WISH supports Islamic Biomedical course through local and international partnerships

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) recently partnered with the Research Centre for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar, and the Islamic Institute for Development and Research (IIDR) in London, to support a course on Islamic Biomedical Ethics, held from April 29 – 30.

The aim of the course was to address the various ethical questions that arise side-by-side with the rapid advancements in the field of biomedicine and the religion of Islam. Genomic technologies are changing the landscape of biomedical research and the ethical issues these generate are setting today’s agenda for ethical research.

During the two-day course, held in London, the topics discussed included abortion and stem cell research, Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) and gamete donation, milk banks, organ transplantation, ethical management of incidental findings, and euthanasia. All topics were addressed in detail from an Islamic perspective.

Launched in January 2012, CILE, a member of HBKU’s College of Islamic Studies, specializes in Islamic legislation and ethics with a focus on applied ethics in the fields of methodology, arts, environment, economics, education, food, gender, media, bioethics, migration and human rights, politics, and psychology. IIDR is an organisation that educates students and participants on a wide range of Islamic disciplines, with the aim to identify, understand, and bridge the gap between the intellectual traditions of Islam and modernity.

Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, professor of Islam and biomedical ethics at CILE, and chair of the WISH 2016 forum on ‘Genomics in the Gulf Region and Islamic Ethics’, said: “This event is just one of the outcomes of the long-standing collaboration between CILE and WISH. This is an exemplary model for constructive and productive collaboration between Qatar Foundation-affiliated institutions. Thanks to this type of collaboration, expert knowledge produced here in Qatar is taking a leading role in shaping the emerging and promising field of Islamic Bioethics worldwide.”

Dr. Ghaly presented some of the core subject areas of WISH 2016 ‘Genomics in the Gulf Region and Islamic Ethics’ report. He stressed the need to adopt the recommendations, including disclosing incidental findings, which can lead to actionable lifesaving procedures.

To read the full WISH 2016 report on Genomics in the Gulf Region and Islamic Ethics, please click here: http://bit.ly/2fH1sbn