ACCESS TO ASSISTED HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE LIGHT OF ISLAMIC ETHICS by Mohammad Iqbal Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy UCL August 2012 1 Declaration I, Mohammad Iqbal, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Signature: Date: 2 Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the hypothesis that infertile Muslim couples living in secular societies or otherwise are unduly restricted in their approach in making use of the facilities now available through modern human reproductive technologies. This is mainly because of the unbending and categorical fixation of the early interpretations of Islamic allegorical verses of the Qur’an by Islamic jurists who remain steadfast in refusing to contemplate the present advanced nature of the changing world. To date, this unilaterally uncompromising attitude of Islamic jurists has not allowed them to issue a clear mandate to infertile Muslim couples, nor has Shari’ah law been sufficiently reviewed by them to consider and incorporate modern science, enabling infertile Muslim couples to have access to the innovative facilities afforded by modern medical human reproductive technologies. The majority of Islamic states are ruled by kings, sheikhs, and dictators on the basis of outdated feudal systems; the fields of religious teachings are left in the hands of religious scholars who are obviously interpreting Qur’anic allegorical verses or Hadiths under the influence of feudal rulers. This thesis also looks into the unethical and compelling defences of patriarchal dominance over the fundamental rights of Muslim females, restraining them from acting freely, and the unfair enforcement of outdated penal systems. The undue insistence of religious encroachment over the firmly established secular systems leaves little room for sufficient attention to be paid to how to become contributors in these changing times and to become part of the globally developing human reproduction systems. Therefore, it has become necessary to deliberate and to devise a model for an appropriate structure, religious or otherwise, to guide infertile Muslim couples in sharing the benefits of modern human reproductive technologies, whilst also remaining true to the core principles of Islam. 3 Table of Contents Declaration.............................................................................................................................................2 Abstract.................................................................................................................................................3 Glossary.................................................................................................................................................5 Introduction..........................................................................................................................................9 Chapter One - Islam and Assisted Reproduction in a Secular Society.......................................... 47 Introduction.................................................................................................................................47 Islamic Ethics, Adoption and Assisted Conception ......................................................................52 Lineage and Genetics..................................................................................................................55 Family Structure and Social Changes.........................................................................................61 Chapter Two - Human Reproduction, Assisted Reproduction and Infertility .............................68 Human Reproduction ..................................................................................................................70 Infertility, Implantation and Fertilisation ....................................................................................79 Conclusions................................................................................................................................100 Chapter Three - Human Reproduction Within the Concept of Secularism and Infertility....... 104 Secularism and Infertility...........................................................................................................105 Chapter Four - Human Reproduction and Modernity in Islam ..................................................129 Chapter Five - Islam, the Development of Human Reproduction Procedures in a Democratic Secular Society and British Muslims.............................................................................................154 British Muslims..........................................................................................................................160 Chapter Six - Precepts of Ethics and Morality in Lineage and Adoption ................................... 162 Lineage and Adoption ...............................................................................................................169 Chapter Seven - Muslim Women’s Struggle for Emancipation ..................................................182 Chapter Eight - The Importance of Reinterpretation of the Allegorical Verses of the Qur’an 206 Conclusions....................................................................................................................................... 220 Biblography ......................................................................................................................................231 4 Glossary Al-walad li’l child of the matrimonial bed firash ‘asr al-tadwin the era of putting the religious texts into writing Abid slaves Ahl al-kitab people of the book Ahrar free person AID Artificial Insemination Donation ajal time period of temporary marriage ‘muta’ ajr money consideration of temporary marriage ‘muta’ al-aql reason alim a learner of Qur’an and Hadith Al-Isaba biographies of the Companions of the Prophet Mohammad al-maslahah public interest issues al-urf local custom amwal property aqd marriage contract aql reason Bid’a Bid’a (innovation) in Islam is an act or errant behaviour, a scandalous violation of the sacred tradition DI donor sperm insemination din religion ESC embryonic stem cell ET embryo transfer fiqh religious knowledge firash matrimonial bed FISH fluorescent in situ hybridisation Fitna civil war FREDI fallopian replacement of eggs with delayed intra-uterine insemination fuqaha jurists gabul acceptance GIFT gamete intra-fallopian transfer Hadith the recorded deeds and sayings of the Prophet Mohammad 5 haquq adami public/personal rights haquq Allah God’s rights Hudud capital crime ibarah al-nass literal or explicit meaning of a given text ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection Idda the waiting period that required a Muslim woman, separated from her husband, divorced or death IFA Islamic Fiqh Association in Jeddah Ijab offer Ijtihad process of legal reasoning IOMS Islamic Organisation for Medical Science iqrar acknowledgement, confession Istishab presumption of continuity Istishan juristic preferences ITI Intra-tubal insemination IUI intra-uterine insemination IVF in vitro fertilisation IVG in vitro growth of oocytes IVM in vitro maturation of oocytes Kafala legal fostering la tabanni fi al- adoption is not permissible in Islam Islam Lisan al-Arab the language of the Arabs Ma’ayb al Rejal the vice of men MAC medically assisted conception madarrah something harmful madrasas Islamic theological schools mahram related by blood, marriage or sexual ties Manfa’ah something useful maqasid objective maslaha consideration of the public interest Maslahah unrestricted public interest Mursalah mujtahid ulama trusted in the exercise of ijtihad muta temporary marriage nafs life 6 namzad engagement nasab a person’s geneology nasl progeny nika permanent marriage PCR polymerase chain reaction PCT post-coital test POST peritoneal oocyte and sperm transfer PROST pronuclear stage tubal transfer PZD partial zone drilling Qanun-e- law of evidence Shahadat+ Qiyas analogical reasoning Quiwama maintenance and protection Qur’an arabi Qur’an in the Arabic language ROSNI round spermatid nuclei into oocytes Sadd al-Dharai blocking the means Salat prayer shar of the law SUZI subzonal sperm injection Ta’dib al Nesvan disciplining women Tafsir commentary on or explication of the Qur’an Taqlid imitation of forefathers Taqwin al-aql al- the process of the formation of Arab thought arabi tarbiyah general care and upbringing of a child TEST tubal embryo stage transfer TET Tubal Embryro Transfer umma community of believers URF local customary precedent usul principle Usul-al-Fiqh well-established Islamic methodology zawaj pair or mate ZIFT zygote intra-fallopian transfer 7 The end of earning is limited and defined, whereas learning and progressing have no limit until we reach our end.1 Petrarca Francesco 1 ‘Rerum familiarm XVII’ (1975), 8 in Opere, Florence, 946. 8 Introduction The unilateral and often uncompromising conduct of some Islamic religious scholars has become a source of great anxiety, especially amongst physicians and clinicians practising modern reproductive procedures when caring for the difficulties faced by infertile Muslim couples, whether living in secular societies or otherwise. It further creates an impasse when interpreting lineage as a spiritual rather than a social issue. Thus, the voluntary approach of modern reproductive technology to relieve infertility has become commonly used