Grief in Gaza: A Doctor's Story
Featuring Dr. Ismail Mehr
7-830PM
March 31, 2009
Hall of Languages
Room 207
Syracuse University
Sponsored by the MSA
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Shorthorn Reports on Dr. Mehr's Talk in Texas
Doctor speaks about visit to Gaza, says Israeli embargo must be lifted
Dr. Ismail Mehr said relaxing the Gaza border’s embargo for humanitarian teams is a priority during his March 13 lecture.
Mehr is one of 10 physicians who visited Gaza on a humanitarian medical mission in January. He is the head of anesthesiology at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, N.Y. The Muslim Student Association’s UTA chapter organized the lecture.
“It took us about seven days to get in,” he said. “The borders, on both Israeli and Palestinian side, were not open even to humanitarian teams.”
Mehr offered a brief history of the conflict to help students understand the situation better.
“I had little knowledge about the Palestine-Israel conflict,” engineering junior Pranusha Ravula said. “But Dr. Mehr helped me understand the history well.”
Mehr helped at Gaza City’s Shiffa Hospital.
“There are 13 [government] hospitals in Gaza,” he said. “Two were completely destroyed and numerous were shot and attacked.”
Mehr said novocaine (local anaesthesia), chemotherapy and other medical tools were hard to get into Gaza because of the embargo.
“Nothing will be resolved until the blood of a Palestinian will be respected as much as that of an American,” he said.
Mehr told a story about a 5-year-old boy diagnosed with liver cancer who was denied exit to Israel or Egypt to get treatment.“
There is no chemotherapy in Gaza,” he said. “He would have had a better chance if this embargo allowed him to exit to get treatment.”
Mehr told stories of young children suffering because of lack of medical equipment in Gaza.
“In Gaza, medicine is improvisation,” he said. “This embargo has crippled and choked the medical system.”
A child who fell at home and cut his lip was held down by his mom and stitched, without pain relief, he said.
In Gaza, they don’t use novocaine on a child because there’s no telling how long it might take to get more due to the embargo, he said.
Mehr encouraged Americans to send more humanitarian teams to Gaza.
“Gaza is the largest open-air prison,” he said passionately. “The dilemma is that the rest of the world just sits there and watches.”
The team of 10 physicians visited an orphanage affected by the conflict.
“There were 3,000 new orphans due to this conflict,” he said. “There were some kids diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder because they saw their parents die.”
Mehr said it’s hard to achieve peace until the new settlements being built every year on the West Bank stop.
“The Palestinian people will stand up and be strong every day,” he said. “They are the most hospitable and the bravest people I have ever met.”
Mehr provided help after the 2004 tsunami and the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.
“Tsunami and earthquake were acts of mother nature,” he said. “But with the Gaza situation, you cannot really answer the question why another person did this.”
Mehr asked students to read about the conflict and create awareness.
“History ends up being ‘his’ story,” he said. “It’s not political but if anyone had a human touch, they would stand up for these civilians.”
Mehr’s stories brought tears to some students’ eyes.
Biology junior Mohammed Ali said that he thought the presentation showed reality, and he wished other cultures had attended to increase awareness.
-------------
CORRECTION: It actually took the AMMG team over one day to cross into Gaza, not seven.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Arab Talk Features Dr. Imran Qureshi
Arab Talk co-hosts Jess Ghannam and Jamal Dajani of KPOO 89.5 FM (San Francisco) report:
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Presentation On Efforts to Help Gaza
Susan L Wagner of the Wayland (MA) Town Crier reports:WAYLAND - More than 200 people gathered recently at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland for a presentation titled "Gaza: An Eyewitness Account, Raising Awareness and Funds." The speakers were Drs. Ismail Mehr and Kanwal S. Chaudhry, members of the American Medical Mission to Gaza (AMM Gaza), which visited the Strip in late January, and Yousef Abdallah of Islamic Relief USA.
The AMM mission was the only group of American doctors up to that time to enter Gaza to provide medical assistance after the end of the hostilities of Dec. 27, 2008 to Jan. 18, 2009, with Israel. Their first attempt to enter via Egypt was refused by the Egyptian authorities who control parts of the border. They were finally able to slip in quietly on Jan. 24, staying until Jan. 31.
Mehr, chief of anesthesiology at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, N.Y., was the leader of the team, and Chaudhry, a member of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Kings County Hospital in New York City, was the only woman in the group. Their "base camp," according to Mehr, was al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
During regular working hours, he said, he was assigned to the operating room, providing anesthesia to surgical patients. Chaudhry said she worked in both the medical and pediatric ERs, did rounds in the pediatric wards, and helped out in the operating room when necessary."I also went to the orphanage and did ‘well child checks’ there," she said.
In the afternoons and evenings, Mehr said, "Patients and family members would find us, and so we went to see them and make decisions to get them to the right people on our team to be taken care of."
According to both doctors, the medical crisis in Gaza is acute.
"The people there are suffering tremendously," Chaudhry said. "This is not only because of the most recent ‘Israeli offensive,’ but from the embargo that has been imposed on the Strip for the last 18 months. This does not allow anyone to enter or exit the Strip … and this is causing a slow grueling death among the people. They are not able to receive humanitarian aid, medications (such as chemotherapy), specialty trained health personnel, etc."
Mehr was taken aback at the amount of improvisation that was needed to treat the sick and wounded.
"I have been to third-world countries on medical relief before, and you always have to improvise," he said, "but not to this extent. We did treat acute burns, amputees, and so on, which we were expecting. But what we were not expecting were the children with cancer, the elderly with kidney failure, and middle-aged diabetics who cannot get insulin. These are issues that are fairly treatable and could be managed by a medical system."
The medical system in Gaza, he went on to say, needs a complete revamping and, for this, it is very important for physicians to be allowed into the Strip "unequivocally" for training purposes."It’s like in Iraq, where local troops are being trained to take over. In Gaza, it’s the local doctors and medical workers who need to be trained," he said.
Proceeds from the Islamic Center of Boston event went to Islamic Relief USA, which is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar campaign to benefit the people of Gaza.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Briar Cliff University to Host Gaza Event
Step Into the Promised Land
Unpacking Israel and Palestine
- Hear an ER doctor's (Rick Colwell) experiences in Gaza
- Listen to a Palestinian peace advocate
- Get a local expert's perspective on Israel and Palestine
- Learn about negotiations as a path to justice
7PM Thursday
March 26
Saint Francis Center, Briar Cliff University
Sioux City IA
Sponsored by Briar Cliff University Peace and Justice Committee and Siouxland Peace Coalition
Unpacking Israel and Palestine
- Hear an ER doctor's (Rick Colwell) experiences in Gaza
- Listen to a Palestinian peace advocate
- Get a local expert's perspective on Israel and Palestine
- Learn about negotiations as a path to justice
7PM Thursday
March 26
Saint Francis Center, Briar Cliff University
Sioux City IA
Sponsored by Briar Cliff University Peace and Justice Committee and Siouxland Peace Coalition
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
To Gaza and Back
Chicago Crescent reports
After spending eight days in war-torn Gaza, Dr. Imran Qureshi, an interventional radiologist from Aurora, feels "eye-opening" is an understatement to describe his experience. From understaffed and substandard medical equipment to fragmented buildings standing amidst rubble, the team of Muslim doctors saw first-hand what the world's largest outdoor prison looked like.
Muslim American doctors help heal Palestinians
After spending eight days in war-torn Gaza, Dr. Imran Qureshi, an interventional radiologist from Aurora, feels "eye-opening" is an understatement to describe his experience. From understaffed and substandard medical equipment to fragmented buildings standing amidst rubble, the team of Muslim doctors saw first-hand what the world's largest outdoor prison looked like."I follow the news but I had no understanding of how bad the situation really is," Dr. Qureshi said in an interview of the Chicago Crescent. "But it was amazing to see how resilient the Gazans are about changing their condition."
As expected, Dr. Qureshi performed procedures beyond what he is used to here in Chicago. The team had to perform surgeries with limited anesthesia and very little monitoring. What they had not expected was how hospitable the Palestinians were. They has expected to survive on protein bars but patient's families and others took care of many of their meals. Even though the hotel room doors did not lock, their belongings remain untouched. They were also surprised as to the high regard the Palestinians held Muslim-American doctors.
"Even though 36 doctors and a jumbo jet of supplies from South Africa landed the same day as us, we were given the hero's welcome," Dr. Qureshi said.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Antiwar Group Features Dr. Ismail Mehr
Ream Kidane of the SocialistWorker.org reports:
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--Over 50 people packed the First Unitarian Church March 6 to hear a panel discussion featuring Dr. Ismail Mehr from the American Medical Mission to Gaza (AMMG), and local antiwar activists.
In conjunction with the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA), Dr. Mehr and his team of 12 doctors from the AMMG traveled to Gaza just as Israel's initial military assault ended. Since returning, Dr. Mehr and his team have traveled the country sharing their photos, video and experiences about life under siege in Gaza.
Dr. Mehr's presentation began with a history of Israel's expansion from the early 1940s through its settlement expansion that continues to this day, displacing and expelling the native people all along the way. His photos and video of bombed-out apartment buildings, shot-up medical rehabilitation centers, schools, hospitals and mosques exposed the claim of "Israel's incredible restraint" as a cruel joke.
If the bulldozed cemetery, destroyed Palestinian parliament building and pastures filled with slaughtered livestock were not horrific enough, the crippling effects of Israel's two-year-old embargo and blockade brought many in the room to tears.
Children being held down while doctors stitched up wounds with no anesthetic, simple infections that led to amputation and photos of kidney tumors (a treatable condition in even the poorest countries) grown to the size of footballs due to the lack of supplies and medical equipment reminded us of the slow, agonizing death that many Palestinian men, women and children will face in the coming months.
As the panel continued, Brian Lenzo from Rochester Against War and the International Socialist Organization brought the reasons for the carnage home, with a detailed explanation of the history and ongoing money train, billions of dollars strong, of U.S. government aid that supports Israel's brutality.
Ryan Acuff from the University of Rochester Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and a leading activist from the recently successful campus occupation at U of R, called for a continued mass movement that demands divestment, boycott and sanctions against Israel for its crimes.
The panelists agreed that the coming mobilizations around the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war demanding an end to the occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine are the next key step in building that movement.
The event represented a step forward in integrating the movements for justice in Palestine with the antiwar movement in Rochester. It was also a sobering reminder that many more panels, demonstrations, boycotts and occupations will be needed in order to form that movement.
What you can do
Visit the American Medical Mission to Gaza Web site to find out more about the group or to bring Dr. Ismail Mehr and members of his team to your city.
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--Over 50 people packed the First Unitarian Church March 6 to hear a panel discussion featuring Dr. Ismail Mehr from the American Medical Mission to Gaza (AMMG), and local antiwar activists.
In conjunction with the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA), Dr. Mehr and his team of 12 doctors from the AMMG traveled to Gaza just as Israel's initial military assault ended. Since returning, Dr. Mehr and his team have traveled the country sharing their photos, video and experiences about life under siege in Gaza.
Dr. Mehr's presentation began with a history of Israel's expansion from the early 1940s through its settlement expansion that continues to this day, displacing and expelling the native people all along the way. His photos and video of bombed-out apartment buildings, shot-up medical rehabilitation centers, schools, hospitals and mosques exposed the claim of "Israel's incredible restraint" as a cruel joke.
If the bulldozed cemetery, destroyed Palestinian parliament building and pastures filled with slaughtered livestock were not horrific enough, the crippling effects of Israel's two-year-old embargo and blockade brought many in the room to tears.
Children being held down while doctors stitched up wounds with no anesthetic, simple infections that led to amputation and photos of kidney tumors (a treatable condition in even the poorest countries) grown to the size of footballs due to the lack of supplies and medical equipment reminded us of the slow, agonizing death that many Palestinian men, women and children will face in the coming months.
As the panel continued, Brian Lenzo from Rochester Against War and the International Socialist Organization brought the reasons for the carnage home, with a detailed explanation of the history and ongoing money train, billions of dollars strong, of U.S. government aid that supports Israel's brutality.
Ryan Acuff from the University of Rochester Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and a leading activist from the recently successful campus occupation at U of R, called for a continued mass movement that demands divestment, boycott and sanctions against Israel for its crimes.
The panelists agreed that the coming mobilizations around the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war demanding an end to the occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine are the next key step in building that movement.
The event represented a step forward in integrating the movements for justice in Palestine with the antiwar movement in Rochester. It was also a sobering reminder that many more panels, demonstrations, boycotts and occupations will be needed in order to form that movement.
What you can do
Visit the American Medical Mission to Gaza Web site to find out more about the group or to bring Dr. Ismail Mehr and members of his team to your city.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Physician to Speak on Gaza
Ali Mustansir of The Shorthorn (University of Texas at Arlington) reports:
Physician to discuss his experience in Gaza today at UC Concho Room
The Muslim Student Association will host Ismail Mehr’s visit to UTA today where he’ll speak about his experience in Gaza after the conflict earlier this year.
Mehr is one of ten U.S. physicians from the Islamic Medical Association of North America who travelled to Gaza in January after the cease-fire was announced. He administered medical aid to Gazans with serious illness or injury at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Nanotechnology assistant professor, Electrical Engineering Assistant Professor and the Muslim Student Association Faculty Advisor Samir Iqbal, said he looks forward to hearing about Mehr’s experiences.
“[Mehr] will be speaking with no political connotation and no religious connotation,” Iqbal said, “What is the human situation there?”
Iqbal said he expects people with very strong and differing opinions to attend.
State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, said that Mehr has an important message and that he plans to attend. He said that Mehr is doing the charity work the Quran calls him to do and shows the importance of people being ready to step in to help.
“[Mehr] is a great example of a professional person who gives their skill freely to help others,” Burnam said.
According to the IMANA Web site, their mission is to provide a forum and resource for Muslim physicians and other health care professionals, to promote a greater awareness of Islamic medical ethics and values among Muslims and the community-at-large, to provide humanitarian and medical relief, and to be an advocate in health care policy.
The American Medical Mission to Gaza reports on the humanitarian and medical observations of the physicians who traveled to Gaza.
When: 3 p.m.
Where: University Center Concho Room
Physician to discuss his experience in Gaza today at UC Concho Room
The Muslim Student Association will host Ismail Mehr’s visit to UTA today where he’ll speak about his experience in Gaza after the conflict earlier this year.
Mehr is one of ten U.S. physicians from the Islamic Medical Association of North America who travelled to Gaza in January after the cease-fire was announced. He administered medical aid to Gazans with serious illness or injury at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Nanotechnology assistant professor, Electrical Engineering Assistant Professor and the Muslim Student Association Faculty Advisor Samir Iqbal, said he looks forward to hearing about Mehr’s experiences.
“[Mehr] will be speaking with no political connotation and no religious connotation,” Iqbal said, “What is the human situation there?”
Iqbal said he expects people with very strong and differing opinions to attend.
State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, said that Mehr has an important message and that he plans to attend. He said that Mehr is doing the charity work the Quran calls him to do and shows the importance of people being ready to step in to help.
“[Mehr] is a great example of a professional person who gives their skill freely to help others,” Burnam said.
According to the IMANA Web site, their mission is to provide a forum and resource for Muslim physicians and other health care professionals, to promote a greater awareness of Islamic medical ethics and values among Muslims and the community-at-large, to provide humanitarian and medical relief, and to be an advocate in health care policy.
The American Medical Mission to Gaza reports on the humanitarian and medical observations of the physicians who traveled to Gaza.
When: 3 p.m.
Where: University Center Concho Room
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Gaza Event in Dallas TX
Dr. Ismail Mehr – Islamic Medical Association of North America volunteer in Gaza
Hear the experiences of this medical doctor who practiced in Gaza for a week after the Israeli invasion. Dr. Mehr, a physician from New York , is one of the few Western witnesses to the bombing.
Reception @ 615-730PM
Presentation @ 745PM
University of Texas-Dallas
School of Engineering and Computer Science
South Building
TI Auditorium 2.102
The closest parking to the Engineering School is Lot J, adjacent to the Activity Center , across Drive A from the building. The room is directly inside the Engineering School south building – southwest corner of Drive A.
MAP
Sponsored by:
MSA
Dallas Peace Center
Hear the experiences of this medical doctor who practiced in Gaza for a week after the Israeli invasion. Dr. Mehr, a physician from New York , is one of the few Western witnesses to the bombing.
Reception @ 615-730PM
Presentation @ 745PM
University of Texas-Dallas
School of Engineering and Computer Science
South Building
TI Auditorium 2.102
The closest parking to the Engineering School is Lot J, adjacent to the Activity Center , across Drive A from the building. The room is directly inside the Engineering School south building – southwest corner of Drive A.
MAP
Sponsored by:
MSA
Dallas Peace Center
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