Muslims, Islam, and Organ Donation: Righting Social Narratives and Designing Ethically Balanced Educational Interventions.

Abstract

The popular narrative about Muslims and organ donation, especially about Muslims in the diaspora, is that Muslims have unfavorable sentiments about organ donation. Furthermore, this skepticism is associated with Islam in the sense that pious Muslims are regarded to be more averse to organ donation, and Islamic edicts that judge organ donation to be religiously forbidden are thought to be erroneous. Based on this narrative, public health leaders encourage organ donation by teaching Muslims about the social advantages of organ donation and linking these advantages to religious edicts that consider organ donation to be lawful. We examined the factual and moral foundations of this narrative of Muslims, Islam, and organ donation. Our analysis demonstrated that the narrative is undermined by methodological flaws in existing empirical research and misconceptions of Islamic normativity. We contend that Muslim concerns about organ donation extend beyond whether it is religiously allowed and that contextual circumstances produce diverse and equally acceptable Islamic viewpoints on organ donation. As a result, we advocate that educational initiatives aid informed decision-making by debunking misunderstandings about organ donation and promoting plurality of Islamic ethicolegal positions on the practice.