Kerala Cleric's Bizarre Advice To Muslim Doctors: Red Cross Symbol Is 'Unislamic', Don't Use It

The Red Cross emblem and the Rod of Asclepius symbol (representing Greek God of healing), are the two universal symbols of medical science and the medical profession. But, for a controversial Islamic cleric from Kerala, they are un-Islamic and against the monotheism that is practised?in Islam.

As bizarre as it may sound, a Salafi preacher called Abdul Muhsin Aydeed has come up with a suggestion that Muslim doctors should follow in their hospitals.

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The cleric posted his advice to Muslim doctors in a Facebook post recently, titled?'Some Islamic Advice to Doctors'.

In the post, he lists a number of Do's and Don'ts for Muslim doctors to be practiced in their hospitals.

This include providing separate places for Namaz to male and female patients inside the hospital, and suggests that there should not be mixing of both the genders in the waiting room, reception or consulting areas.?

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The guidelines then goes on advice male doctors not to touch women patients as far as possible, and that in case there is no female Muslim doctor for the women to consult, the examination should be conducted only in the presence of the female patients husband or male guardian. The Islamic principle that a male should not be alone with an unknown female is applicable in the case of doctors too, he says.

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"The male doctor should look at or touch the female patient only in an unavoidable situation. He should use hand gloves if he decides to touch the female patient," Muhsin said.

The cleric while prescribing to on the medics conduct said, "Certain symbols related to idol worship are widely seen in the houses, vehicles, consulting rooms and on the prescription pads of doctors. An example is the cross in red colour, which signifies the belief in Trinity by the Christians. Trinity is the worst form of the shirk (polytheism), and is the most detested sin in Islam".

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Similarly, the Rod of Asclepius, denotes the Greco-Roman Gods of life and health, he said. "The beliefs that destroys Thouheed (monotheism), the cardinal principle in Islam, should be kept at arm's length. These kinds of wrong beliefs may unknowingly sneak into the belief system of Muslims and they may distance themselves from Islam. A Muslim doctor should keep away from all the signs and slogans that are against Islam," he said.

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Muhsin is a member of the extreme Salafi group and had earlier exhorted Muslims not to send their kids to public schools and had stated that the concept of nationalism is alien to Islam.