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Top Islamic Council Declares Victims of Rape Must Abort Child

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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. 

Comments

  1. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Yikes.  No sin in abortion!  Sounds like we have exported our culture of death preety well to Egypt.

    GK – God is good!

  2. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Regardless of the circumstances of the conception, the unborn child is innocent of any wrongdoing.

    Those who have been calling for a muslim "reformation" by "moderates" must be pleased.

    But the angels weep.

  3. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    God loves you .

    What an absurd religion!

    To swing pendulum-like from ‘kill the infidel’ to ‘kill the unborn innocent’! And, likely, able to swing that pendulum back and forth with breath-taking celerity!

    It could be that some ‘moderate’ ‘Westernized’ imams can revile non-Muslims at Friday services, demonizing infidels with veiled violent threats, and the next Monday tell some woman in the congregation that she MUST get an abortion.

    Remember, I love you, too .

    In our delighted glory in our Infant King,

    Pristinus Sapienter

    (wljewell @catholicexchange.com or … yahoo.com)

  4. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Islam has never had a problem killing innocents . . . and I've been saying for years they (islamists) are more in league with the leftists in our country than most would believe.  There is significant evidence for this; just read the papers, it's evident even in the MSM.  Their concern has never been for life . . . only for domination!  Which the left, in league with the MSM, will happily help them achieve!

    Evidence the 9th "Circus" Court ruling in SF that said it was proper for schools to require role-playing (as muslims) in schools – in the interest of "multi-culturalism" of course.

  5. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Islam is making progress, at least the woman's head is spared. Let's say it again – What an absurd religion!

  6. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Yes, there is much in Islam to point out as wrong.

    But it seems much more important these days that we should be looking for areas to find bits of truth in Islam in order to take the opportunity to build on them to show the fullness of truth in Christ.

    Of course, one must be in dialog with muslims in order to have these opportunities.

  7. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    God loves you .

    Good point, Reilly, and by extension Islamofascists seek less my submission to Allah than their own dominance over me in my life. Sounds very very similar to our leftist elitists, alright.

    PTR, Benedict XVI is taking the lead on dialogue. I think that he is a very capable, wise man for holding their feet to the fire over all that Muslimism does to harm Christians and obstruct Christianity.

    Of dialog on our own local levels, just how many Muslims do you know who want to address issues between Western culture and theirs, between their faith and ours? Does not their silence in the face of violence by Islamist Muslim brothers – not to mention Koranic support for the violence – speak volumes against much dialogue? I am led to believe that they are cautious in fear – well, maybe they need to pray and plead for the very dialogue you mention. A bunker mentality will only abet hostilities, in the long run.

    By the way, most Muslims cannot read the Koran because it is only religiously permitted to be read in its original now-archaic Arabic. Most have little ability in the old language. They depend upon their imams to give them ‘revelation’ in ways even Christians before Gutenberg would not accept.

    Remember, I love you, too .

    In our delighted glory in our Infant King,

    Pristinus Sapienter

    (wljewell @catholicexchange.com or … yahoo.com)

  8. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Most of the muslims I personally know speak and read Arabic and are quite willing and even eager to address issues between our cultures and faiths. But I am living a charmed life.

  9. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    God loves you .

    PTR,

    ‘Old archaic Arabic’ – available not by common instruction, but in their Muslim universities – the last two words likely to be a contradiction in terms. (As is perhaps the term ‘American university’? Woof!)

    So – how often do they quote Koran to you? And, if they quote from an English translation, their religion holds them in providing false teaching, unless they are at least an imam. He allegedly knows that out-dated Arabic, and can attest to the accuracy of the translation he provides to you.

    Remember, I love you, too .

    Toward our holy and prosperous New Year in Christ,

    Pristinus Sapienter

    (wljewell @catholicexchange.com or … yahoo.com)

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