The Islamic Research Council of Al-Azhar, considered by many to be the highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning in the world, has issued an edict declaring that women who become pregnant because of a rape must abort their child.
"A raped woman must terminate the pregnancy immediately upon learning of the pregnancy if a trusted doctor gives her clearance for the abortion," the Council said, according to AFP news. The Council continued, saying that this would promote "social stability."
Egypt's top imam, Mohammad Sayed Tatwani, who is also the Grand Shaikh of Al-Azhar, recast the Council's statement in terms of abortion "rights," according to gulfnews.com, saying "Any girl or woman, who is subjected to rape, has the right in Islam to have abortion at anytime, and she would not commit a sin for doing this."
The Council's edict allegedly comes in response to the increasing number of rapes taking place in Egypt. According to a frequently cited statistic, some 20,000 cases of rape occur annually in Egypt.
According to a UN report current Egyptian law forbids abortion in all cases. In practice, however, the report continues, an abortion can be performed without any of the involved parties incurring punishment in the case where the mother's life is in danger, or where the unborn child suffers from severe abnormalities. Recent efforts have been made by Egyptian MP Khalil Qouta to legalize abortion in Egypt in the case of rape.
Abortion is a contentious issue amongst Muslims, with some Muslim leaders arguing that abortion is immoral in all cases, and others arguing that it is permissible in some or all cases. Those opposed to abortion argue that certain passages in the Koran condemn the practice. Nevertheless, since there is no absolute teaching authority in Islam, various opinions are often considered permissible.
Imam Abdul Hai Patel, the interfaith representative of the Canadian Council of Imams, told LifeSiteNews that despite Al-Azhar's elevated status in the Muslim world, an edict such as the one just issued is not necessarily binding, and would probably not have much effect in the Western world. "A lot of views have come out of [Al-Azhar] that people don't follow. It doesn't always reflect the true Islamic opinion," he said. "It's not like the pope coming out and making a statement. It's not binding."
Muslims should follow the laws in their particular country, said Imam Abdul. For Canadian women this means that according to Islam they "can terminate if they want to," said Patel.
