Muslims Against Terrorism

Alberta: 28 Crowfoot Terrace NW, P.O. Box 68142, Calgary, Alberta T3G 3N8, Canada

 

Date:   May 2, 2009

For Immediate Release

MAT Welcomes the Name Change of Swine Flu to H1N1

Name change will help in reducing misguidance

 

Yesterday Toronto Star reported that the Swine Flu will not be called “Swine Flu”. It will be called H1N1 flu in order to save hog industry. Hundreds of Canadian families (non-Muslims) depend upon the hog industry and Canadian government needs to save them. Muslim Against Terrorism and the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada welcome this decision.

 

“Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu, and pig flu) refers to influenza caused by those strains of influenza virus that usually infect pigs and are called swine influenza virus. Swine influenza is common in pigs……..Transmission of swine influenza virus from pigs to humans is not common. When it is transmitted, it does not always cause human influenza; often, the only sign of infection is the presence of antibodies, detectable only by laboratory tests. When transmission results in influenza in a human, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People who work with pigs, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine flu”. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu).

 

Toronto Star reported yesterday, “The change in name from "swine flu" to H1N1 came after Egypt began slaughtering thousands of pigs Wednesday in a misguided effort to prevent the spread of the disease, even though public health officials say there is no evidence to suggest it has anything to do with live swine or pork products. Canada followed the lead of the WHO in changing the name yesterday.

"From this time we will be referring to this human virus as the H1N1 flu virus to make it very clear that this disease is not spread from pigs or from either pork or pork products," Butler-Jones said at a press conference yesterday” (http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/627496).

 

The entire media of North America accepted these directions and decided to call “Swine Flu”, “H1N1 virus / flu”.

Muslims Against Terrorism and Islamic Supreme Council of Canada welcome the delinking of Swine Flu from Swine in order to protect thousands of Canadians (non-Muslim) whose businesses and livelihood depend upon the hog industry. But what about delinking a fictitious link between Islam and terrorism that was created by misinformed, racists and Islamophobe lobbyists?

 

MAT and ISCC ask the Canadian and the American media when they will recognize that the linking of terrorism with Muslims and Islam puts millions of Muslims in danger and they suffer greatly due to this misguidance.

 

Swine Flu and the current pandemic do really have a link but the Canadian media wants to rename this link in order to protect Canadians, while there is no link between Islam and terrorism but the same media tries to link Islam and Muslims with terrorists.  Identifying a terrorist as “Islamic or Muslim terrorist” puts lives and livelihoods of every Muslim in danger.  This should also change.

 

Terrorism must be condemned in all shapes or forms but it should NOT be linked with Muslims and Islam. Where is honesty and fairness in the Canadian free media?

 

For any questions, please contact Imam Syed Soharwardy at 403-831-6330. Thanks