Islamic Medical Association

What is it?

The spokesman of the UK Islamic Medical Association, Abdel Majid Katme, admits that it’s a very small organisation with a big voice. The media attention given to his opinions is disproportionate to the size of the association, which no longer has a membership.

Its role now is as a health and educational lobby group and to voice Islamic views on medical ethics, says Dr Katme. This includes campaigning with other religious faiths, such as the Roman Catholic church, on common ethical concerns, including abortion.

Dr Katme would like to see an Islamic hospital in Britain where Muslims could be treated without worrying about matters such as being examined by a doctor of the opposite sex. Such anxieties keep Muslims at home when they might be in need of urgent medical attention, says the retired psychiatrist, who lives in London. …