Posted: Oct 22, 2014 9:46 am
Clive Durdle wrote:monkeyboy wrote:Blackadder wrote:
"We would like the NHS to work with mainstream Islamic scholars and Muslim groups in helping such individuals. Faith-based support should be offered as long as it does not contradict or oppose conventional medicine or treatment."
Earlier this month, Amina MWRC, in conjunction with the Rationalist Society of Pakistan, held an event titled Jinn, Black Magic and the Evil Eye: Fact or Fiction?
Good luck with that. Belief in Jinns and black magic is very much part of mainstream Islam. The only contribution they will get from mainstream Islamic scholars is yet more fuckwittery.
Thankfully, in some parts we are seeing more enlightened Imams who can reconcile their beliefs in Jiins with the existence of mental illnesses and are able to give spiritual comfort to people receiving evidence based treatment to diagnosed illnesses/conditions. Change is happening, just at glacial pace.
I wonder if we need to think through that type of thing. If the imam believes in Jinn (are there women imams?) is he actually able to help?
As a child I sometimes thought there were trolls under the pavement and therefore had to avoid stepping on the cracks. Should I have sought out a troll priest?
If a society does not understand "madness", does not have an understanding of child development, of emotional intelligence, do I really go to someone who also has no understanding of these matters?
Isn't it a simple professional malpractice issue? If you are not qualified, why because you belong to a certain religion are you believed to be?
Well, the experience we've had in a few cases has been reasonably positive. The Imams we have worked with, or should I say, who have worked with us, have been able to help reassure people convinced that they are possessed that treatment will likely help and to convince the ill person that seeking treatment is not some offence to Allah. It really has cut through some of the resistance that we have encountered in the past. Sure, I'd prefer enlightened, superstition free patients to work with but that's not happening in all cases. Thankfully, the younger generations are less set in the ways of their elders so perhaps after the old folks have passed on, things might improve at a faster rate. I should imagine that education is playing a huge part in helping us but if the Imams help bridge the gap for now, I'm up for it. End of the day, it's about getting people engaged in treatment.
It's not about malpractice in any way. The Imams are being used to reassure patients that treatment is OK, not to deliver it. If they're saying Jiin where I say hallucination, it makes little difference to the outcome if the use of an anti psychotic is effective so long as the patient accepts that the anti psychotic did the trick. If Allah gets some praise for helping out, so long as the patient recovers, I really couldn't care that much to be honest. Other faiths have pastoral workers well established in hospitals doing similar roles. It's good to have the Imams getting on board at last.