Assalamu alaikum WR WB

Polio cases have dropped 99% worldwide since 1988, but the disease continues to persist in a handful of Muslim majority countries. We have an opportunity and a duty to end polio once and for all, and I’m reaching out to ask for your support.

Standing behind polio eradication means much more than just eliminating the threat of this crippling disease – it’s also protecting the health of future generations. The polio program provides a foundation to reach all children with other vaccines and health interventions.

But a polio-free world can only be possible with support from all levels of Muslim communities. A growing number of political and religious leaders in the Muslim world are taking action to end polio, from Imams who have issued nearly 30 fatwas, to governments and philanthropists funding the global effort. As Muslim physicians, we have a particularly important role to play – our voices are crucial to both educate our communities on vaccines and advocate for eradication at a policy-level.

That is why the Federation of Islamic Medical Associations (FIMA) is launching the Muslim Physicians Call to Action on Polio Eradication and Children’s Health (attached), an initiative to unite Muslim physicians against polio, and call for country and global leaders to prioritize eradication.

The call to action will be officially launched in early 2015 – you can show your support by either replying to this message or signing up here: http://goo.gl/forms/JMSvZyuVSt. We ask that you do not publish the call to action text publicly until we finish collecting signatures.

Sincerely,
Dr. Tanveer Zubairi
PRESIDENT, FIMA
8-2 Gulberg Complex, Jail Road
Lahore-Pakistan
Tel: 0092 42 35715231
0092 42 3571 6231
0092 42 3571 5854