Beneficiary attendant position | “Forbidden” and “humiliating” for Muslims, according to two imams

In the midst of a health workforce shortage, two Montreal imams are actively seeking to dissuade Muslims from working in this sector, claiming for example that they are “forbidden” to be beneficiary attendants.

Adil Charkaoui and Hamza Chaoui, who have made headlines several times in the past, believe that many tasks performed by medical professionals violate Sharia law.

Being attendants to beneficiaries “is prohibited” because they see “the private parts” of people of the other sex, assured Mr. Chaoui, in a sermon entitled “Legitimate and illicit professions in Canada”. which he pronounced with Mr. Charkaoui. The Assahaba mosque, rue Bélanger, posted the video online on January 5. “Besides that, we, as Muslims, did not come here to be humiliated. I find that this work […], it is an insult to Muslims. »

The imam reported the response he gave to a Muslim woman who was considering answering the government’s call to work as an attendant: “It’s unacceptable, it’s haram [illicite]“It’s a humiliating job,” he continued.

A few minutes earlier, the imam had also set out the conditions that would de facto prevent Muslims from working as health professionals. “It is not permissible for the doctor and the nurse – and [aux autres professions] in the medical field – to treat a woman, except in the case of the absence of a female doctor, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, disbeliever,” he said. “The doctor must only treat the place he needs to treat or see” and the woman must be accompanied by a man from her family “so that there is no slippage”.

Since these conditions are “almost impossible” to respect in practice, Imam Chaoui recommends very specific specialties to Muslims: urology (for men), pediatrics and pediatric dentistry.

Several other prohibited professions

The two imams did not respond to the interview request from The Press. The video was removed from Facebook just after we sent our messages, even though it had more than 7,000 views.

The rest of their conference focused on other professions permitted and prohibited – in their opinion – for Muslims.

Any work in a financial institution, an insurance company or even a subcontractor of these industries is strictly prohibited, they argued, under the ban on Muslims receiving interest on a loan.

A Muslim can become a hairdresser, but only if he does hair for clients of the same sex, refuses to do layers (prohibited by Muslim law, in their opinion), and maintains the beard properly.

Employment in a business that earns income from the sale of alcohol or pork (restaurant, grocery store) is prohibited. To mitigate the problem, negotiations are sometimes possible to work away from these products, in another grocery sector, for example, they argued. Adil Charkaoui notably stressed that the current labor shortage makes it easier for workers to accept a job, but only under very specific conditions.

“Extremely marginal”

Rachad Antonius is a professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal. Last year, he published a book on Islam and Islamism in the West.

In his opinion, the speeches of MM. Charkaoui and Chaoui will have little impact in the Muslim community of Montreal.

“This guy, Charkaoui, is an extremely marginal guy. Dangerous, but marginal,” he said in a telephone interview.

Adherence to religious practices varies greatly in the Muslim community. But “when it comes to employment, we take these things much less seriously,” assured Mr. Antonius. “There are Muslim doctors in every hospital, including veiled women. There are Muslim nurses in all hospitals. »

Mr Antonius added that he felt these imams did not deserve the media attention given to them.