Police 'approached' Iraqi doctors

Steven McKenzie
BBC News Scotland

Dr Ameir Al-Mukhtar has previously worked in Aberdeen

An Iraqi doctor has said there has been a marked change in attitude towards his countrymen and women since the car bomb attempts in London and Glasgow.

Dr Ameir Al-Mukhtar is a consultant surgeon at Balfour Hospital in Orkney.

He said some of his Iraqi colleagues in the medical profession have been approached by Special Branch.

Dr Al-Mukhtar said many more doctors were fleeing the troubles in Iraq to the UK to find themselves being scrutinised by the authorities.

From Baghdad, specialist thoracic and vascular surgeon Dr Mohammed H Nemat Almosawi, also told BBC Scotland how friends living in the UK and US were now concerned for their status.

Dr Al-Mukhtar, a member of the Viking Club which includes medical professionals from Orkney, Shetland, Caithness, Fort William, Elgin and the Western Isles, said some of his Iraqi colleagues have lived in the UK for 20 to 30 years.

People can get things wrong and therefore good people, if you like, can pay the price for the baddies Dr Ameir Al-Mukhtar Consultant surgeon

He said: "There has been some change I would say.

"Some of my colleagues have been approached by Special Branch enquiring about some of their background, or activities, or professional work. This is something new."

There are at least 2,000 Iraqi doctors, or medical professionals of Iraqi origin living and working in the UK, according to Dr Al-Mukhtar.

He said: "There are more people coming to the UK as the situation in Iraq becomes more difficult.

"Naturally some of them are new to the system, but the majority have been working in the UK for 20-30 years and have become an important part of the British system.

"Some of them are leading in their specialties like surgery or pathology."

Dr Al-Mukhtar said he had serious concerns about the new climate of suspicion.

I know of friends in the UK and USA who are concerned there might be repercussions with their status Dr Dr Mohammed H Nemat Almosawi

He said: "People can get things wrong and therefore good people, if you like, can pay the price for the baddies.

"The authorities may be wasting their time by looking at the good people and not having the right time and resources, or even understanding, and then the baddies are being overlooked.

"That is very worrying indeed."

Dr Almosawi said reports of the incidents in London and at Glasgow Airport were broken in Baghdad on subtitled international news.

He said: "I know of friends in the UK and USA who are concerned there might be repercussions with their status.

"They are concerned about what might happen, but won't complain if there is any reaction. British citizens have a right to feel angry about what happened."