered under the jurisdiction of hudud (limits), as is embraced by the schools of thought of Syafie, Maliki and Hanafi, caning must be meted without exception. This being the stipulate of God for the good of the bigger society.

However, Al-Qaradhawi, the celebrated contemporary scholar, in consonant with the likes of At-Tabari, Ibn Munzir, As-Syawkani and Ibn Qayyim opines that this offence is within the domain of ta’zir (discretionary penalty). Thus, the judge may choose to forgive the first time offender or he may elect to cane the offender and would stipulate the number of canings. As alluded by others, the caning is unlike the brutal and vicious whippings as prescribed by the civil courts.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Zulfakar, who lectures Islamic criminal law in the International Islamic University of Malaysia, and Datuk Abdul Munir Yaakob, SUHAKAM commissioner, concurred that the courts acted within the State Shariah Criminal Offences Act notwithstanding the seven day remand order.

The Shariah court is part of Malaysia’s dual justice system which has jurisdiction over Muslims and the decision of the Kuantan Shariah High Court must be respected as such That is the rule of law enjoyed by both the Shariah and Civil courts and outside interference would tantamount to contempt of court. The due process of appeal is open to the victim if justice is not done or seen to be done.

In this media frenzy, the irony has not been lost that Kartika herself has accepted the sentence and has refused appeal despite the suggestion by no less the Prime Minister himself. This underscores one of the objectives of the Shariah, to guide Muslims to be more observant of their religious obligations through remorse and repentance.

The controversy surrounding Kartika’s sentencing also exposes the sometimes uneasy co-existence of the world views of Islam and that of modern secular society. Attempts to fit Islam into the secular world view is like forcing a square peg into a round hole.

Globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths (3.2% of total) and 58.3 million (4% of total) of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The U.S. Department of Justice Report on Alcohol and Crime found that alcohol abuse was a factor in 40 percent of violent crimes committed in the U.S. The British Home office reports a figure of 45% which rose to 58% in cases of attacks by unrecognized persons. We have not even begun to mention the primary role of alcohol in road traffic accidents, domestic violence, drug dependence, alcoholism, women and alcohol, adolescents and alcohol, fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol and liver cirrhosis, alcohol and brain damage, alcohol and cancer risk, the causal link between alcohol and 60 different types of diseases etc.

God says in the Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 219 :
“They ask you concerning wine and gambling. Say: ‘There is a great sin in both of them, and (some) profits for people; but their sin is greater than their profit …”

As Muslims, our absolute love and allegiance is to our Creator, whose infinite wisdom we do not question. Thus, it is completely unacceptable and reprehensible that any from amongst his creations, should instruct us otherwise applying their fallible human and secular opinions and standards.

Board of Directors
Muslim Professionals Forum

Dr. Mazeni Alwi
Dr. Jeffrey Abu Hassan
Dr. Shaikh Johari Bux
Haji Mohamed Ali Ghazali
Dato’ Dr. Musa Mohd. Nordin

The strange allure of our ‘exes’
by Ziauddin Sardar

Published 18 September 2008

To declare that you are an ex-fanatic or ex-Muslim is now the shortest route to fame and fortune

It has become quite fashionable, in certain Muslim circles, to be an ex. We have a number of ex-fundamentalists and ex-fanatics, such as Ed Husain, promoting themselves as experts on fanaticism and terrorism and advising various branches of the government. We have a group calling itself the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, which specialises in denouncing all things Islamic. We even have an odd ex-terrorist or two seeking book deals.

I have nothing against people who want to make a new identity for themselves. That is their right. But it does seem strange to me that those who want to distance themselves from a certain kind of Islam, or Islam itself, still use Islam to describe their new identity. We don’t have reformed criminals calling themselves ex-criminals. Indeed, we don’t even have ex-atheists. So why ex-Muslims or ex-Islamists?

The answer tells us a great deal about contemporary Britain. When it comes to Islam we are ready to believe anything and everything. Anything that seems to help us fight fundamentalism is deserving of uncritical support. The exes also enable us to perform a neat con-trick. By embracing them and their call for “Islamic reform”, we appear to demonstrate our support for the Muslim community – thus drawing attention away from the fact that we continue to discriminate against, and marginalise, the majority.

The uncritical embrace of exes is justified by the assertion that they bring insider knowledge. They have been there, so they know what it’s like to be a fanatic, an Islamist, or a puritan Muslim. They are thus in a good position to provide useful insights into fighting the nasty Muslims and stopping their nefarious plans. This is a rather odd argument. How can someone who didn’t have the intellectual or spiritual capability to resist being brainwashed lecture other Muslims on how to avoid such traps?

The exes themselves have realised that they are on to a good thing. To stand up and declare that you are an ex-fanatic or an ex-Muslim is now the shortest route to fame and fortune. One of the first to realise this was Tawfik Hamid, a former member of the Egyptian terrorist group Gama’a al-Islamiyya, who now lives in the US. Just over two years ago, he declared himself an ex-terrorist and instantly found himself on Fox News and CNN. Offers for confessional stories and books flooded in. He became an expert on “terrorism” and “Islamic reformation” for the neoconservative Hudson Institute.

The exes in Britain have followed similar trajectories. Who had heard of Ed Husain, now jetting around the globe advising all and sundry about reforming Islam, a few years ago? Or of Maryam Namazie, the “voice” of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain? Has no one noticed that the Council consists largely of Iranian exiles, card-carrying members of Mujahedin-e-Khalq, the revolutionary Trots who fought the shah? They were hardly Muslims in the first place.

I have nothing against these folk (though I think those who take them seriously ought to be put in a straitjacket). Indeed, I am going to take a leaf from their book. This will be my last column for the New Statesman and I am therefore establishing a Council of Ex-Columnists. But I plan to parade my knowledge in longer articles for this magazine and elsewhere, thus enhancing my considerable fame and fortune.

The Malaysian DNA Conundrum
by Dr. Sheik Johari Bux, Dr. Farouq Musa, and Dr. Musa Mohd. Nordin

Virtually the whole of Malaysia is now talking about DNA. DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) has become a buzz word, featuring in conversations at coffee shops; offices and even our august parliament.

We must thank Crick and Watson who discovered the double stranded helical structure of the DNA molecule in 1954 which has since unleashed a plethora of advances in biotechnology. Forensic DNA is one of the many breakthroughs in this research in an impassioned endeavour towards advancing justice through DNA technology.

Justice and fairness should be the buzz word of the rakyat, the parliament , political leadership and the impartial media. This unfortunately is a far cry considering the various statements issued and the nuances of the mainstream media. Overnight, a handful of parliamentarians have turned pseudo-geneticists, shouting for surrender of DNA material ! Some have even sentenced the alleged assailant an unequivocal guilty verdict !

Beginning with the end, it is important to emphasise upfront that with all of the available DNA techniques, conviction cannot be based on DNA evidence ALONE if there are a host of other conflicting and non-corroborative evidence. For example, if a victim claimed rape in a condominium in KL whilst the accused was addressing a seminar in Singapore at the material time, no amount of DNA recovered at the crime scene is going to make any difference.

We hope this would moderate the DNA mania which is incessantly hyped, the latest by the father of the alleged victim.

Notwithstanding, what is worrying from the hypothetical case scenario is, how DNA of the alleged assailant got into the condominium. In the language of forensic medicine, there is an outright breach of the chain of custody in this hypothetical case.

Surrendering blood for DNA testing is NOT the central issue in the current stalemate. Maintaining the chain of custody is the CRITICAL factor for any DNA evidence. It demands a strict record of individuals who have had physical possession of the evidence and the process used to maintain and document the chronological history of the evidence. The chain of custody of the specimens must be strictly guarded to ensure the collection, delivery, testing, storage and rigorous documentation of the results are preserved and protected from any unauthorized and illegal access.

The historic trial of 1998 laid bare the extreme flaws of the country’s DNA squad, by design or otherwise. The grave concern from all quarters, national and international on the conduct of the current investigation is understandable and reasonable given the experience we were subjected to the last time this play was enacted. The accused and family who endured those humiliating moments of the last sham trial must be gutted by this sequelae.

We offer below a short brief on DNA as an idiots guide to the correct medical procedures to be followed in cases of alleged sodomy. It is grounded on back to basics forensic medicine, founded on evidence and not emotions.

1. If the alleged victim claimed “the latest violation” on 26th June 08, had “counsel on 27th June 08 and reported to police on 28th June 08, it is highly likely that nature’s most efficient plumbing system would have flushed out whatever foreign fluids and tissue deposited within that most currently spoken of orifice. Almost all humans need to answer the big call at least once a day!
2. Notwithstanding the above, if indeed the alleged accused’s specimen was obtained from the “hole”, it would be imperative to verify the authenticity of the collection to ensure no foul play was involved in collecting the specimen.
3. DNA from the sample obtained in (2) can then be readily compared with the DNA fingerprint of the accused, assuming his DNA profile from the last trial had been safely archived. That is the role of the National DNA Database. It is hence nonsensical for the incessant calls for the accused to give his fresh blood to perform a match with the sample from (2). Unless of course in typical Malaysia Bolehland fashion, the accused’s DNA fingerprint records have gone missing! This then does not speak well of the professionalism of the investigating team. But then again it is but a recurring theme in so many other investigations of late.
4. The prime minister and the deputy IGP, amongst others have insinuated that old DNA from 10 years ago is of little or no use in the current saga. Let it be known by all and sundry that there is no expiry of DNA. For purposes of DNA fingerprinting alone, even the Jurassic dinasours DNA can be analysed , unless of course there is a sinister intention for use of the accused’s fresh DNA that is almost unthinkable.

We offer the following solution to the current impasse for the authorities kind consideration :

If at all it is legally required for the DNA of the accused to be analysed from a fresh blood sample, the following is the recommended procedure.

There must be three specimens

1. Blood from the accused
2. Blood from the alleged victim
3. Specimen from the “hole”

There must be two aliquots (portions) of each specimen and these must be presented concurrently to prevent any tampering by either or both parties. The chain of custody of the specimens must be strictly adhered.

DNA analysis of the three specimens can then be conducted independently by a laboratory of their choice (both parties getting 1 aliquot of each specimen). A holding watch of each process can be agreed upon.

DNA matching from the above can then be used as corroborative evidence to either acquit or convict. DNA does not lie provided humans handling them don’t.

As all Malaysian citizens would have realized by now, politics and medicine is a very volatile mix. The political sodomy of medicine in the trial of 1998 should make all of us even more wary of the innuendos which the current saga brings to fore.. This, despite the exclusion of the IGP and AG from the investigating and prosecuting teams and all the assurances from the powers that be.

The Malaysian public in particular and interested parties around the world awaits the truth of the matter in this episode of “Sodomy Malaysian Style”. We pray that this time around truth will not be sacrificed at the altar of political gamesmanship!

In ALLAH we trust and HE knows best.

Making waves

Stories by SHAHANAAZ HABIB

A convert speaks about the unreasonable pressures on new Muslims.

AUSTRALIAN Susan Carland’s mother was very blunt about what she thought about Islam.

“I don’t care if you marry a drug dealer, but don’t marry a Muslim!” she had told her 17-year-old daughter. Understandably then, when Carland converted to Islam two years after that – and she did not do it for a man! – she didn’t have the guts to tell mum.

“I was really frightened. I didn’t relish the reaction of my mother and friends. It was agonising at that time and I was caught in a lonely place … I felt like a hypocrite,” said Carland, one of the key speakers at a conference on “Muslim Women in the Midst of Change”, held in Kuala Lumpur early this month.

It didn’t take too long for fate to intervene. She came home one day to find her mother happily cooking pork chops for the family. As nervous as she was, Carland was forced to come clean about being a Muslim.

“My mum cried when I told her and things became very tense at home,” she said. She moved out shortly after that.

It has been eight years since and the rift between mother and daughter has healed. “Now, my mum even buys me head scarves and sends presents to my children for Eid.”

But others have not been so accepting. At times when the head-scarved Carland was out shopping back home in Australia with her children, she had people hurl abuses and tell her “to go back from where you came from”.

But she takes such things in her stride – because she has bigger concerns on her plate. Some of her ideas are daunting, such as urging a re-look at mosques, while others are downright pragmatic, like telling those born Muslims to give new converts a break.

Speaking at a dinner talk during the conference, organised by the Muslim Professionals Forum and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, Carland, who was named Australian Muslim of the Year in 2004, was brutally honest about the treatment of converts at the hands of “born” Muslims.

“Lifting the Veil” (as her talk was aptly titled), what she had to say certainly made many cringe.

Barely have the last words of the shahada (proclamation of faith) left the lips of new converts, she said, they find themselves bombarded with rules to adhere to.

“Never mind that the sister doesn’t know how to pray. She is told she must get rid of all her old clothing, because it is too Western and thus unIslamic and put on the hijab (head scarf) immediately.

“Don’t worry that our new brother has only been a Muslim for three minutes. He’s already been told that he has to throw out all his music and get rid of his dog or he’d be committing a big sin.”

The list of unreasonable pressures on converts includes telling converts to leave their so-called haram jobs immediately, even if the person had no other source of income.

The newbies are asked to give up hobbies like painting, photography, dancing or playing instruments. They’re advised to move out and sever ties with their kafir (infidel) family and non-Muslim friends, while female converts are urged to get married as soon as possible.

They are often expected to give up their own cultures and take on Arab, sub-continental, Malay or other cultures because these are deemed to be more “Islamic”.

Carland, a lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne, described these demands as not only unreasonable but also “very dangerous” as they made things unnecessarily hard for the convert.

“We often expect brand new converts to start behaving in ways that we may have taken years to do so. By expecting too much of them, too soon, the beauty of the religion that attracted them can quickly become a terrible burden that is simply too much to endure.

“The complete message of Islam was revealed over 23 years. And the Prophet taught almost nothing but tawhid (oneness of God) for the first 13. Alcohol, too, was not banned all at once, but over three stages and several years.So why do we expect new converts to be fully practising Muslims as soon as they convert?”

Carland also takes the Muslim community to task for having an almost schizophrenic attitude towards converts.

On one hand, she pointed out, Muslims liked converts because they made them (the Muslims) feel good about themselves and their faith. But on the flip side, converts were often made to feel inferior by those born Muslims

A practising Muslim herself for years, she finds it maddening whenever “born” Muslims ask her to recite verses from the Quran to prove that she is really one, and knows enough to pray.

“Such encounters are degrading and condescending. How would anyone here feel if I were to ask her to recite some Quranic verses for me to prove her Muslim-ness? Obviously it would be quite insulting. As one convert asked me, ‘When do I stop being seen as the convert and start being seen as a Muslim?’”

As for converts who feel bitter and want to leave Islam, Carland urged Muslims to be gentle and give the person the space to work things through.

“Sometimes all he or she needs is a sounding board, instead of pressure and ridicule. If you have a convert come to you in a state of spiritual angst, he or she may say things that are challenging, perhaps even blasphemous, But we owe it to them to listen and just let them talk it through.”

Converts often have a challenging mind, which is one of the factors that made them Muslims in the first place. Sometimes, having someone listen could be the last thing that helps these people hold on, she said.

“Sometimes just being able to say some things and getting them out is enough. Hopefully they will come out the other side with their faith stronger than ever.

“If not, you can stand in front of Allah on the Day of Judgment and say, ‘I tried. I did my best for this person.’ After all, it is not up to us to change their hearts. You can only do what you can.”

On mosques, Carland said these institutions were just not supportive enough of new converts.

“Female converts report being shouted out, criticised and, worse, simply ignored by both other women and men, the first time they nervously enter a mosque. Often they report leaving in tears,” she disclosed.

In countries like Australia, where Muslims are a minority, the mosque is the one place where new female converts can feel a sense of community, belonging and support. To deny them this haven is simply “injustice and short-sightedness in the extreme”.

She cited an incident in which the father of her close Chinese friend in Malaysia had gone to a mosque here to convert, but was told to leave instead.

She also questioned why mosques seem to have become quiet, silent places of worship, where people go to pray and then leave.

“That’s not our tradition. That’s not how the Prophet saw the mosque and not how His wives or companions saw it. It is supposed to be a social place and a community centre.

“Why can’t we put up a basketball court in the mosque yard and try to get the young to see it as their place? Why can’t we teach Muslim kids hip hop on mosque grounds?

“Right now the young feel isolated from the mosque. It is seen as a place for middle-aged men. If we keep going on this way, we will not have second- or third-generation Muslims. We need to re-think and reinvigorate the mosque.”

Carland’s unconventional ways may ruffle some feathers, but they have won her fans among young Muslims in Australia.

“Often the only interaction young people seem to have with the religion is being told what they cannot do. Don’t listen to music – it’s haram. Don’t have a boyfriend – it’s haram. Stop showing your hair – haram, haram, haram.

“It doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun when you are young and there’s a whole lot of peer pressure. You’ve got to show the young people that Islam is something they can be proud of. And that fun can be halal.”

Once, after asking young Muslims what they would like, she followed through by getting male and female dance teachers and organising separate classes for boys and girls. She even got a bunch of Arab comedians to show up and tell a whole lot of halal (clean) jokes This proved to be a hit with the young Muslims.

“You don’t have to just sit in your room and recite the Quran and that is the sole existence of your life. You can still come out and have a good time, within a certain framework.”

There are certainly some among the Muslim community who do not approve of what she does. But for Carland, it is worth it to reach “a bit further” and engage disenfranchised Muslims, some of whom have never set foot in the mosque.

As for the lot of women, she told how gossip was often used, successfully, to control them.

She noted how Muslims (men included) tended to talk of great Muslim women like Khadijah and Aishah, the wives of the Prophet, and yet “not allow the women of today to walk the talk”.

“Women should get out there. Use the wives and female companions of the Prophet as evidence that we can do these things. Sometimes you’ve just got to make waves. Someone has to go out on a limb, and that’s when things change.

“Women have an amazing capacity to change society – much more than men. So just do it,” she said.

Carland has undoubtedly gone out on a limb to make change. Even if she has not made waves, she has certainly made ripples.