By Dr Naghma Mirza,
Aligarh, April 7: Eminent Islamic scholar and thinker, Dr Javed Jamil called upon the medical fraternity to develop an alternative paradigm of health for the larger benefit of mankind. He was delivering a lecture on “Quranic Paradigm of Health” at J N Medical College, of Aligarh Muslim University. The lecture was organized by the students of the college.
Speaking in an auditorium packed with students of the medical college and faculty members, Dr Jamil said, “the current health policies and programmes of the world have evolved under the influence of the forces of economics that are primarily concerned with economy rather than the survival and well being of human beings”. Making a power point presentation, he highlighted the differences between the Current Model and the Quranic Paradigm, which he called “Dynamic Model of Health.” He said that in the current word health paradigm, health occupies a secondary position, the interests of the market forces remaining at the top. On the other hand, in Islam, the well being occupies top position in all schemes of things. All Faraidh, mustahabbat, Halal and Haraam have a direction relationship with health. He said that the current health policy holds only an individual responsible for his own health, while the system is exposing him/her to all such practices that are threatening to life including alcohol, gambling, unhealthy sexual practices and unhealthy foods, and that is being done “in the name of freedom of choice, which has become the biggest ploy in the hands of corporates for commercializing human weaknesses.” Further he added, “there is no concept of family health and peace”. He gave a Quranic definition of health as “a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing, which must be safeguarded not only through the maintenance of a health preserving regime at the personal/individual level, but also through the establishment of a health-protective and promoting family system and a health-protective and promoting social system.”
Dr Jamil showed with the help of slides how the sequence of Wudhu corresponds to the order of the representation of human organs inside Postcentral Gyrus and by mere washing of around 20 pc of the superficial areas of the body, more than 80 percent of the sensory area inside brain is activated. He said that the Islamic prohibitions have a direct impact on health. He quoted data to show that alcohol reduces life expectancy by around 10 years, gambling by around 5 years, and homosexuality reduces life expectancy by up to 25 years. He said that the so-called sexual revolution has become directly related to death, with more than 40 million people already having lost life due to AIDS. In addition, more than 1 billion human lives have been aborted in last 25 years in the name of women’s rights. He said that there are now conclusive evidences in favour of the HIV preventive role of Circumcision. “But Sexual Transmitted diseases will continue to haunt mankind forever”, he stressed, “if the so-called sexual freedom continues and there is no curb on prostitution, pornography, promiscuity and homosexuality.”
Dr Jamil introduced the concept of “Therapeutic Sociology”, which means that the system must be responsible for protecting the health of citizens, and not only medical but also social solutions should be found out to control epidemics and endemics. He argued that while the current world health organisations promote only “secondary prevention” meaning vaccinations, condoms, jellies etc, Islamic Paradigm stresses “Primary Prevention” emphasising avoidance of practices that are dangerous for health. Dr Jamil had also a dig at the WHO, which he described as a failed organising, playing in the hands of corporate lobbies, and has failed to save lives despite the advancement of medical technology.
This lecture generated a lot of enthusiasm among the students who are increasingly becoming conscious of the need of promoting Islamic values in all spheres of life.
Dr Javed Jamil was in Aligarh for delivering a series of lectures in Faculty of Law, Sunni Theology and Ibne Sina Academy. He was interviewed by Plea Motion pictures as well.
