Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 17 May  2015

Muslim or Doctor first?

I travelled back to Colombo from Jaffna by train.   As requested by me, I was allocated window seat.  The seat next to me was unoccupied until about half  way through the journey, when  a young lady in traditional Muslim dress  asked me in Sinhalese whether anyone was seated next to me. When I confirmed that it was vacant, the young lady showed me her ticket in confirmation that she had booked that seat. After seating herself the young lady started conversing in English. I learnt that the young lady was from  a well-educated family and that she herself was a medical student. The young Muslim student confirmed that she was very committed to her religious culture and that she prayed five times a day and  was appreciative that there was  a special prayer room in medical college for Muslims. The young lady said she was not aware of parallel facility within the college for any other religious group. I was  surprised to hear that.  Later back in Sydney, my husband confirmed  that there was similar  facility for Muslims at University of Technology Sydney also.  This did surprise me. When I   was with my mother in Canada during her last days I often prayed at the prayer room within the hospital. That room, like the Pillar of Religious Diversity in  Sri Sathya  Baba’s Spiritual  Home - had multi religious symbols in the room. It did not cater to any single religion in particular.

The young lady talked  about Community Medicine training in her case being particular to the Muslim Community. Said she was upset  by the Aluthgama (in Southern Sri Lanka ) riots between Muslims and  Buddhists and confirmed  that she had not anticipated them.

When I asked her about her opinion on the death sentence to the Bali 9 leaders – her simple response was that they knew what the risks were and therefore she did not feel particularly sorry for them. When I pointed out that they had paid  their dues as per their thought structure the lady had no response. I then asked the young lady about Sri Lankan maid Ms Rizana Rafeek who was beheaded in Saudi Arabia. To my mind Ms Rizana Rafeek also knew about the risks due to imbalance of power between masters & servants in Saudi Arabia.  The young medical student promptly stated that she did not believe Rizana was guilty. I stated that I believed that when the Bali 9 leaders were executed they were no longer guilty. The young lady promptly asked me whether it would have been acceptable if they had been executed as soon as they were found guilty. I responded by saying – ‘yes if there is no common belief  between the punisher and the punished beyond that point.’

I then asked the young medical student whether she would refuse medical treatment to one she believed to be  a murderer?  The lady said – that that was different because it was her duty to serve anyone in need of medical services. I said ‘likewise, lawyers and human rights workers’.

Back in Sydney I thought about that conversation and felt that there was  connection between the special facility for Muslims in ‘common areas’ and the natural discrimination that developed due to such special accommodation. It drew a  picture of  spoiling  the money rich minority for economic reasons. On that basis I identify with the following Wikipedia report on the execution of Ms Rizana Rafeek:

‘The Sri Lankan Parliament observed a moment of silence soon after it received the news of the execution. UNP, the main opposition party of Sri Lanka, held a special media briefing hours after the execution. In that media briefing the opposition MP Ranjan Ramanayake described the Saudi government as "dictators" and emphasized that the Saudi government never executes citizens of European or North American countries but only the citizens from Asian and African countries.    

This confirmed that to the above group of politicians Sri Lankan identity was higher than Muslim identity. The Muslim community ‘lost’ the opportunity to become global through Islamic belief. Hence one could conclude that Muslims who are strongly attached to the physical expressions of their belief – would have difficulty integrating with common mind in multicultural groups. Hence they need separations.  This amounts to Racial Discrimination where other cultures are not provided with their own parallel facilities -  as symbolized  by the Pillar of Religious Diversity mentioned above.

A   ‘wrong’ in the legal system is  a disease in the medical system. In common they are about the order of operation of particular parts of the body and/or  brain. Those who are driven by the body and its physical expressions – would abuse  clemency powers with those who are not in their ‘class’.  The more they kill unjustly – the more ‘war-karma’ they would tend to carry with themselves. Countries they migrate to need to have special punishments through which they can self-assess and punish themselves. Once a person punishes her/himself through her/his belief – such  person is an innocent civilian from then on.  Government punishing such a person becomes guilty to the extent of that excessive punishment.

As per news reports: ‘Bali Nine lawyer calls on Australian government to oppose death penalty for Boston bomber’

We  Australians shared our belief bout the Bali 9 leaders with our Government which has the high status to represent us with wider world. Without our belief – the Australian Government did not have the moral authority to seek clemency or  when such was denied,  to return the karma to the punisher at that level through the system of belief.  Only those who believed they were    Australians had the power to work the system of Belief through Australia’s investment in its Sovereignty.     Those who are Muslims first or Hindus first or Tamils first must seek through their respective community representations at global level . The human system may or may not  uphold justice. But the return karma always does complete the experience for the true believer.  In the case of Boston Bomber ordinary Americans have to be willing to empower their President to use American investment in Sovereignty or in the alternative – the Muslim Community Leadership needs to use its consolidated power – which has been already diluted by Indonesian Muslim leadership killing global citizens through Local Community laws. Our Australian Government is not Muslim Government to take on that role.