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U.S. Muslims Give Support to Embryonic Stem Cell Research - Survey
By Ayesha Ahmed
WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (IslamOnline) - A panel of Islamic scholars, doctors and scientists has endorsed embryonic stem cell research, according to a statement issued Tuesday by an Islamic advocacy group, the Islamic Institute (II), which also included the results of a survey which found that a majority of American Muslims support stem cell research.
The Washington-based "Islamic Institute supports stem-cell research on... spare embryos from in-vitro fertilization," the statement said.
"Under the Islamic principle of the 'purposes and higher causes of the Shari'ah (Islamic law)', we believe it is a societal obligation to perform research on these extra embryos instead of discarding them."
Embryonic stem cells are generally acquired from surplus embryos that would otherwise be destroyed, although there is also the possibility of creating embryos for the specific purpose of harvesting cells - an aspect on which the panel did not take a stance.
The process of obtaining cells from an embryo also results in the destruction of the embryo - a sticking point at the crux of the controversy before U.S. President George W. Bush. On national television, on August 9, he said that he would approve federal funding for limited stem cell research, involving only research done on existing stem cell lines.
Scientists hope that the research allowed by federal funding will prove the "therapeutic potential" embryonic stem cells have for alleviating diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, chronic heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and liver failure, among others.
"Research on embryonic stem cells is one of the most promising, yet controversial scientific opportunities of our time," the Islamic Institute statement said.
The Institute's survey found that out of 629 individuals polled, "62% (394) stated their overall support for research on human embryos. 73% (457) stated that it is acceptable to use embryos that have already been donated from in-vitro fertilization procedures, while 61% (383) stated their support for using embryos to be donated in the future."
A surprising result, according to II's executive director, Abdulwahab Alkebsi, was the number of Muslims - 43 percent of those polled - who felt "it is acceptable to produce embryos specifically for stem-cell research purposes," according to the statement.
"I expected very few to say yes on that one," Alkebsi said Wednesday. "But I think most of us feel that it's not a life... maybe a lot of us feel that the benefits out of it would outweigh any ethical questions about it."
Alkebsi, who was also a member of the panel, said that the panel did not claim a position on the creation of embryos for the purpose of research because of serious ethical questions, rather than theological or religious questions.
Alkebsi echoed the statement's concern of the potential for misuse in explaining why the panel did not include this aspect in its statement.
"The panel's decision was that until there are further guidelines that are clear and unambiguous, we're going to hold off on taking a position on that one," he said. "How do we ensure that it won't be abused?"
He added that none of the panel's Islamic scholars felt the decision involved the moral issue of taking a human life, because according to the accepted Islamic position, the embryo is not actually considered a living human until a number of weeks after conception, although the number of weeks is disputed among scholars.
"We had a lot of ethical questions regarding this issue... it was a question of ethics for us, not of tahleel [allowing] and tahreem [forbidding]," he said. "The production of embryos is not haraam, not a theological issue... it's not producing a life."
Stem cells removed from an embryo for research are taken during the early "blastocyst" stage, when the embryo is only 4-5 days old, and according to Islamic rulings, not a human life yet.
The issue of the destruction of human life was one that the Catholic Church took a very strong stance on.
Pope John Paul II condemned the use of any medical process that resulted in the destruction of life during a statement on July 23, made during Bush's first visit to the Vatican, while the U.S. president was still debating federal funding for stem cell research.
The pope said that "...a tragic coarsening of consciences accompanies the assault on innocent human life in the womb, leading to accommodation and acquiescence in the face of... proposals for the creation for research purposes of human embryos, destined to destruction in the process."
His remarks did not specifically address the issue of embryos yielded by fertility treatments, and thus not created for the specific purpose of research; but by defining life as "conception until natural death," the pope left little room for doubt that he broadly opposes embryonic stem cell research.
Alkebsi emphasized that the Muslims on the Institute's panel had great respect for the Church for coming to the position that they took.
"It's important to show that the Muslims scholars respect the position that the Catholic Church has reached," he said.
But, he added that the panel only provided an informed position based on Islamic principles and available scientific information, rather than an ultimate religious ruling, as Muslims do not have a hierarchy of rulings beyond the authority of God and the Prophet Muhammad (saw).
He also reiterated that the position taken by the panel was in no way a fatwa (religious decree) issued by the Islamic Institute, which is strictly a political organization, he said.
"It is an Islamic opinion subject to further enhancements in the case of scientific developments unknown to us at this time," the statement said.
Alkebsi stressed the importance of the Muslim opinion being presented on this issue to provide leadership and education for America.
"We sincerely believe in the importance of Muslim Americans being involved in policy making, and we felt that stem cell research is an important issue not just for Muslims to participate in, but there's a need for America to have the Muslim point of view," he said.
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