What's Muslim worlds/faiths view on stem cell research?

[SayWhatYo]

Not sure why, but that popped into my head just now. I did a search on google but I got a few contradictory answers.

[Rosemary2205]

1. I doubt "the muslim world" has a single view.

Do you understand that it's racist to think all muslims would think alike on any issue?

[Deep13]

2. Muslim is not a race.

What a racist comment!

Unlike race, religions do encourage if not require that all their followers think the same.

[SayWhatYo]

3. Not racist...

It's not racist at all since Muslims are not a race. If I said "Arab World" then perhaps one could stretch and make such a statement. However, that wasn't really question I had. My question was about the 'Muslim world'(perhaps faith would be a better term) since the "Arab World" is comprised of many different faiths. Anyways, despite the fact I think you're being overly sensitive about this subject, I will rephrase it to say "Muslim Religon"... You may find that offensive too, but I ask that you simply change the term Muslim to Christian first.

[MyNameGoesHere]

9. So maybe you should

talk to a Imam. Or perhaps read a Koran. I believe Islam is the faith that some Muslims follow by the way. Some are, OMG Christians even. oh my word!

[SayWhatYo]

11. I figured there are muslims here who could give their thoughts...

I'm not sure what is with your tone though. Maybe I am detecting something that isn't there. Oh well...

[MyNameGoesHere]

13. I think you

are a little mistaken. The word Muslim takes in a broader scope than just religion. Also you can actually got to a website i believe it is called Ask the Imam or something like that and really ask the question. Now if you asked for the opinion of people here who follow the teachings of Islam, you would get a answer/s to the religious aspects of your question.

[SayWhatYo]

16. I very well could be mistaken and I more than willing to be educated..

I will look into finding that site you mentioned.

[muriel_volestrangler]

31. In what way is 'Muslim' broader in scope than 'Islam'?

And how do you think that "Some are, OMG Christians"? The Merriam-Webster definition is "an adherent of Islam".

[MyNameGoesHere]

41. Good for Merriam-Webster

They get it half right. Islam is a religion got it? Muslim is a person who may or may not follow the tenets of Islam but has a unique cultural society. IE covering of the face of woman. This is not a tenet of Islam but a cultural aspect involving a large number of Muslims. And yes when I lived in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait some people who professed to be Muslim were indeed christian in secret. They did it in secret because they wished for their head to stay attached to their body.

[muriel_volestrangler]

42. But that means they weren't 'Muslims'

they were pretending to be. No, the definitions are quite specific - a Muslim is a person who follows Islam. No, not "IE covering the face of woman". This is something that some Muslims do, but by no means all of them. In fact, if that's your example, then 'Muslim' would be narrower than 'Islam'.

[MyNameGoesHere]

43. I have a problem

with calling all followers of Islam Muslim. Muslim entails more than just a religion.

[muriel_volestrangler]

44. And yet everyone else defines 'Muslim' as a follower of Islam

http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Amuslim

[MyNameGoesHere]

45. I got your point

but this is my position. It is neither right or wrong. it is mine. i just think the tag islam=muslim makes life too simple. Even here in the USA they makes distinctions between christians. Seems like we just lump muslims into one basket, seems a little bit cheap.

[Dorian Gray]

33. There are no Muslim Christians.

:eyes:

[Rosemary2205]

28. Excuse me - bigotted.

Thank you for the correction. I do tend to use them interchangably, which is technically a mistake.

[SayWhatYo]

35. Not bigoted either...

At least not in my opinion. It's no less bigoted than if someone asked what the most Christian view is on SUCH-AND-SUCH.
So, excuse me for trying to expand my knowledge into other areas. I am exposed to Christian faith all the time in this country so I have a fairly good idea where the mainstream views are. However, there is not nearly as much exposure to the Islam which makes it harder to guage such things. I cannot believe I feel as if I have to justify a simple question. Is there any particular reason why you're so upset by this question? Would you prefer that people remain ignorant of other cultures? I mean, I always thought that was one of the primary problems in this world.

[Rosemary2205]

36. My point is

there is no single muslim culture any more than there is one single christian culture. I do agree with you that being ignorant of other cultures is a problem. Which is why I made the point I did. I really didn't mean any offense and I apologize that my choice of wording offended you. I do hope you'll at least consider the point I was trying to make. There are a WIDE variety of muslim cultures and it is important that we not lump them all into one viewpoint - on any issue. -- not withstanding the fact that even within that variety of cultures you'll have individuals with unique thoughts on issues.

[SayWhatYo]

37. I do not really get offended...

Don't worry about offending me, I am not one to get offended too easily... just perplexed at times. I fully understand where you're coming from and I totally agree. Like I said in my previous responses, the initial comment was poorly worded on my part. I was curious if the vast majority of Muslims held similar views as the majority of Christians. Perhaps I am wrong in thinking that there is a majority accepted belief in the Christian religion that things such as stem-cell research, abortion, gay marriage etc.. are wrong, but that has always been my take on it.

[treestar]

12. Obviously, the OP was interested in the general view

We know in our country the right wingers are against it and had the Michael J. Fox thing - I think there is no problem with trying to get the general cultural temperature of another culture.

Jumping on someone like that seems to prove a need to prove something rather than an interest in the subject.

We can all see that there would various views in the Muslim/Arab culture on any issue, just as there is in ours. But there is nothing wrong with postulating that perhaps the spectrum of views is different.

[SayWhatYo]

17. You're right. Thank you for understanding my poorly worded(maybe) question.

[Solo_in_MD]

20. Racist? muslim is a religion, not a race

Also once a fatwa is issued, it is in theory binding on all muslims, regardless of sect

[MyNameGoesHere]

21. I thought Islam was a religion? n/t

[Solo_in_MD]

25. Point taken, coffee has not kicked in yet...should be Islam is a religion and not a race

and muslims are follower of one of the sects of Islam, and are not a race. Either way the original post was in no way racist

[Dorian Gray]

34. Islam is the religion

Muslims (Moslems) are the adherents of the religion. Neither refers to race.

[jobycom]

4. Depends

Are you asking what a Muslim scientist thinks of stem cell research, or what a Muslim scholar would think, or what a Muslim atheist would think, or what a Muslim housewife would think, or what a Muslim in Texas would think, or what a Muslim in Hollywood would think, or what a Muslim in Iraq would think, or what a Sunni Muslim housewife with a college degree in English literature living in Sri Lanka but planning to move to Hong Kong would think, or what a Shi'ite athlete in Iran training for the soccer competition in the next Olympics would think, or what an aging actor working in Hollywood but unable to get roles since "Arab" and "Muslim" have ceases to be exotic concepts in America and have instead become stereotypically symbolic of terrorism against the US would think...?

How about a Muslim Democratic Congressman just having been sworn into Congress would think? I can tell you what his views are on stem cell research: "Stem cell research is a big deal; I've already agreed to sign on a bill and can't wait to put my name on that bill because I want to be a part of that lifesaving science that the University of Minnesota is going to help promote."

[theboss]

5. Muslim atheist?!?!?!?!?

The hell?!?!?!?

[RB TexLa]

7. must be akin to Christian atheists or Jewish atheists

Haven't met any of them either.

[Selatius]

23. I met a "Jewish Atheist" incidentally when I worked in Orlando.

He stated to me that quite a large number of Jews are Agnostic or Atheistic. The question for them was what to do with the life they had in their hands. The question of God was considered a side issue. He was an Atheist in that he didn't believe in God but considered himself Jewish more as a tribal label than as a label of religion.

[theboss]

29. Jewish is both religious and cultural

Muslim is religious. I could see the phrase "Arab Atheist" just as there are "Arab Christians."

But "Muslim Atheist" is as inconsistent as "Christian Atheist."

[jobycom]

15. So you think all atheists are the same?

Many atheists were raised in some religion before they began to disbelieve. I was a Christian. My disbelief is based largely on disbelieving Christianity, then extending that outwards. I was raised with Christian values, and many of the values I still hold are based on those values.

Atheists raised in Islamic culture, especially those still living in an Islamic culture, have values based on their Islamic upbringing, even if they have rejected large parts of that upbringing.

I wasn't aware it would shock anyone.

[Saphire]

6. Muslim atheist ?????

[SayWhatYo]

10. Valid points... I used imprecise words.

I was trying to gauge the "offical" stance on it, I guess. Much like how the Christian stance seems to be against it. Of course there are varied opinions within the Christian community, but the opinion that is exported the most is anti-stem cell.

[CJCRANE]

39. Yep, "muslim atheist" is possible

(to reply to all those questioning your use of the term)
although I would use the term "secular muslim", just like you can have secular christians or jews (i.e. someone who lives in a religious culture or community and who perhaps follows some of the rituals or festivals, eg. Christmas, church weddings etc but doesn't necessarily have any strong religious belief).

[sniffa]

8. i think iran invests (heaviLy?) in stem ceLL research

there was an articLe in the gLobe about 6 months or Longer ago. it expLained how the ayatoLLah permitted such research as it was not against isLamic teachings.

in the articLe, aLL the scientists pictured were women.

[SayWhatYo]

14. ahh you're right...

Thanks for the reply... http://www.payvand.com/news/03/sep/1010.html I found that...

[JCMach1]

18. Not an Issue here typically

It is just a non-starter... human life is more valuable than potential life in the Koran...


...ach of you possesses his own formation within his mother’s womb, first as a drop of matter for forty days, then as a blood clot for forty days, then as a blob for forty days, and then the angel is sent to breathe life into him.

Additionally, the Shari’ah makes a distinction between actual life and potential life, determining that actual life should be afforded more protection than potential life. 10 Thus, under most interpretations of Islamic law, the embryo is not considered a person and the use of it for stem cell research does not violate Islamic law.11 Also, under this same line of analysis, stem cells from aborted fetuses would also be permitted if the abortion was performed before the fourth month of pregnancy.

Additionally, Islamic law prohibits surrogate parenting, adoption and the adoption of human embryos due to the importance of determining a child’s true parentage and inheritance rights.12 This would free up any excess embryos for research purposes since under Islamic law, they could not be used by anyone but the couple who created them. The Washington based Islamic Institute stated, ”Under 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.” Several Islamic scholars have also pointed out that cloning embryos for therapeutic uses would also be permitted... http://www.pfaith.org/islam.htm

[SayWhatYo]

24. Ahhh...

"human life is more valuable than potential life in the Koran..."

seems to be pretty logical, in my opinion.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. Stem cell research is a political issue.

Not a religious one.

[Irreverend IX]

22. Uh, no.

The controversy over it in the US comes from the fact that some Jesus freaks object to it on the grounds that it "destroys a potential human life." The Koran verses cited above say that people exist as an inanimate "blood clot" for the first few months of pregnancy before they get life breathed into them, so there's no reason using stem cells should be offensive to people who follow mainstream varieties of Islam.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. The Jesus freaks object to it...

because some politicians told them too.

[me b zola]

26. I dunno. What is the xtian worlds/faiths view on stem cell research?

:shrug:

[ck4829]

27. Just about every Muslim I know supports Stem Cell Research with Adult Cells

They're not so supportive of it using embryos though. But, they're not stem-cell-phobic like how the 'christian' Right is.

[spoony]

38. I'm not aware

of any Christian who opposes the use of adult stem cells, either. Hell I'm not aware of anyone who opposes the use of those.

[ck4829]

40. LOL. Actually...

I've heard some of the more hardcore Conservative Christians talk about the evils of stem cells in general. The fringe group inside another fringe group if you will, a nesting doll of fear, extremism, and wackiness.

[muriel_volestrangler]

32. BBC: Stem cell debate in the Muslim world

Islam does not have a centralised authority - like the Vatican in Roman Catholicism - to state its position. Most Muslim countries have not yet introduced laws on embryonic stem cell research and human cloning.

Some Muslims are in favour of research, arguing that the embryo does not have a soul until the later stages of its development. Others agree with the Catholic Church which says that it is immoral to destroy embryos at any stage to harvest stem cells.

Egypt will not be the first predominately Muslim country to conduct stem cell research. In 2003 Iranian scientists developed human embryonic stem cell lines. Other Muslim groups and countries such as Turkey and the National Fatwa Council in Malaysia also support both embryonic stem cell research and therapeutic cloning.

But many Muslim officials still fear the technology could be abused and that babies could be cloned and then killed to supply organs or 'spare parts' for other patients.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/islamethics/stemcells.shtml