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Outrage at discrimination against Muslim medics over abortion
Westminster, 18 February 2003--A prominent pro-life British Muslim has expressed outrage at reports that medical schools are restricting the number of Muslim students because they do not support abortion - "the killing of the innocent". The proportion of medical students from ethnic minorities in
Britain has risen from 10 percent to 33 percent over the last 20 years,
and the Council of Heads of Medical Schools has expressed concern that
tutors are now unable to teach the full syllabus on account of the
refusal of Muslim students to participate in certain courses which run
counter to their faith. Research has suggested that student intake is
now being manipulated so that white applicants are more than twice as
likely to be accepted as their non-white counterparts.*
Dr A Majid Katme, Muslim co-ordinator at the Society for the
Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and spokesman on medical and
ethical issues for the Islamic Medical Association observed: "The
reported discrimination against pro-life Muslim medical students and
doctors is outrageous, and demonstrates the extent to which respect for fundamental medical ethics in Britain has declined.
"40 years ago the British medical establishment espoused
strongly pro-life values, but today it has fallen to the Muslim and
Christian students, who share a belief in the sanctity of human life,
to repair the damage done by 35 years of legal abortion.
"There is now a daily massacre of unborn children through
abortion in this country. 600 unborn lives are taken in the most
barbaric way every day in abortion mills across the land.
"All doctors are trained to protect and save life, and we all have the right to practise our faith. We Muslims intend to continue doing just that."
* See The Times, 17 February 2003
