Muslim GP faces disciplinary hearing for attack on gays

 

The president of the Islamic Medical Association is to face a disciplinary hearing after making a ferocious attack on gay people in Pulse, the magazine for GPs.

 

In the letter, Dr Muhammad Siddiq says that gays need “the stick of the law to put them on the right path" and that they deserve neither help nor pity.

 

"There is punishment and fine if you throw rubbish or filth in the streets. The gays are worse than the ordinary careless citizen,” wrote the GP, who is employed by the Walsall Primary Care Trust in the West Midlands, “They are causing the spread of disease with their irresponsible behaviour. They are the root of many sexually transmitted diseases." The letter went on to say that a depressed transsexual awaiting gender reassignment was "twisted."

 

Dr Siddiq denies that he authored the letter and claims his son was playing a "cynical spoof" on him by forcing him to sign the letter and sending it to Pulse, a magazine for GPs. When the magazine checked with Dr Siddiq, he made no effort to deny that these were his views. Allegedly, he has privately told his colleagues that he had actually written the letter.

 

Dr Michael Irwin, co-ordinator of the Secular Medical Forum commented: "If Dr. Muhammad Siddiq holds these views, he should not be allowed to work within the NHS. And, if he has a ‘private practice’, his patients should be made aware of his opinion, so that only those with a similar bigoted outlook would be likely to see him. Looking to the future, I believe the GMC should require him to attend a ‘Fitness-to-Practice’ hearing: then, if it is confirmed that he has been correctly quoted, his medical registration should be suspended."

 

Dr Siddiq's PCT disciplinary hearing will be held next week.

 

I think gays and women have fought a hard enough battle for centuries for total equality and acceptance.

 

I find it astonishing that the Muslim Council of Great Britain, and its odious views, are allowed to make public statements like they do.

 

We live in 21st century Britain - sexism and homophobia are both illegal - so how come the law never gets called in on people like this vile doctor?

 

As has been mentioned elsewhere on the web - I have no problem with Muslim doctors - after all, their valiant work and dedication to Islam have been much in the headlines of late..... ahem.

Edited July 31, 200717 yr by russt68

I really hate this stigma that gay people are responsible for all STIs. Straight people have them too you know -_-

He is clearly vile but homosexuality is despised by fanatic christians too and I do wonder if this thread would be here if it was about a christian GP

 

Yes he is clearly not a very nice guy and his views are out of the dark ages and I would imagine that gay patients would not want to be treated by him but I do see this thread as being created to bring about muslim bashing

not at all Vic.... I hate Catholicism and Christianity just as much as I hate Islam, I can assure you ^_^

 

This doctor? He should be struck off. He's not fit to be a GP. If he can't do his job objectively and without bigotry, he needs to find a new job. If he can be this judgemental about a patient's sexuality, he certainly won't do his best for them in getting them the right medical care, etc.

 

Also, it suggests he could be judgemental in other areas such as offering contraception to unmarried females.

oh I agree if found guilty then he should be struck off his views make his position untenable but equally so should any GP of any other religion too, I will not for one moment defend his views if indeed this is what he said but religion in general is an evil when it comes to these sorta views as opposed to islam

He is clearly vile but homosexuality is despised by fanatic christians too and I do wonder if this thread would be here if it was about a christian GP

 

Yes he is clearly not a very nice guy and his views are out of the dark ages and I would imagine that gay patients would not want to be treated by him but I do see this thread as being created to bring about muslim bashing

 

The issue IS important though, and as such does warrant debate. Not because the guy's a Muslim, but because as a doctor he is in a position of power over his patients, and I certainly would be worried being treated by a guy who views me as the root of all evil...

Maybe all his patients should switch to another doctor, then he won't have anyone to attack

if any GP made a racist comment... nevermind actually send a bloody letter to a medical magazine..... he'd be struck off. Straight away. End of. Can you imagine if this Doctor had said all blacks were spreading disease by not practising safe sex? Or that all Jews were mentally 'twisted'?

 

It's absolutely no different that he's made unacceptable insults and displayed extreme bigotry toward the gay community.

 

How can the medical board justify not sacking this guy?

 

Prejudice and ignorance will always be prejudice and ignorance.

 

As for his defence that it's his 'religion'.... not good enough... a Doctor, more than most professions has to display TOTAL acceptance, not only of gays, but of colour, gender and religion.... this Doctor clearly feels unable to do this - so he HAS to be struck off.

 

One final note.... wouldn't it be proper to ensure ALL GPs undergo rigorous screening before they enter the communities in which they work? In modern social values? In morality? In equality for all? We seem to be accommodating people on the basis of their religion, and allowances are made for this..... yet here we appear to not give a toss about outdated opinions towards sexuality? Surely this should be an important test for ALL medical practitioners.

 

 

He is clearly vile but homosexuality is despised by fanatic christians too and I do wonder if this thread would be here if it was about a christian GP

 

Yes he is clearly not a very nice guy and his views are out of the dark ages and I would imagine that gay patients would not want to be treated by him but I do see this thread as being created to bring about muslim bashing

 

Good point Craig, my ex-family GP was a pretty fanatical Catholic, his views on Homsexuality were pretty similar to this guy's, especially the whole "Gays spread AIDS" thing... Yet no one ever made a big fuss out of that... I did actually reported him anonymously to the medical board, but they took little action against him, merely a slap on the wrist... Needless to say, as soon as I was old enough, I changed my doctor...

 

The guy here is clearly an ignorant arse, but the facts are there's plenty in the medical profession just like him Russ, of all religious hues, especially that older, "Old Skool" generation of GP, and they're all on the verge of retiring anyway.... You'd be sacking a LOT of people, and just who would fill the gaps...?

Maybe all his patients should switch to another doctor, then he won't have anyone to attack

 

That's a good idea Bri, it's what I did with my family GP - guy was a cantankerous, bigoted old arse as well (made Alf Garnett seem like a sunny personality by comparison.. :lol: ), so I just changed my doctor...

 

One final note.... wouldn't it be proper to ensure ALL GPs undergo rigorous screening before they enter the communities in which they work? In modern social values? In morality? In equality for all?

 

And just how would that stop someone like Harold Shipman then Russ...? By all accounts a total pillar of the community, well respected and trusted... I'm sure he was very much a "live and let live" sort of bloke... Unless you happened to be a frail, well-off OAP that is.... I realise Shipman wasn't a Muslim fanatic (merely a very clever Sociopath who would probably be able to get round any sorts of "testing" you could think up...), but I seriously doubt that really comes as any comfort to the families of his Christ knows how many victims..... I dont think they actually even managed to come up with a definitive body count in his case, did they....?

Shipman was a serial killer, though, Scott... quite different to a religious zealot who is full of hate toward a section of the people he will be expected to treat fairly, without prejudice and in a humane manner.

 

Shipman hid his secrets - this guy was so proud of his beliefs he wrote to a f***ing medical journal :rolleyes:

 

Having someone so vehemently anti-gay in a public profession will never work... and not only is he a GP.... he's pretty high up in the medical world - even more reason to let him go - as he is so high profile - this must be an example to ALL that bigotry of any kind will not be tolerated. As I mentioned elsewhere, if this was a white doctor sounding off about Jews or Muslims - there'd be blue murder.

Shipman was a serial killer, though, Scott... quite different to a religious zealot who is full of hate toward a section of the people he will be expected to treat fairly, without prejudice and in a humane manner.

 

Shipman hid his secrets - this guy was so proud of his beliefs he wrote to a f***ing medical journal :rolleyes:

 

Having someone so vehemently anti-gay in a public profession will never work... and not only is he a GP.... he's pretty high up in the medical world - even more reason to let him go - as he is so high profile - this must be an example to ALL that bigotry of any kind will not be tolerated. As I mentioned elsewhere, if this was a white doctor sounding off about Jews or Muslims - there'd be blue murder.

 

Yes, Shipman was a serial killer, he killed DOZENS of his elderly patients... As far as I can see, all this guy has done is written a sodding letter, not killed anyone, not refused to give treatment to anyone, whether gay or not (which would be grounds to strike him off, if he did indeed refuse to treat gay patients...), so I come back to my original question - just how would you manage to filter out not only religious zealots, but people like Shipman...? Surely a sociopathic serial killer doctor who kills dozens of patients is a slightly bigger problem to the medical profession than someone expressing an opinion, no matter how abhorrent that opinion may be.....

 

To have expressed the absolute vitriol that this guy did in his letter - how can you honestly think he'll treat his gay patients with the same care and respect as he would the others? Also, as I pointed out in another post - his extreme religious views also cal to question his dealings with other issues his religion finds abhorrent - like single mothers and other STDs.

 

Whether he treats them or not simply isn't the issue here, Scott.

To have expressed the absolute vitriol that this guy did in his letter - how can you honestly think he'll treat his gay patients with the same care and respect as he would the others? Also, as I pointed out in another post - his extreme religious views also cal to question his dealings with other issues his religion finds abhorrent - like single mothers and other STDs.

 

Whether he treats them or not simply isn't the issue here, Scott.

 

Mate, you can accuse LOTS of doctors who have rather old-fashioned views on homosexuality, single parents, etc, of exactly the same thing as you're accusing this guy of, you'd have to strike them all off, otherwise you're just singling out one person from one particular religious sect, and that just aint right in my book... And trust me, that's gonna amount to literally thousands of GPs if you go down this path... Who do you get to cover for that then...? It'll cause absolute chaos in the system..

Regardless of whether this moron was Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, black, white, pink or yellow.... his views are simply NOT acceptable whilst he sits in a very public position.

 

Doctors don't only treat patients, Scott - they are there to confide your absolute innermost problems - things you couldn't even tell your partner, sometimes. His position, after this outburst, is untenable. He has alienated a lage number of his patients, and the remaining ones, I would imagine, will feel far less comfortable visiting him now than they did before this nonsensical ant of his. And to blame it on his son - oh please - if you have such hideous views... at least have the courage to admit it.

 

And Scott, the letter he wrote - it wasn't simply 'old fashioned' views on homosexuality.... it was vicious, cruel and certainly not the sort of letter anyone in a position of authority should be sending.

i think thats the point russ.... no PROFESSIONAL in a position of authority should let his or her private views on anyone influence their work, and should not be aired in public..

i think thats the point russ.... no PROFESSIONAL in a position of authority should let his or her private views on anyone influence their work, and should not be aired in public..

 

So, it's perfectly okay for doctors to silently despise gays and single parents then....? :huh: I doubt it actually would matter if a person aired their views or not, if a Doctor felt this way about certain types of patients he or she had, it couldn't fail to affect or influence their work, regardless of whether they aired their views publically or not... Which brings me back to my original point - if we sack this guy, we have to sack the thousands of other doctors who hold similar old-fashioned sexist, homophobic and racist views, but dont make those views a matter of public record....

if we sack this guy, we have to sack the thousands of other doctors who hold similar old-fashioned sexist, homophobic and racist views, but dont make those views a matter of public record....

 

fine...so be it, Scott... after all, there are MANY unemployed Doctors and nurses in the UK right now.....

 

fine...so be it, Scott... after all, there are MANY unemployed Doctors and nurses in the UK right now.....

 

One snag though mate... How many elderly patients who have been seeing their Family GP for decades are gonna suddenly take to a "new face" coming in....? Old people are very set in their ways mate, and wont really take well to their family doctor being replaced for what they would probably see as a pretty spurious, Politically Correct, reason.... The whole GP/Patient relationship which builds up over time between a doctor and his older patients is a very hard thing to break, it would cause a lot of problems, many older patients might stop visiting their clinic altogether in protest....