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First Cloned Human To Be Born January: Italian Doctor
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| In Islam, human cloning
is completely prohibited |
ROME,
November 27 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Controversial Italian
gynecologist Severino Antinori said a woman carrying a cloned human
embryo should give birth in early January.
He
told journalists the woman’s pregnancy was in its 33rd week, and the
male fetus, which weighs 2.7 kilograms (six pounds), is healthy and
has “more than a 90 percent chance” of being born, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The
gynecologist also confirmed that two other woman are pregnant with
cloned embryos - one them in the 28th week and the other in the 27th.
He
refused to name the country or countries concerned or provide further
details, but said all three women are “in the same geographical
zone.”
The
doctor, who first announced the pregnancies in April, insisted he had
not carried out the procedure himself, and that his involvement was
merely “cultural and scientific”.
Italy
is preparing to pass legislation that would impose tough penalties for
anyone involved in cloning humans.
An
international group of about 20 specialists including Antinori and
American doctor Panos Zavos announced in January of last year they
intended to clone a human being in order to help sterile couples have
children. Antinori said Tuesday, November 25, that he now has almost
no contact with Pavos.
Antinori,
57, shot to notoriety in 1994 when he succeeded in helping a
63-year-old post-menopausal Italian woman become pregnant through
fertilization treatment administered at his Rome clinic.
Speaking
on the issue of human cloning, IslamOnline’s fatwa desk said: “The
Qur’an contains no proofs concerning the possibility of human beings
creating another human being, but there are proofs with regard to the
disability of all creatures to create anything.
“Cloning,
however, is not creation of a human being, but it is the growing of a
cell in such a way that makes it another creature. Thus it is not
creation out of nothing but growing of an already created cell, just
as a seed that is planted by a farmer. This is because a cell contains
all the components of the source from which it is taken.
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| Antinori shot to notoriety in 1994 when he succeeded in helping a 63-year-old woman become pregnant |
“This
is permissible as far as plants and animals are concerned. As for man,
it is not permissible because, if permitted, there will appear typical
created clones, among children, wives, etc., as well as hygienic and
ethical evils.”
Prominent
Muslim scholar, Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa on the subject
saying: “Genetic engineering has only proven to be a nightmare since
animal cloning was carried out and then applied on the famous sheep,
Dolly.
“Animal
cloning has become a nightmare scenario for many people all over the
world, as they have premonitions of it being practiced on human
beings.”
While
he reassured the importance of scientific progress and research in
Islam, Al-Qaradawi said that this progress, like everything in life,
must not collide with faith. It must move in parallel with the
limitations set by religion, which must prevail over man’s course of
life and customize it according to its principles.
He
said that animal cloning is permissible only if it brings about a real
benefit to all people, does not result in harm which is greater than
the benefit it has produced, and must not bear any kind of harm to the
animal used in the process.
However,
human cloning, he said is completely prohibited for a number of
reasons:
1.
It contradicts with diversity of creation.
Allah
has created the universe on the base of diversity while human cloning
is based on duplicating the same characteristics of the original
bodies. This bears great corruption to human life, even though we did
not realize all its forms. For example, if a student of a cloned class
did something wrong, how could a teacher identify him/her while the
whole class had the same features?
2.
If human cloning is permitted, how will we determine the relation of
the cloned in regard to the original - will he be his brother, his
father, or even himself? This is a confusing point.
3.
Cloning contradicts with the pattern of creating things in pairs, as
Allah said in His Glorious Qur’an “And of everything We have
created pairs, that ye may receive instruction.” (Az-Zariyat: 49).
Cloning goes against this principle since it depends on only one
gender. And this matter will cause harm to people.
4.
Knowing that man cannot live alone even in Paradise, Allah, the
Exalted and Glorified, created Hawwa’ (Eve) along with Adam to stay
with him in Paradise, and thus they would be a source of love and
intimacy to one another. It is not only parents who need one another
in order to proceed with life, but also their offspring need them
both. All these meanings can never be acquired through cloning.
Finally,
Al-Qaradawi said that cloning a whole human body is completely
prohibited even if it is for the purpose of treatment. However, if it
goes into cloning only specific parts of the human body such as heart
and kidneys, for the purpose of treatment, this is permitted and
actually recommended and rewarded by Allah, he added.
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