I Presented at a Historic Conference in Oman That Endorsed Muslims’ Use of Opioids at the End of Life
A long Israeli and Palestinian collaboration to reduce needless suffering during conflict came to fruition in 2013. I could not fathom how circumstances would change in 2023-2024.
An afterthought added after this Substack article was posted: Being allowed to dispense opioids is essential to palliative care for the dying, not only those dying from catastrophic illness but those dying from the wounds Israelis and Palestinians inflict on each other in times of conflict. Fatal wounds are frequently inflicted on non-combatants in times of conflict, even when it is undeclared conflict.
I was invited by Dr. Michael Silbermann a prominent Israeli physician whom I did not recall having met to give two presentations and to facilitate six small group discussions at a 2013 conference in Muscat, Oman. The conference announced that Islamic scholars and clerics endorsed Muslims’ use of opioids at the end of life.
I was considered part of the Israeli delegation, but I had little grasp of the years of Israeli-Palestinian collaboration required for this achievement amid perpetual conflict. I could not fathom how circumstances allowing this collaboration would be radically changed…