CAIRO,
March 22, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – America's largest Islamic civil
liberties group regretted on Tuesday, March 22, the ruling of a US
federal judge to not reinsert a tube feeding brain-damaged Florida
woman Terri Schiavo, leaving her drifting toward death.
“It
is a sad case,” Nihad Awad, the Executive Director of the Council on
American- Islamic Relations (CAIR), told IslamOnline.net over the
phone from Washington.
“Her
life should be saved and doctors should reinsert the feeding tube,”
Awad said.
Judge
James Whittemore earlier on Tuesday issued a ruling in Tampa, Florida,
rejecting the request by Terri Schiavo’s parents, Bob and Mary
Schindler, to have the tube reinserted
Schiavo
has been in what state courts have accepted is a “persistent
vegetative state” since suffering a heart attack that starved her
brain of oxygen in 1990.
Her
husband, Michael Schiavo, says she would not want to be kept alive in
her condition and should be allowed to die. The tube was removed on
Friday, March 18, under a state court order.
“[But]
She is not dead,” Awad added emphatically, noting that God and US
Constitution gave her the light to live.
The
Shindlers appealed Tuesday to a higher court after Whittemore’s
ruling, according to Reuters news agency.
Yes
to Intervention
 |
|
A supporter of Terri Schiavo holds a poster in front of Woodside Hospice, in Pinellas Park. (Reuters)
|
Awad
also it was “good” of President Bush and Congress to intervene in
the controversial issue that split American society down the middle.
“I
personally agree that Bush and Congress have intervened to save one
life,” Awad said. “You know it is a matter of humanity.”
Asked
whether Bush was employing religion to make political gains, Awad said
it has been always the case to bring politics to the middle of burning
issues that surface every now and then in the US.
“You
find politics in every debate in the US with the usual two camps: the
supporters and the opponents.”
On
Monday, March 21, President Bush signed emergency legislation aimed at
prolonging the life of the 41-year-old Florida woman.
“In
cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial
doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a
presumption in favor of life. This presumption is especially critical
for those like Terri Schiavo who live at the mercy of others,” Bush
was quoted by Reuters as saying.
CAIR
is a nonprofit, grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. It is
America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices
nationwide and in Canada. The national headquarters is located on
Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.
Since
its establishment in 1994, CAIR has worked to promote a positive image
of Islam and Muslims in America.
