A Muslim perspective on abortion: Beyond ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-life’

A caller “pro-choice” billboard run successful Chicago, designed by a progressive “reproductive wellness and justice” foundation for Muslims, has reignited a analyzable speech connected termination rights wrong the Muslim American community.

Using societal justness connection of the left, the billboard has called connected Muslims to align themselves with secular arguments for termination and enactment “reproductive rights” fully. However, the telephone did not resonate with galore successful its people audience. Many Muslims recovered the presumption represented connected the billboard failing to seizure the extent of Islamic perspectives connected termination and frankincense unrepresentative of their satellite view.

When I, on with different pistillate students from the Chicago-based Muslim assemblage Darul Qasim, wrote an open letter successful effect to the billboard run underlining its inadequacy and oversimplification of a profoundly analyzable issue, we received an outpouring of enactment from the community. This was a reflection of the concerns galore Muslims person implicit the binary framing of “pro-choice” and “pro-life” successful the termination debate.

Since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a lawsuit that had recovered American women had the close to marque their ain reproductive choices, termination has been a superior taxable of treatment and root of part successful communities crossed the country.  As the contented further divided an already polarised federation earlier caller landmark elections, some sides of the statement began presenting their presumption arsenic the lone close and motivation one. In this environment, Muslims recovered themselves struggling to sift done propaganda and politically charged misrepresentations of the Islamic positions connected abortion.

In fact, arsenic 1 of the goals of Islamic instrumentality is preservation of life, Islam neither afloat opposes nor unconditionally supports abortion. As is the lawsuit with different delicate issues, Islam’s guidance connected termination is precise nuanced and grounded successful ethical principles and divine law. As the statement continues to predominate the US conversation, possibly some the near and the close could payment from attempting to larn from the Islamic perspectives connected the issue, alternatively than trying to propulsion Muslims into their camp.

So what precisely is the Islamic guidance connected abortion?

In Islam, decisions connected issues similar termination are not based solely connected idiosyncratic autonomy oregon idiosyncratic rights, arsenic is the lawsuit successful secular Western discourse. Instead, they are guided by Islamic teachings and rooted successful a broader ethical and theological framework. Muslim jurists deduce rulings connected termination from superior sources specified arsenic the Quran and Sunnah and cautiously see factors similar the wellness of the parent and the viability of the fetus astatine antithetic stages of its development. This approach, which respects some the mother’s payment and the sanctity of unborn life, does not acceptable neatly wrong American governmental binaries but alternatively upholds a unsocial and broad imaginativeness of justice.

Thus, attempts by progressives, similar the foundation down the Chicago billboard, to contiguous their black-and-white views connected termination arsenic representing the Islamic presumption are highly misguided.

As pre-eminent American Muslim student Shaykh Amin Kholwadia precocious noted, progressives often effort to  “hijack the mainstream Muslim narrative” connected issues similar abortion, adjacent though their positions bash not bespeak those of the immense bulk of Muslims globally oregon the accepted values and morals of Islam. Muslims should cull specified attempts, arsenic galore did successful Chicago, due to the fact that the Muslim presumption connected an contented similar termination should beryllium rooted firmly successful Islam’s cosmopolitan and timeless principles, and not connected governmental trends successful the West.

For instance, the connection of “reproductive rights” utilized by the pro-abortion rights question frames the speech connected termination arsenic 1 that should beryllium centred connected idiosyncratic freedom. However, Islamic morals instrumentality a antithetic approach. The assemblage successful Islam is considered a spot (amanah) from Allah with its attraction and usage governed by divine guidance alternatively than idiosyncratic discretion. Thus, the choices we marque concerning our bodies should see our accountability earlier God alternatively than conscionable our idiosyncratic preferences, desires and rights.

This rule illustrates wherefore Muslims should look beyond the limitations of the “pro-choice” vs “pro-life” statement and instrumentality a much holistic and faith-centred attack to the contented of abortion. Rather than viewing termination simply arsenic a substance of idiosyncratic rights, we should recognize it arsenic an contented embedded wrong a ineffable ethical framework, 1 that should beryllium handled by considering the rights of the parent and the unborn kid arsenic good arsenic accountability successful the hereafter.

While immoderate American Muslim organisations whitethorn question to confine Islamic perspectives wrong secular dogma to acceptable successful with their progressive governmental allies, it is indispensable that Muslim Americans look beyond this politically driven rhetoric. We indispensable crook to knowledgeable scholars to usher america connected ethical questions astir women’s health, ensuring our perspectives are grounded successful Islamic knowledge. As Kholwadia explains, with 1.8 cardinal Muslims worldwide, the values of Islam widen acold beyond America’s borders and governmental climate.

Our scholars person provided america with a wealthiness of cognition connected reproductive ethics. They person outlined the goals of Islamic law, when abortion becomes permissible, and the steps a household should instrumentality if they find themselves faced with hard gestation decisions. These rulings – derived from divine sources and ineligible investigation – connection a model that is profoundly compassionate and centred connected the payment of some the parent and unborn child. There is thing to beryllium gained from reframing this immense cognition wrong the “reproductive rights” rhetoric based successful a content successful the supremacy of idiosyncratic freedoms.

When discussing delicate issues similar abortion, American Muslims indispensable honour our robust contented and uphold the sanctity of our bodies, which person been fixed to america by God. We indispensable attack specified issues with a position that reflects the timeless and compassionate principles of Islam. Rather than accepting progressive oregon different perspectives rooted successful Western sermon and realities, we indispensable reaffirm our committedness to an ethical and spiritually conscious attack to life’s astir analyzable questions.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.