Dr. Javed Jamil and Dr. Iffat Masood Javed
Review by
Abid Faheem
Dr. Javed Jamil is an internationally acclaimed thinker and writer whose writings are based on hard facts. This time, he along with Dr. Iffat Masood Javed as co-author has come up with another remarkable work proving the extraordinary importance of Islamic principles in prevention and management of Viral Pandemics.
We are yet to come out of the huge death and destruction, Covid Pandemic caused at the world level. More than 700 million people suffered and more than 7 million died. In fact, there have been several viral killers since the rise of the twenthieth century that have caused massive damage to human lives. The author have, in particular, talked about Swine Flu, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Rabies, HPV, Corona being latest, all of which have killed millions of lives. They have argued that if Islamic guidelines had been followed in letter and spirit, the damage could have been minimal. A paragraph from the book is worth reproducing here:
“Covid-19 pandemic, which has already killed more than six million people in last three years, has been only one of several big killer pandemics and epidemics caused by viruses in last 100-120 years, the other major ones being Swine Flu, HIV/AIDS, HPV, Rabies and Hepatitis B. The factors directly responsible for the spread of these diseases include, among others, pig farming (necessitated by pork eating), sexual malpractices (promiscuity, prostitution, and homosexuality), and consumption of wild animals like pangolins, snakes and bats with Alcohol and Drugs playing the major collaborative role. Obviously, all these and other harmful practices have been prohibited in Islam. In sharp contrast, every one of these substances or practices is a big business today.”
In the past also, in several of his works, he has argued that the best verifiable criterion of what substances and practices are good is their impact on health. What is good for health is good and what is bad for health is bad. He has presented Islam’s Dynamic Paradigm of Health showing that Islam’s Three-dimensional System of Fundamental Rights, Fundamntal Duties and Fundamental Prohibitions is the most beautiful example of a perfect Health Protective System. The book says:
“It is not that Qur’ānic system is beneficial for health; health is an inseparable part of its ultimate objectives. What is good for heath is promoted, and what is bad for health is not acceptable. Qur’ānic Paradigm of Health is uniquely different from the modern paradigm of health. It marks a massive paradigm shift. The modern health concepts have the stamp of the economic forces for which health too is nothing more than a money spinner. Where certain concepts of health support their economic designs, they exhibit an extraordinary enthusiasm to promote them; the health concepts that do neither support nor disturb their designs are given either a silent disapproval or a passive approval; and the health concepts that disturb their plans are simply not tolerable.. In short, health is used by the economic forces, especially the corporate to build their economic empires.”
The book deserves huge admiration as it bases the arguments on huge statistics and medical facts. It has been extremely critical of the current world systems, which is controlled more by the economic forces than anyone else. He has also been highly critrical of the World Health Organisation, which appears to care more about the health of the market than the health of humanity. All right thinking people must read the book and designs strategies, which bring health at the top of the policy decisions at the national and international levels. Any “Freedom” that kills the people cannot be called freedom in true sense. All such freedoms need to be curtailed if humanity has to survive.
