With regards to my earlier letter , kindly allow me to defend myself since I am being called a liar by several of your letter writers who stated that it is not possible to do an extra subject and study medicine at the same time. Much less do it in four years.
Granted it wasn't easy but it is possible. Universities or medical schools like the University of Dundee, Scotland permit second-year medical students to undertake third-year final exams and if they pass, the said students would get into the clinical fourth year.
Now, this is not the norm, and it is not general knowledge but the deans do allow it if the student shows promise and is really in financial difficulties. I was one of them. I also did my A-levels (London-Board) in 10 months rather than the usual 18 months and I guess some would state that this is also impossible because they didn't do it.
You see, the secret is time-management. As for studying Islam as a side subject, well it wasn't too hard as I liked it and had some background knowledge about it already. I don't consider myself extra-gifted. A colleague of mine, while studying medicine, still found time to play in a local band while another one worked as an exotic dancer during weekends.
Both graduated and are doing well in their medical careers. I guess it must be difficult for the likes of some to envisage people having lives and interests apart from studying medicine while still in medical school.
Now, let me clarify a few things here.
Just because one doesn't experience something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The very fact that Dr Avicenna has not experienced any form of racism or discrimination is fortunate and I wish that for everyone. However the truth begs to differ.
One cannot rely on just one man's opinion and take it for the gospel truth. I also note that most. Have failed to address the Stephen Lawrence case in which the metropolitan police were called institutionally racist.
They also failed to rebuff the fact that there is a growing problem with racism here in the West like the beatings and racial attacks on non-whites. Just look at the race riots in Manchester in 2001 or the sectarian violence which flares so readily in Scotland.
A three-year (2001-2004) study by the University of Strathclyde and the Glasgow Anti-Racist Alliance (Gara) found racism still existed and growing despite high-profile campaigns to stamp it out in the UK.
The British Medical Association (BMA) in one of their newsletters last year published an article about an Indian doctor (surgeon) who successfully sued the National Health Service (NHS) for 600,000 pounds due to racial discrimination in terms of job promotion.
The BMA stated that though this is a landmark ruling, there are still many foreign doctors who are employed to work in appalling conditions and discrimination is still widespread.
Ask any local British man on the street on what he feels about asylum-seekers or immigrants and chances are you won't like what you hear. Even better, pick up the popular daily The Sun newspaper to see what opinions are expressed in regards to the above.
I am not trying to paint a bleak picture of the UK here. Like in my last letter, I am merely stating that racism is alive and well - and I am not exaggerating. It would be a mistake to think that by coming to the West, everything will be all rosy and hunky-dory.
Some would be surprised to know that the suicide rates for immigrant populations are high compared to the indigenous British white population ( Raleigh and Balarajan , 1992). Listed below are three of the major causes.
- Culture shock and readjustment into the host society which often leads to downward social mobility, poor housing, unemployment and unfulfilled aspirations.
On a personal note, I treat an ever increasing number of immigrants suffering from clinical depression and attempted suicide due to the factors stated above.
My second point is that I am not a racist. I am sad that some would see my expressed opinions as somewhat racist. I am only stating what is currently happening and most of this comes from painful personal experiences.
I would hope others would try to see where I am coming from. It is never my intention to put down people and I have worked well with people from all walks of life regardless of who they are.
My third point is to give credit to where credit is due. I do admit that in the UK society, justice and fairness do prevail and to a large extent more so compared to the rest of the world. Its Judeo-Christian principles enshrined into its laws promote and encourage fairness regardless of creed.
This is what makes this society so attractive. Its basic tenets enshrine the general well-being of man. It is by the grace of God and through this system that I am able to advance so rapidly in my career and I am thankful for that.
Nevertheless, it is not a perfect society. How good and just a society is depends on all its members. All it takes is one mad man to change things - I pray that this may never happen here or in Malaysia.
Remember, 60 years ago in Europe a very ordinary man was elected through a just and democratic process only to take xenophobia to new heights and give the world the word 'holocaust'.
