ROCKFORD — At least once while she’s at work,** Dr. Saima Naeem** pulls a green rug out of a closet, washes her face and hands, and kneels to pray toward the northeast corner of her office, the direction of Mecca.
Financial adviser Tom Muldowney keeps a picture of Jesus on the wall opposite his desk to remind him that God watches over his work. Another investment company leaves Bibles in its waiting room and holds Bible studies for employees.
Car dealer Jim Hawks incorporated a cross into his logo, a move he said sometimes spurs conversations about spiritual matters with customers.
Cont’d…
Cont’d…For Naeem**,** a Pakistani hospitalist at SwedishAmerican Hospital, faith is a overarching presence in her life. To try to separate it from her job or any other part of her life would be unthinkable. Like most devout Muslims,** she prays five times a day.** She even uses a program on her PalmPilot that determines the exact times because the salat schedule is based on sunrises and sunsets that vary throughout the year.
“Our religion is not just in the mosque,” Naeem said. “The way I walk, way I talk, way I eat, way I bathe, it tells me everything. It’s a way of life.”
She also wears her faith. To follow Islamic dictates about modesty and worship, she wears a hijab, or head scarf, whenever she is outside her home. It’s often the first thing her patients notice about her when she makes rounds and many ask her about it. Only once in her nine years as a doctor in the U.S. has anyone refused to be treated by her.
“That tells me that there’s still some ignorance of the religion,” Naeem said.
But most patients are very accepting about medical care from a doctor from a different religion. Jackie Jones, whose mother suffered a stroke and was under Naeem’s care, is a Jehovah’s Witness.
“You give it no thought as long as she respects my feelings and my Bible-based conscience,” Jones said. “She’s been here every day for my mom. She’s been very, very concerned.”
Cont’d…
Rockford Register Star: Local News, Politics & Sports in Rockford, IL
What’s your opinion…i personally think you should not judge anyone based on religion at a work place & you should be allowed to practice whatever you believe in,everywhere.
