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Istanbul, Tehran

During the past several weeks, we attended two International meetings; The 8th International Congress of Iranian Society of Dermatology and the 5th EADV  spring Symposium. Again, the most valuable gaining was meeting friends and finding new ones!

Vth World Congress of the IACD- December 9-13, 2006- Melbourne, Australia

1st world congress of teledermatology- November 9-11, 2006 - Graz, Austria

The first world congress of teledermatology was another opportunity for me to be in Graz again with my very nice friends from the department of dermatology at LKH.

Opening ceremony was held in the opera house, where my brother-in-law and his friend enriched the party with the sounds of their violins; an unforgettable night.

Photos of the congress are available through this link:

http://www.teledermatology-society.org/worldcongress/photos_OfficialTeledermatologyPhotos/index.html

Omid Zargari, November 2006

15th EADV congress- Rhodes 13-October Omid Zargari

When I was a medical student, among all of those heavy text books which we had to read, there was an illustrated hand book of physiology that I liked very much; it was written by a Greek physiologist who was lost during one of his journeys between islands in Greek. This was why I booked for an air flight from Athens to Rhodes since weeks earlier!

“Mythos” was the name for the dance theater show of the opening ceremony. It began with the birth of the great Goddess mother and ended with a festive dance at the forest of Aphrodite. I liked the dance, but the voice of violin was a little bit super modern for my ears and I guess many of the audiences preferred to hear some “fiddler on the roof” type music.  

The ancient city of Rhodes is one of the world heritage cities and as like as many other things in the world its name doesn’t come from what you think at first (roses), but simply originated from something else (snake in this case) and as like as all of the other Greek things, it has some links to myths. Just to mention it has some relations with sun and Helios, the sun-god and…

I met colleagues from Romania, Egypt, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Syria and the US and almost with all of them the final point of discussions was about nuclear energy!  

The Athens airport was the first airport in which I found a museum and of course I didn’t surprise, but I could become surprised if there were no American flags (Mc Do) in the airport… and I didn’t again!

Omid Zargari, September 2006

14th EADV congress- London 2005   Omid Zargari

13th EADV congress- Florence 2004   Omid Zargari

Picnic Meeting!

On June 18, the Society of Guilanian Dermatologists with the helps of parshayan company organized a wonderfull picnic meeting in the beautiful nature of historical village of masooleh. This was the 2nd spring meeting and nearly all of the Guilanian dermatologists participated with their families in this picnic and enjoyed the fresh air and green ground of the country.

Bam, Earthquake

Dear friends

A devastating earthquake occurred in the ancient Silk Road city of Bam in southeastern Iran about 5:30 AM on Friday. Thousands killed in this earthquake and more than 70% of the city destroyed. The quake also destroyed much of the Bam’s ancient citadel (Arq-e-Bam), one of Iran's best-loved tourist magnets that date back 2000 years.

We condole all of the survivors of this disaster.

www.iranderma.com

I would like to express my deepest condolences to all Iranians. Asking Almighty God to help them and provide them patience & security. Our heart with our brothers in Iran.
Dr Fadi M M Hajjaj

..  I read about the Earthquake this morning in the New York Times.  These events show how puny man is.  The power of nature is so much more powerful than the military juggernauts of our "super-powers." 

All of our prayers go to the people of Bam - their sense of loss must be intense. ...
There are lessons to be learned.  We keep having to learn these over and over again.  How important peace and security is.  A town stood for 2000 years, and within a few moments it can be changed forever.  Something like this is always around the corner.

Sincerely,
David Elpern

...We feel deepest sorrow for the victims of the earthquake. All Egyptians share their brothers in Iran their feelings.

Emad El-Gamal 

Alexandria,EGYPT

I express deep sorrow & shock in this earthquake. May Allah give them heaven who are departed & give them enough consolation who are alive . 

Dr. Nurul Amin

Bangladesh

Iranian writer Shirin Ebadi won Nobel Peace Prize

Iranian writer and lawyer Shirin Ebadi, a female human rights and democracy activist has won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children.

"As a lawyer, judge, lecturer, writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, far beyond its borders,'' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation. It said she has stood up as a "sound professional, a courageous person, and has never heeded the threat to her own safety.''

"I am very happy, and hope that the prize can contribute to the struggle for human rights in Iran," Ebadi said in a telephone interview with Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) after the announcement. Ebadi also said that she hoped the prize would encourage other Muslim woman around the world, and for their fight for equal rights.

Shirin Ebadi is known for representing the interests of persecuted individuals and has braved reprisals for her beliefs. She is one of the first female judges in Iran and received her law degree from the University of Tehran.

We congratulate Shirin Ebadi and all Iranians for Noble Peace Prize winning!

August 23 is the Physician’s day in Iran in memory of Iranian famous physician Ibn- Sina

IBN SINA    980-1037

Abu Ali al-Hussain Ibn Abdallah Ibn Sina (Avicenna) was born in 980 A.D. at Afshaneh near Bukhara. The young Bu Ali received his early education in Bukhara, and by the age of ten had become well versed in the study of the Qur'an and various sciences. While still young, he attained such a degree of expertise in medicine that his renown spread far and wide. At the age of 17, he was fortunate in curing Nooh Ibn Mansoor, the King of Bukhhara, of an illness in which all the well-known physicians had given up hope. On his recovery, the King wished to reward him, but the young physician only desired permission to use his uniquely stocked library.

By 21, he was also given an administrative post and soon wrote his first book. Avicenna was now an established physician and political administrator, professions he continued to practice in the courts of various Iranian rulers, heads of the numerous successor states of Iran that emerged during the disintegration of the Abbasid authority.

On his father's death, Bu Ali left Bukhara and travelled to Jurjan where Khawarizm Shah welcomed him. There, he met his famous contemporary Abu-Raihan Biruni.

Later he moved to Ray and then to Hamadan, where he wrote his famous book Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine).  Here he treated Shams al-Daulah, the King of Hamadan, for severe colic. 

From Hamadan, he moved to Isfahan, where he completed many of his monumental writings. Nevertheless, he continued travelling and the excessive mental exertion as well as political turmoil spoilt his health. Finally, he returned to Hamadan where he died in 1037 A.D.

Avicenna wrote 99 books, almost all in Arabic, the language of religious and scientific expression in the entire Muslim world at that time. However, two of his works, the `Daneshnameh-e-Alai' (Encylopedia of philosophical sciences) and a small treatise on the pulse, were written in Farsi, his native language. He wrote about natural philosophy and astronomy, theology and metaphysics, medicine, psychology, music, mathematics and physical sciences and he is also the reported author of Persian quatrains and short poems:

"Up from Earth's Centre through the Seventh Gate I rose, and on the Throne of Saturn sate, And many a knot unravelled by the Road, But not the Master-knot of Human Fate."

LECTURE NOTES 

"On Tolerance, Intolerance, and Islam" 

By Ali Asani, Ph.D.

Professor, Harvard University 

May 6, 2003 

The speaker was a very pleasant, low-key individual, he spoke slowly and clearly.  For an evening lecture, this was not electrifying and I, for one, had difficulty keeping focused and keeping my eyes open. This is not a criticism of the speaker, but just how my mind works towards around 8:00 p.m. in the evening after a long day at work. 

"Why do they hate us?"

Americans ask that about Muslims.

Muslims ask that about Americans. 

Both groups have stereotypes about "the others."  Americans see Muslims as terrorists, as fundamentalists, as Arabs.  Indeed, of the over one billion Muslims on this planet, only about 20% of them are Arabs (I have to check this number).

The Muslims have certain stereotypes about Americans.  They look on us as the new imperialists, they get a lot of their information about America from TV programs, soap operas and situation comedies. They think we are all promiscuous and rich.

Thus, both sides have stereotypes about the other which tend to dehumanize the other group.  Dehumanization has dangerous consequences as most of the stereotypes are based on ignorance. Professor Asani calls this "the conflict of mutual ignorance." 

Of course, one big topic is the image of Islam as an intolerant religion.  Reading of the Quran does not shed light on Islam any more than reading of the New Testament tells us about what Christianity is today.  For instance, the Bible (New Testament) has been used as a justification for slavery and the Ku Klux Klan. Religious scriptures (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) can be used to legitimize political and economic goals. 

The speaker felt that the Quran is a pluralistic text.

1. It recognizes Mohammed as a prophet.

2. It recognizes other paths to salvation such as the Judaic and the Christian.

But today, some fundamentalists often use it to justify Islam as a superior civilization and this is done to further political goals of certain groups.  So Islam (from the Quran) is a pluralistic ethic.  Chapter 34, line 84, is about tolerance.  The word Muslim in Arabic translates into one who submits, rather than one who conquers.    Muslims were previously called Ahl Al-Kitab: People of the Book.  They are one of the religious groups who received revelation from scripture:  similar to the Jews and the Christians.  Mormons also have their own scripture or revelations.

Given that the Quran teaches pluralism, how can such a pluralistic text be interpreted in such exclusive ways?  The rise of exclusionist Islam derives from complex factors.  Islam has become a religion of empire (in some places) where Jihad is literally translated as a struggle and the original concept was that mankind is a Jihad, but this does not mean conquering others, it means conquering one's self. 

The traditional track of Muslims is that of pluralism, according to the speaker, and this is now under attack.

09/11 saw the rise of Islamophobia.  The FBI now profiles every Muslim mosque.  Some Muslims are afraid to pray.  Some have even changed their names.  Canadian Muslims feel that the civil rights of Muslims in the United States are being violated. Pluralism in the United States has been damaged and changed after 09/11.  In the United States, many Muslims feel they are in a "virtual internment." Hate-filled remarks directed towards Muslims are common in the States now.  They are seen as "protozoa who multiply everywhere." People have suggested that Mecca should be nuked.  The Quran has been compared with Hitler's Mein Kampf.  Islam has been compared to Nazism.

When Muslims from other countries look at the U.S., this reflects on our national religion (Christianity).  It is well-known that the U.S. has one of the highest crime rates in the world.  So, does this mean that Christianity promotes crime?  We should not use the lens of religion to explain culture.

Professor Asani then spoke a bit about Sharia: an Arabic word for the path or the way.  _____ has shown a new way where the path divides for man to follow.  Post 09/11 we have learned how powerful the media is.  They present only what fits the image they want to project.  They tend to print what supports the stereotypes.

To be pluralistic, we need to accept all groups.  For the Muslim community this has to be a time of personal outreach. Muslims have to speak to their fellow Americans, Britains, French, etc. to be understood.

There is much ignorance that divides people along religious lines when Muslims in New York, London, India do not have the same agenda as some Arabs from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria.

It was clear that this lecture was just a beginning.  It was unfortunate that I was so tired and slept through parts of it.  One of the most interesting points was how the media has created our perception of Islam and of Muslims.  Most of us equate Muslim with Arab and Arab with terrorist.  The terrorists are no more representative of the Arabs or of other Muslims that the Ku Klux Klan is of White Christians in the United States.

The Art is long but time is short