Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/709569
7 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 31 JULY 2016 News A separate study conducted in 2013 among Maltese doctors found that over 90% of doctors say they are against euthanasia but 50% agree with hastening death by intensifying analgesia. Interestingly, 11.9% of the 356 doctors polled by researchers said they had received a request for eu- thanasia from patients. Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Gozo bishop Mario Grech said on Monday that euthanasia could never be in a person's best interest. "The autonomy enjoyed by every human being is not absolute or unlimited. The protection of hu- man life, in particular when this is helpless and vulnerable, is an ethical and legal principle that goes beyond the principle of au- tonomy," they said. In reaction, Magro said "I am happy the Catholic Church has reacted because they keep the de- bate alive." While underlining the Church's "right and duty" to speak out about moral issues, Magro said the Church "should not impose its beliefs on the rest of the coun- try. It would do a great disservice to the country if the Church once again wages a war as it did, to its own detriment, in the divorce ref- erendum. Introducing euthanasia would give people like me the op- tion to choose a dignified death." Quran books at hospital's prayer room desecrated MIRIAM DALLI SLICES of pork were found among the pages of several cop- ies of the Quran at the multi- faith room of Mater Dei Hospital, prompting strong condemnation by the authorities, the Maltese Church and the Muslim commu- nity in Malta. The discovery was made on Friday afternoon when slices of bacon were found in the books, alongside an A4-sized paper bear- ing a picture of Fr Jacques Hamel who was murdered in Saint- Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen, France last Tuesday. Calling Father Hamel "a mar- tyr", the Maltese archbishop went on to condemn the vilification of the Quran. "I condemn the vilification of the Quran; I condemn the abuse of the name of martyr Fr Jacques Hamel. Not in our name," Bishop Charles J. Scicluna tweeted. The pitiful act was reported to both the hospital's management and the police. The Islamic Community in Mal- ta urged everyone to act responsi- bly and spoke against those who encouraged hate. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said the act of vilification of the Quran was an act of provocation and hatred and it was sad that the vandals also left a printout photo of Father Hamel, under the heading 'Victim of Islam'. The message on the paper read: "RIP Fr Jacques Hamel, victim of Islam and its liberal/progressive apologists. A religion with blood on its hand cannot complain that its books are soiled." At 85, Father Hamel did not want to retire and kept celebrat- ing mass and tending to parish- ioners. He was celebrating mass on Tuesday morning when two men with knives entered the small church and slit his throat. The Is- lamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the two assailants were "soldiers" retaliat- ing against the United States-led coalition fighting the group in Iraq and Syria. "We think that this is a very ir- responsible and unjustified state- ment. The truth is, Fr Hamel is not the victim of Islam, but he is the victim of some ignorant, hate- monger, hardliner and extremist people who claimed to be Mus- lims," the Muslim community said. "But, their actions cannot be justified according to the teach- ings of Islam and the Holy Quran – the sacred book of Muslims." Speaking to MaltaToday, Sara Ezabe, a law student and Queen's Young Leader awarded for her commitment to create a more diverse and inclusive society, de- scribed the act as "saddening". "This is saddening, not because of the slices of ham but because whoever did this is responding to hatred with hatred," the 20-year- old Muslim said. "Fr Jacques Hamel, was not a victim of Islam, he was a victim of stupidity, the same stupidity portrayed today. He preached re- spect, unity and love and we can only honour his life by acting as such." Can the perpetrator be prosecuted? Justice Minister Owen Bon- nici told MaltaToday that the desecration of the Quran was a clear act of hatred against Islam. "This hatred makes the act even more despicable and unac- ceptable in our society," Bonnici said, laying out the argument of how the perpetrator/s could be brought to justice. Whilst parliament removed vili- fication of religion from Maltese law, Bonnici said the govern- ment had also strengthened the relevant legal provisions in the Criminal Code which make it il- legal to incite violence or hatred against religions by any means or form of communication. "In the relevant Bill 113, we did open the doors for further artistic freedoms but, at the same time, we strengthened other parts of the law aimed at safeguarding public order," Bonnici said. "The vilification law provided false security on such irresponsible stunts." However, shadow justice minis- ter Jason Azzopardi argued that, in the aftermath of the repeal of the crime of vilification, no crimi- nal steps whatsoever would be able to be taken for that vilifica- tion, even if unrest ensued. "What happened at Mater Dei is no longer a crime and it's useless for the authorities to say that they asked the Police to investigate. The government has authorised the vilification of religion and now let us bask in the glow of such an avant-garde law," Azzo- pardi said wryly. The MP insisted that there were no penal consequences for what happened at Mater Dei: "In fact in Parliament I had quoted the Dan- ish Parliament's retention of the crime of vilification of religion in 2015 for purely public order and societal peace motives. Other Eu- ropean States have retained it for similar motives – Italy, Finland, Austria, Germany and Spain. In Malta fools rushed in where an- gels feared to thread elsewhere." ALS sufferer Joe Magro has kickstarted a debate on assisted suicide for the terminally ill Slices of pork were found among the pages of several copies of the Quran at the multi-faith room of Mater Dei Hospital