Dr Sara Marzauk - Her balanced view as an Australian Muslim Doctor
As a Muslim, I have never consumed alcohol. This places me in the minority of Australians.
I simply abstain from drinking it. I don’t go to bars or pubs or vineyards. That’s my choice.
I do not enforce my own abstinence on the people who do drink alcohol. I am not protesting outside my local bottle shop with a placard condemning the evils of intoxication, demanding that everyone must stop drinking alcohol too. I don’t comment on photos of my friends drinking with vitriol and bile.
As a Muslim, I have never consumed pig products. That places me in the minority of Australians.
I simply abstain from eating it. Sometimes I get allocated the vegetarian option at weddings and dinners. That’s my choice.
I do not enforce my own pig-product abstinence on people in this country who do eat bacon, ham or pork. I am not protesting outside butcher shops, demanding that everyone must cease eating pig products too. I don’t insult my friends when they post pictures of their roast pork with crackling.
As a Muslim, I wear the hijab. That places me in the super minority of Australians.
I cover my body and hair whenever I leave my home or am in the company of strangers. That’s my choice.
I do not enforce my own dress code on people in this country who do not observe hijab. It is not my role to police what women choose to wear. My body, my choice.
I am not responsible for the actions of anyone else. Only myself. I control what I eat and drink and wear. Or what I choose not to eat or drink or wear. I am responsible for me.
As a Muslim, I have my own views about abortion. A person yesterday made some pretty incorrect assumptions regarding what those views were, assuming that there is some sort of blanket ban on all abortion. Classical Islamic scholarship unanimously considers the foetus to be ‘ensouled’ at 120 days gestation. The position of one of the predominant school of thought is that abortion is hence permissible up to this time. For the record, 120 days is 17 weeks. And abortion is permitted beyond this time, at any time, if the life of the mother is considered endangered.
But even if it was as this person assumed, and there was a blanket ban according to MY faith…when was it okay for any person to enforce the application of their religious beliefs on another person?
Don’t want to get an abortion because it goes against your faith?
Then don’t personally get one.
Simple.
You are responsible for your own actions, not the actions of others.
But forcing others to literally practice what you are preaching, by force, and celebrating that as some sort of religious ‘win’ is no different to establishing a code of Christian religious law. In a so-called secular country, no less.
As a Muslim woman, let me get you in on a secret:
You can adhere to your beliefs without making a song and dance about it. Without offending those who believe otherwise. Trust me, it really isn’t that hard to do.
- Sara
I simply abstain from drinking it. I don’t go to bars or pubs or vineyards. That’s my choice.
I do not enforce my own abstinence on the people who do drink alcohol. I am not protesting outside my local bottle shop with a placard condemning the evils of intoxication, demanding that everyone must stop drinking alcohol too. I don’t comment on photos of my friends drinking with vitriol and bile.
As a Muslim, I have never consumed pig products. That places me in the minority of Australians.
I simply abstain from eating it. Sometimes I get allocated the vegetarian option at weddings and dinners. That’s my choice.
I do not enforce my own pig-product abstinence on people in this country who do eat bacon, ham or pork. I am not protesting outside butcher shops, demanding that everyone must cease eating pig products too. I don’t insult my friends when they post pictures of their roast pork with crackling.
As a Muslim, I wear the hijab. That places me in the super minority of Australians.
I cover my body and hair whenever I leave my home or am in the company of strangers. That’s my choice.
I do not enforce my own dress code on people in this country who do not observe hijab. It is not my role to police what women choose to wear. My body, my choice.
I am not responsible for the actions of anyone else. Only myself. I control what I eat and drink and wear. Or what I choose not to eat or drink or wear. I am responsible for me.
As a Muslim, I have my own views about abortion. A person yesterday made some pretty incorrect assumptions regarding what those views were, assuming that there is some sort of blanket ban on all abortion. Classical Islamic scholarship unanimously considers the foetus to be ‘ensouled’ at 120 days gestation. The position of one of the predominant school of thought is that abortion is hence permissible up to this time. For the record, 120 days is 17 weeks. And abortion is permitted beyond this time, at any time, if the life of the mother is considered endangered.
But even if it was as this person assumed, and there was a blanket ban according to MY faith…when was it okay for any person to enforce the application of their religious beliefs on another person?
Don’t want to get an abortion because it goes against your faith?
Then don’t personally get one.
Simple.
You are responsible for your own actions, not the actions of others.
But forcing others to literally practice what you are preaching, by force, and celebrating that as some sort of religious ‘win’ is no different to establishing a code of Christian religious law. In a so-called secular country, no less.
As a Muslim woman, let me get you in on a secret:
You can adhere to your beliefs without making a song and dance about it. Without offending those who believe otherwise. Trust me, it really isn’t that hard to do.
- Sara
