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| * Recommendations and Final Statement: General Principles
* Recommendations approved: a) Drugs and Psychologically Harmful Substances d) Strengthening and enhancing the role of anti-drugs bodies * Public Awareness of Smoking Risks
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* Recommendations and Final Statement:
In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful Praise be to God, Lord of all creation, and peace be upon the seal of the Prophets, Mohammed, and on all his family and companions.
Cognisant of its pioneering role in dealing with the major problems concerning human life and man’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being; and being fully cognisant of the threat felt by the ummah’s scholars and intelligentsia of the alarming world-wide spread of intoxicants, engulfing the Arab and Muslim worlds and threatening the health and safety of millions, especially young, people; and in response to the kind invitation by Dr. Ihsan
Dogramaghi, the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences (IOMS), in collaboration with the Islamic Education, Science and Culture Organization (ISESCO) and the World Health Organization, held its Sixth International Convention for Islamic Medicine under the title: Drugs, Psychologically harmful Substances and Smoking: A threat to Future Generations, during the period 7-10 Jumada al-Aoula 1419, corresponding to 29/8 to 1/9/1998, in Istanbul, Turkey, under the auspices of His Excellency President Sulayman Demiril of Turkey.
The President’s address was followed by speeches by HE Dr. Ihsan Dogramaghi, HE Dr. Abdulrahman al-Awadi, HE Dr. Abdulaziz al-Twaijeri, HE Dr. Hussain al-Jazaeri, and HE The Turkish Minister of Health whose address was read by his deputy, Dr. Yaldiz Baterbajil.
The Convention was opened with recitation from the Glorious Quran followed by a letter from the Turkish President in which he pointed out that the Muslim ulema’s concern regarding drugs and smoking emanates from Islam’s own concern for man’s well-being. He expressed the belief that the Convention, by combining modern scientific knowledge with the age-old heritage of Islam, would make a tremendous contribution to the fight against drugs and smoking.
At the end of the inaugural session, IOMS prizes, offered by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science, were presented to Dr. Muhammad Sulayman al-Ashqar and Dr Muhammad Nazar al-Doqr.
Scientific sessions were then convened as shown in the Convention programme.
The Convention was attended by over seventy invited participants specialising in various related fields. Subcommittees were appointed for every session, consisting of a Secretary and the presenters of scientific papers who would summarise the papers and the discussions and recommendations. Reports of the sub-committees were then reviewed by the Draft Committee who summarised them in the form of general principles and a list of detailed recommendations, as follows:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES:
The participants have approved the following General Principles:
1. Physical and mental health is a blessing from God Almighty. Any threat or harm caused to it is liable to exact a high price. Accordingly, the protection of humanity against any harmful or disabling substances is a paramount Islamic duty.
2. Addiction to intoxicants, drugs, tobacco and other psychologically harmful substances, in all its forms, has today become a world-wide problem, with not a single country being immune from it. Muslim countries have a duty be at the front of the international effort to prevent this epidemic and protect present and future generations against it.
3. The many dangers that threaten humanity as a result of this problem are far greater than many people, including its victims, can imagine. This fact calls for effective education, based on proper scientific methods and approach.
4. Muslim countries, In particular, should be at the forefront In fighting this epidemic, guided by the Quranic principle: “Do not kill yourselves,” and: “Do not with your own hands bring destruction upon yourselves,” and the general rule propounded by the Prophet that: “Harm should neither be inflicted nor sustained.” Furthermore, the human mind is the seat of responsibility and accountability, protected by the shariah; any violation, invasion or disabling of the mind, in any way whatsoever, is in violation of the shariah and contrary to its spirit and aims.
5. Fear of God and the incentive of faith and religious deterrence form, altogether, the first line of defense in this regard, and it should be fortified and strengthened further by all available means.
6. To achieve this goal, all countries must rectify the United Nations conventions on the banning of illegal trade in drugs, and psychologically harmful substances.
7. A factor of success has also been the support given to resolutions passed at the Extraordinary Session of the UN General Assembly, held during 8-10 June 1998, on prevention of illegal drugs, including reinforcement of drugs control and their progenitors, prevention of money laundrying and the reduction of demand for drugs, the elimination of farming of illegal substances and support of alternative development programmes, and the combat of amphithamins. Depending on the particular regional situation, support for the Arab world strategy for the combat of drugs and psychologically harmful substances, would increase the chances of success in prevention and treatment for the Arab population.
8. Prevention will have a better chance of success if it starts with the young and before it is too late. This requires the incorporation of educational material in the school curricula from primary levels onwards, and the training of parents, teachers and instructors. Special procedures must be put in place with such flexibility as to allow the use of religious values, useful customs and traditions in the prevention or treatment processes.
9. Care for future generations dictates that the provision in the mother’s womb of a clean and healthy environment. This means more educational and health care for pregnant mothers.
10. The proven success of religious education and instruction in the prevention of drug addiction and the treatment of addicts is in need of greater support and encouragement. More field studies and scientific documentation is required in this area.
* Recommendations approved:
The following Recommendations were approved:
I. Drugs and psychologically harmful substances: Legislation:
1. Gradual application of punishment for drug crime and abuse of psychologically harmful substances, in accordance with the seriousness of the offence. Severe punishment should be prescribed for smuggling, manufacture, cultivation and working with international drug mafias. Internal drug dealing and consumption should be less severe, while addicts who volunteer for treatment should not be punished at all.
2. Drug laws must give special priority to the protection of the young, by prescribing sever punishment for introduction of drugs to the young under a certain age, or exploiting them in the spread of drugs.
3. Domestic law should, as soon as possible, be amended to incorporate provisions of international conventions, especially that on trade in illegal drugs and psychologically harmful substances of 1988, and Its provisions on returns, precedents, non-listed chemicals and supervised delivery.
4. Passing laws to simplify procedures for investigation and pursuit of illegal drug trade across national borders, in sea, air and land, or in free trade zones, or through the post.
5. Pass legislation that would encourage informing on drug smuggling, manufacture or growth, as well as on joining drug gangs. l.a.6 Giving urgent legal priority to drug cases so that they may be investigated and dealt with faster. Recommendation should be made to implement specialisation system in criminal law and general prosecution.
II. International co-operation
1.Urging all countries to join without delay the 1988 Convention on illegal trade in drugs and psychologically harmful substances, and other related conventions.
2. Lend material and moral support to the United Nations programme, to enable it to provide better services to anti-drug organizations.
3. Encourage and support exchange of information among national anti-drug departments and other concerned regional and international bodies, especially with respect to new lines of trade, international drug groups, new smuggling methods and the developments in the use of unlisted substances. To promote the formation by anti-drugs bodies in different countries of joint teams and to provide their members with the required legal protection.
4. Support the role of the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences and the World Health Organization in activating national and regional bodies in drawing up a scientific approach to tackle the drug problem in every country or region.
5. Urge government to encourage customs services in their co-operation with the International Customs Origination through its regional offices.
6. To make use of programmes, field studies and scientific publications offered by regional and international organizations, as well as successful experiments in some countries for reducing drugs demand.
III. Strengthening and enhancing the role of anti-drugs bodies:
1. Training
a. Training of all prevention and related staff should be full and well co ordinated and should be subjected to the same supervision that links them together within proper and scientific planning.
b. Security officers training should emphasise their commitment to proper application of the law, stressing the importance of human rights, which the law is laid out to protect. They should also be urged to provide concerned bodies with all available and accurate information they need, whose publication is not deemed detrimental to the prevention effort.
c. Court officials training, in particular, should concentrated on issues related to international co-operation on exchange of offenders, handing over of drugs, legal and technical assistance, apprehension of funds earned through illegal trade in drugs, in preparation for taking the measures required to confiscate them.
d. Customs officers’ training should emphasise the importance of local effective co-ordination with the police authorities in their own countries, and the ways to benefit from advanced methods offered by the International Customs Organization.
e. Training of criminal judges dealing with drug-related cases should include the holding of seminars dealing with the best ways to implement the principles of self-persuasion and discretionary powers which are conducive to the aims of the law and dictated by the special nature of drugs crime.
Enhance the material and technical means available to security and customs authorities by acquiring new scientific methods and techniques in order to upgrade their performance in accordance with the risks they face.
g. Attract the expertise of economic experts to benefit those working in combating illegal drugs and to facilitate their efforts in tracking down money laundering operations arising from the illegal trade in drugs and psychologically harmful substances.
2. Judicial data and statistics:
a. Great care should be given to judicial statistics to cover all information gleaned from judicial files and the communiques addressed to relevant bodies and the information obtained from treatment and rehabilitation institutions.
b. To promote the use of intelligence approach in dealing with information, and encourage the incorporation of such an approach in national prevention strategies, with the aim of providing accurate regular information and to help policy makers and executives improve their planning and performance.
c. To call for setting up a database containing as many countries as possible, in order to provide the relevant bodies with all needs of prevention, treatment and after-care and to help with meeting the demand.
3. Study and research.
a. Promote field studies closely related to the issue and provide financial and moral support to such work and to centres engaged in it.
b. Seek to prepare a comprehensive approach to prevention, based on Islamic principles, in the form of a critical look into the philosophical background of the status quo, combining social, educational, legal and religious aspects. This new Islamic understanding should then be published and made widely available in all Muslim countries to guide their efforts of prevention.
c. To urge universities and other centres of research to co-operate and participate in scientific research on combating drugs, especially with respect to the real needs and essential balanced requirements for drawing up a comprehensive strategy.
4. Non-Governmental Organizations
a. Provide greater support to NGO’s working in this field, and bring about proper co-ordination between them and government departments, for a better utilisation of their constructive work.
b. Promote the formation of NGO’s to participate, according to the national plan, in prevention, care, education and treatment of problems arising from drug addiction and in caring for addicts and their families.
5. Money Laundering
The Conference recommends that special efforts be made to combat the laundering of money earned through dealing in drugs. It further stresses the importance of supporting intentional, regional, and local co-operation. It urges those countries that have not yet adopted laws and regulations and national programmes to combat money laundering, to do so by the 2002, according to the relevant provisions of the 1988 UN Convention for the prevention of illegal trading in drugs and psychologically harmful substances.
6. Cultivation
The Conference recommends the restriction of the availability of plant origin, by curbing their cultivation and replacing them with other beneficial plants.
7. Education:
General Issues
a.To call for the formation in every country of a supreme national committee with the necessary authority to perform its duty and carry out public education. The committee should be supported by a central body to assess the problems an regular bases and determine its nature and development, and lay down scientific standards by which progress of prevention, evaluation of methods used and proposal of alternatives can be made. It would also collect information and gather facts.
b. Merging programmes of prevention, treatment and training with those of social work, as part of international healthcare programmes, so that efforts can be brought together under one umbrella combining training, treatment, follow-up, research and evaluation.
Religious education
a. Give more attention to treatment through faith and to Islamic principles of dealing with addicts, and urge preachers to promote this kind of treatment.
b. Instill religious belief in the minds of the young by spreading Islamic teachings relating to drug abuse and correcting any existing misconceptions.
c. Promote religious education within medical practices and centres and in hospitals caring for drug addicts.
d. To train special preachers to work on the education of young people, especially the more vulnerable who are targeted by drug pushers.
Education
To call for the institution of a compulsory educational programme at all levels of education, aimed at enlightening young people to the dangers of illegal drugs. Special attention should be given to children and adolescents, for whom specially designed educational programmes should be devised.
Education through the media
a. There is a need for a comprehensive and clear policy on the role of the media in this regard. This should be achieved with co-operation and co-ordination with all media and information institutions, on the one hand, and all concerned religious, educational, social and cultural bodies, on the other. It should be based on knowledge gained through on-going research and established facts. Media programmes should be tested using sample groups from the targeted sectors before presenting them to the larger public.
b. Call Upon Arab and international media groups to produce and present programmes, plays and popular productions that deal with various aspects of drug abuse and addiction, in a credible, realistic and ethical manner.
c. To seek to create an enlightened public opinion with respect to drugs and their harmful effect, through the exposition of their threat to public health and public morals and values.
d. Give more attention to vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents, and endeavour to provide religious, cultural, entertainment, social and recreational facilities to occupy their time.
8. Family and social aspects
Being the main environment in which children are brought up, whose well-being ensure the health of society as a whole, the family has been accorded utmost importance in Islam. Islam promotes marriage and the building of family life on understanding, love, and affection in a way that eliminates conflict and strife. It urges bringing up children and raising them in a healthy environment in which they are taught and brought up properly, especially with regard to the friends and company they choose to associate with.
There is also a need for co-operation between schools and parents when seeking to solve the various problems facing children, such as coming in contact with drugs through friends at school, and saving them from becoming victims of drug abuse and addiction.
9. Addiction treatment
a. To call for setting up a comprehensive strategy to combat addiction, using all available means and taking into account the different levels. Such strategy should be based on the following:
b. Setting -up funds for the treatment of addicts in countries where they have not yet been set up. Such funds should be partially or wholly subsidised by confiscated money or fined imposed on convicted drug smugglers and dealers.
c. building special centres, with a comprehensive range of specialities and independent of psychiatric clinics, to provide care and treatment to addicts. Addicts should be separated according to certain categories and use be made of those who had benefited from treatment.
d. Emphasis should be made on after-treatment social care to protect patients from relapsing into the abuse of drugs and help them to be rehabilitated and absorbed into society again.
Smoking
Having heard all the religious and medical papers submitted, the Conference further recommends the following:
Tobacco smoking is an addiction-forming habit and a cause of a number of health ailments, in addition to being harmful economically and socially. It is, therefore, a substance harmful to man and its use contravenes the five main aims of Islamic shariah. Accordingly, the Conference recommends the following
* Public Awareness of Smoking Risks
Through schools: Since school is an effective institution in the education of young people and in the formation of their behaviour patterns, the Conference recommends the following:
- To make pupils aware of the health, economic and social risks of smoking.
- Psychiatrists and sociologists should give special attention to school children who smoke, investigate the reasons that drive them to smoking, and try and deal with them.
- The Conference further recommended that cigarette advertising be banned in schools and their neighborhoods.
- The Conference urges sports clubs not to allow cigarette advertising within if their own premises, nor accept sponsorship of sports events from tobacco companies.
- The Media In view of the media’s effective and serious role in society, especially in view of the spread of satellite TV, the Conference recommends the following:
a. Newspapers, radio and television should refrain from advertising that promotes smoking of all kinds.
b. The media should contribute towards the spread of awareness of health, economic and social risks of smoking.Executive and Legislative bodies: Being responsible for passing and implementing legislation, the Conference urges these bodies as follows:
a. To pass laws that ban smoking in public and closed buildings, as well as on public transport and aeroplanes.
b. Ban the sale of cigarettes through automatic machines.
c. Ban selling of cigarettes to children under 18 years of age, and ensure the enforcement of such ban.
d. Compensate tobacco farmers fairly and encourage them to grow alternative useful crop, as a step towards a total ban of tobacco farming.
e. Impose higher taxes on cigarette and other tobacco products and utilise the tax revenue to fight smoking.
Non-Governmental Organizations
The Conference recommends:
a. Promote the setting up of non-governmental organizations and societies devoted to the education of families and society as a whole on the risks and, harmful effects of smoking.
b. To work closely with government ministries in combating smoking and urging patients suffering illnesses as a result of smoking to take action against tobacco companies demanding compensation.
Cigarette Production
The Conference recommends to manufacturing countries the following:
a. Cease importation of cigarette manufactured abroad.
b. Reduce domestic production gradually.
c. Not to issue licenses for new cigarette factories.
d. Health warnings to be clearly displayed.
International Organizations (concerned with health)
a. The Conference urges all countries that organizations concerned with food and medicines be charged with supervising tobacco products. These organizations should be allowed to apply the same rules and regulations they apply to food and medicines.
b. To publish all new research in this field and make the results thereof readily available to all countries in order to educate the public to the hazards of such products.
The Conference recommends that mechanisms for implementation and follow-up be set up to ensure the success of the fight against smoking in all countries.
The Conference urges Muslim countries to co-operate with one another in the formulation of policies, laws and organizations that would protect them against multi-national tobacco companies inside each country.
The Conference recommend the adoption of the regional strategy for the Eastern Mediterranean on combating smoking.
At the close of the Conference proceedings, we express out thanks and great satisfaction to His Excellency President Sulaiman Demeriel for his sponsorship of the Conference. We further thank the Turkish government and people for their generosity in hosting this Conference and providing an excellent atmosphere for its success.
The Conference has delegated Dr. Ehsan Doghramagi and Dr. Abdulrahman al-Awadi to hand in a letter of thanks and appreciation to His Excellency the President of the Republic, president Sulaiman Demeriel, in response to the Letter His Excellency had sent to the Conference.
Last but not least, we would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency, Brother Dr. Ehsan Doghramagi for his kind invitation to hold the Conference on the beloved Turkish soil. Words on their own will not do justice in expressing our gratitude for the generous hospitality and kind reception we have received, and the tireless effort and valuable time spent in organizing the Conference and preparing for it, all of which has ensured its success and smooth running throughout.
We would also wish to thank Dr Doghramagi’s assistants and helpers for their hard work in ensuring the comfort of all participants.
The Conference further expresses deep thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, and the Kuwaiti government and people for all their continuous support and care to the Islamic Organization of Medical Sciences, and for their support towards its conferences that are aimed at the good and well-being of Islam and all humanity.
The Conference also expresses its thanks and appreciation to the Islamic Organization of Medical Sciences, the Islamic Education, Science and Culture Organization (ISESCO), and the World Health Organization, as well as to all those who worked on this Conference, for their sincere efforts that have contributed towards the success of this Conference.