Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- PREFACE -- CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION LOOKING BENEATH THE SURFACE: COMMONALITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISLAMIC AND WESTERN PERSPECTIVES IN MEDICAL ETHICS -- Introduction -- Comparisons, Differences, and Commonalities -- The Arab-Islamic Paradigm of Accountability -- The Western Paradigm of Accountability -- The Law, Religious Reasons, and Medical Codes -- The Contributions -- Genetic Research, Treatments, and Counseling -- Embryos and Abortion -- Organ Donation -- Euthanasia, Palliative Sedation, Islamic Counseling, and the Right to Decide for Oneself -- CHAPTER II: THE SOURCES OF ISLAMIC ETHICS AND FIQH -- Introduction -- The Difference between Fiqh and Shari'ah -- The Two Sources -- Levels in the Obligations and Commands -- What is Obligatory (Wajib or Fard) -- What is Recommended (Mandub, Sunnah) -- What is Neutral or Permitted -- What is Advised Against (Makruh) -- What is Forbidden (Haram) -- Religious Authority -- The Islamic Scholars (Ulama) -- Requirements for the Mujtahid -- The Law Schools (Madahib) -- Fiqh: Jurisprudence -- Ijtihad -- The Objectives of Shari'ah -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER III: GENETIC MEDICINE: FACTS AND MORAL ISSUES FROM A WESTERN PERSPECTIVE -- Introduction -- Genetics in Health Care -- From Research to Health Care -- Screening and the Ability of Treatment -- Right Not to Know and the Duty to Inform -- Genetic Counseling, Non Directiveness, and Autonomy -- Research -- The Large Scale of Research -- From Research to Practice -- From Research to Legal Practice -- CHAPTER IV: CAN FACTS ABOUT GENETIC RESEARCH PLAY A ROLE IN MORAL REASONING? MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES -- Introduction -- Genetic Research and Morality -- The Nature versus Nurture Debate -- The Role of the Spirit -- Muslim Scholars and Genetic Discoveries -- Genetic Engineering and Gene Therapy.

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) -- Cloning -- Assisted Reproductive Techniques -- Genetic Counseling -- Autonomy -- Beneficence and Non Maleficence -- Justice -- Ethical and Moral Problems in Genetic Counseling -- Genetic Tests Are Probabilistic and Do Not Predict Everything -- Costs -- Discussion and Conclusion -- CHAPTER V: GENETIC TESTING AND COUNSELING IN THE CASE OF CONSANGUINITY: FACTS, ETHICAL AND LEGAL CONSEQUENCES -- Introduction -- Consanguinity: Facts and Figures -- Prejudices and Misunderstandings concerning Consanguinity -- Medical Implications of Consanguinity -- Genetic Health Care for Consanguineous Couples -- Principles of Genetic Testing and Counseling -- Informed Consent -- Non Directiveness -- Respect for Privacy and Confidentiality -- Is Legislation Needed? -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER VI: "NOTRE HUILE EST DANS NOTRE FARINE": AN EXPLORATION INTO THE MEANING OF CONSANGUINITY IN NORTHERN MOROCCO AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE MEDICAL RISK OF DISABLED OFFSPRING -- Introduction -- Anthropological Explanations for Consanguineous Endogamy -- The Incidence of Consanguineous Marriages in Morocco -- Consanguinity and Risk -- Consanguinity and Risk: The Discourse of Denial and Acceptance -- The Discourse of Denial: Mounia and Said -- The Discourse of Acceptance (1): Protesting Women -- The Discourse of Acceptance (2): The Women in the Mountains -- Discussion and Conclusion -- CHAPTER VII: THE TREATMENT OF EMBRYOS FROM AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE -- Introduction -- The Status of the Embryo: Distinctions -- Ethical Considerations -- Embryo Research -- Research on Surplus Human Embryos in IVF Programs -- Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) -- Fetal Sex Selection -- Gene Therapy -- Cloning -- Research on Fetal Tissue Obtained through Abortion -- Conclusion.

CHAPTER VIII: THE MORAL STATUS OF THE HUMAN EMBRYO: CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES AND THE IMPACT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES -- Introduction -- Roots and Context -- Lines of Thought -- New Technologies and the Status of the Human Embryo -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER IX: REFLECTIONS ON TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY FOR GENETIC OR NON GENETIC CONGENITAL DISORDERS -- Introduction -- Clinical Genetics -- The Dutch Termination of Pregnancy Act -- Community Genetics -- Prevention -- Informed Choice -- Reproductive Options -- Three Cases -- Case I -- Case II -- Case III -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER X: TREATMENT OF THE EMBRYO: FACTS AND MORAL QUESTIONS -- Introduction -- Conceptual Puzzles, Highly Diverse Practices -- What Is a Human Embryo? -- Treatments-in Plural -- Moral Questions -- Overarching Issues -- Specific Ethical Questions and Debates -- Conclusions and Recommendations -- CHAPTERXI: ABORTION: MEDICAL AND MORAL ASPECTS IN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES -- Introduction -- Stages of Fetal Growth as Described by Theologians -- The Sunnah -- Scholars' Opinions Regarding Abortion -- Special Circumstances -- Islam and Abortion Because of Pregnancy Outside of Marriage -- Islam and Abortion Because of Rape -- Islam and Abortion Because of Fetal Deformities -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER XII: HUMAN ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION -- Introduction -- Ethical Issues in Retrieving Organs from the Deceased -- The Islamic View of the Medical Definition of Death -- Criteria and Safeguards -- Incisions in the Body -- General Rules -- Incision in the Body to Retrieve the Organ -- Does One Have the Right to Donate an Organ? -- Types of Rights Pertaining to the Human Body -- Rights Pertaining to the Body of the Living Human Being -- Rights Pertaining to the Body of the Deceased -- Healthy Donors -- Organs -- The Problem of Financial Exploitation -- Conclusion.

CHAPTER XIII: RECEIVING A DONOR ORGAN AND MUSLIMS IN EUROPE: THEOLOGICAL AND INTERCULTURAL DIMENSIONS -- Introduction -- Method -- Case Study -- Theological Dimensions -- Two Schools in Islam -- The Role of the Doctor -- Western Bioethics -- Intercultural Dimensions -- The Doctor Patient Relationship -- Bridging Intercultural Differences -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER XIV: PALLIATIVE SEDATION: AN EXPLORATION FROM A CHRISTIAN ETHICAL POINT OF VIEW -- Introduction -- Palliative Sedation Only Hours or Days before an Expected Natural Death? -- Is There a Moral Obligation to "Feed the Hungry"? -- Other Religious Questions -- Palliative Sedation as Unnatural? -- Palliative Sedation as the End of Human Autonomy? -- Palliative Sedation as an Answer to Experiences of Meaninglessness? -- Is Palliative Sedation Always the Proportional Answer to Suffering? -- Concluding Remarks -- CHAPTER XV: ISLAMIC CARE ETHICS BETWEEN LAW AND CONSCIENCE -- Introduction -- Abortion: Murder or Necessity? -- Turkish Law, Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), and Practice -- Case I -- Case II -- Organ Donation -- Euthanasia or Suicide -- Stopping Treatment, Palliative Care, and Counseling in Dying -- Summary and Conclusion -- CHAPTER XVI: THE ISLAMIC LEGAL SYSTEM VIS À VIS EUTHANASIA AND ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION -- Introduction -- What is Meant by Shari'ah? -- Islamic Law vis à vis Euthanasia ("Mercy Killing") -- Islamic Criteria and Conditions for Transplantation -- Islamic Arguments against Organ Transplantation -- Islamic Arguments for Organ Transplantation -- The Egyptian Organ Transplantation Law, No. 5 (2010) -- Donation Rules: Three Situations -- Economic and Social Aspects -- Medical Aspects -- Criminal and Administrative Sanctions -- Concluding Remarks -- CHAPTER XVII: THE RIGHT TO MORAL INDEPENDENCE AND ITS MEANING FOR MEDICAL ISSUES -- Introduction -- Restricted Law: The Harm Principle.

A Liberal Position -- The Skeleton of "Human Dignity" -- Two Interpretations of Human Dignity -- How Much Freedom Should the Law Grant in Medical Issues? -- CHAPTER XVIII: OBSERVATIONS AND COMPARISONS -- Introduction -- Wealth and Poverty: Different Priorities -- Paradigms, Differences, and Internal Diversity -- The Social System: "Who looks after me?" -- Commonalities -- Laws, Counseling, and Decisions -- Final Comments -- Index of Subjects -- Index of Names -- Contributors.