Saint Louis University, USA
Sumptuous Stew, Not Melting
Pot: A Muslim Woman’s Approach to Interfaith DialogueAbstract
In these days of
heightened tension and concerns about the Muslim issue, the role of Muslim
doctors has come under scrutiny. The recent events in Britain and their links with Australia have
raised suspicions about the role of professionals, particularly doctors, as
agents of violence and terrorism.
As a Muslim doctor, who
has lived in the United
States since the early 1980s, Dr Hayat will
present an alternative view of the positive role doctors have played in
building bridges across religious divides. The narration is essentially
focused on events since the terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001, but
it does draw upon the events preceding the attacks with special reference to
her philosophy about how Muslims need to live in the west.
Dr Hayat also refers to
her own experiences and journey as a Muslim female doctor in the US mid-west.
By discussing how the events since 9/11 have affected Muslims in St.Louis,
and the responses designed to deal with these issues and build bridges across
faiths, she wishes to dispel another myth: interfaith dialogue is not the
preserve of men only. Muslim women have also played their part. The process has
been coloured by both support and resistance from outside and within the Muslim
community.
She suggests that the
positive forces need to be strengthened by dialogue and collective efforts
to serve the community at large. The negative forces can be dealt with through
education and speaking out against violence and oppression.
Bio
Ghazala Hayat,
M.D., joined the faculty in 1986 and was appointed the director of
Neuromuscular Service and the Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory. Dr. Hayat
graduated from King Edward Medical
College in Pakistan in 1977. She finished her
neurology residency at the Medical College Virginia
in 1985. The following year she pursued a fellowship in neuromuscular diseases
and electrodiagnostic medicine at the same institution.
Dr. Hayat is board certified by the American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine and
has clinical neurophysiology certification by the American Board of Psychiatry
and Neurology. Under Dr. Hayat’s directorship, the Clinical Neurophysiology
Laboratory and Neuromuscular Services have expanded tremendously. Emphasis is
given to clinical services, research and training of residents and fellows. The
Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory is one of the best in the area and provides
the highest quality studies.
Dr. Hayat’s interests include peripheral neuropathies,
compressive neuropathies, neuromuscular junction disorders and
electrodiagnostic studies. She has published on various topics in her area of
expertise. She has served on the Education Committee of the American
Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine and has been an examiner for the American
Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
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