Dear health care leaders,
Our American democracy was founded on the promise of freedom of religion, a conviction that invites immigrants from all over the world and enables our country to grow and prosper. Our health care system is strong because we celebrate that diversity — understanding diverse perspectives and cultural practices is fundamental to providing the highest quality of care.
Today, hatred and xenophobia have been thrust into our daily lives in a way that degrades our common humanity and impairs our ability to work together.
Muslims have been unfairly targeted in a manner that is simply un-American; and as further evidenced by a national Pew Poll, Muslims are viewed with the most distrust of any religious group. Yet, Muslims are important members of our medical communities, representing a disproportionately large percentage of our health care workforce.
Muslim physicians provide high-quality culturally-sensitive care to people of all backgrounds. Muslim nurses are at the bedside providing the human touch for all people in their time of need. Muslim staff members provide essential services from keeping our hospitals clean to serving food in sensitive settings. Health care organizations are only as strong as the people that comprise them and provide the best care when they embrace cultural and religious diversity.
We are a broad group of health care providers who are deeply disturbed by the effect of blatant and subtle animosity towards our Muslim friends. When our colleagues at work have to worry about their family’s safety or their job security, this affects all of us. Our hospitals should not stand for this division, fear and hatred. As some of the trusted leaders in both our local and national communities, health care organizations must take a stand for Muslims in America.
We call upon hospitals and health care organizations to make a bold statement against hatred by sending a strong positive message of solidarity throughout your institution. We encourage you to publicly display your support for Muslim health care providers and staff by sharing these messages and images across social media with the hashtag #MuslimsSaveLives.
This is only the beginning, but even a small message of hope can prevent further harm and reinforce our commitment to care for all patients.
Sincerely,
Concerned Health Care Providers
Guest Writer
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Chethan Sarabu is a third-year pediatric resident at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, with a BS in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University. He is interested in the intersection of health, design, information and society. He occasionally blogs at medium.com/@chethan.sarabu.
Contributing Writer
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Sriharsha Gowtham is a third-year medical student at SUNY Upstate, with a BA in Neuroscience from Columbia University. Born in India and raised in New Jersey, he enjoys political discourse and speaking to whoever is willing to listen. He serves as a fellow at Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign and looking for more causes to support.