Time moderate voice made itself heard
SHAH ALAM KHAN
The global events of the last few days have shaken me — as an Indian, as a Muslim and more than anything as a doctor. During my tenure as a health professional in the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom, there were occasions when I felt discriminated against on the basis of my colour and nationality.
Most Asian doctors residing in the present day U.K. would agree with me on this score. But never did I feel that my Muslim name was an impediment in my career progression. Unfortunately, things are no longer the same. The failed London bombings and the attack on the Glasgow airport have bracketed Asian doctors as terrorists and if you are a Muslim, there is more trouble.
There is no doubt that cowardly acts of terror should not be tolerated in a civilised society. We know this better than any other nation. We had been face to face with terrorists much before 9/11.
Chief supplier
India with its second largest population in the world has been the chief supplier of health care providers to the health systems of the United Kingdom and the United States. In fact, it is a common joke in the U.K. that after 5 p.m. the official language of NHS hospitals is Hindi or Malayalam.
All this is set to change because some mad and mindless people, who accidentally are Indians and Muslims, have tried to disrupt peace. This is a big blow to the credibility of Indians in general and Muslims in particular. Bigger blows are the quick and strict actions planned by the governments of these nations.
I was surprised to see Gordon Brown reiterate a stricter visa policy for Indian doctors. I very well understand his political commitments but then were not the visa rules already stringent for international medical graduates entering the U.K.? How justified is a nation and a system (which ironically calls itself “equal opportunity employer”) to deny entry to a group of highly qualified professionals meeting all legal requirements on the basis of their ethnicity or religious background?
Isn’t it true that most Britons take pride in having an Indian doctor as their family physician? Isn’t it true that 65 per cent of the medical publications coming from the NHS have one or more Indian names associated with it?
How can all this change on the basis of actions of two men driven by religious fervour and illogical ideology of faith? How can the behaviour of two young men put at stake the training and education of a generation of talented men and women? Why do the Indian Muslims need to undergo a scrutiny of faith and character?
It is time that we Indians made our voice of moderation heard. The voice which needs to be strong enough to overcome the explosions of London and Glasgow. A voice which should come from the only Muslim community of the world which has genuinely tasted and cherished democracy. A voice which should emphasise to this world that terrorists have no nationality or religion.
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