Ethical considerations in human genome editing: exploring CRISPR technology through the prism of qawāʿid and maqāṣid

Muhsin, Sayyed Mohamed and Awang, Afiqah Fatunah and Chin, Alexis Heng Boon (2024) Ethical considerations in human genome editing: exploring CRISPR technology through the prism of qawāʿid and maqāṣid. Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE). pp. 1-9.

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Abstract

Rapid technological advances in the modern era have brought much benefit to human life in terms of facilitating various tasks, as well as improving healthcare in the medical field. Gene editing utilizing Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is one of the most promising newly-developed technology platforms within the genetic engineering field, with the potential to prevent and cure genetic diseases that can be transmitted from one generation to another. CRISPR is a Nobel Prize–winning technology, that has profound ethical and social implications, which in turn have attracted much attention from various sectors of society across the globe. Given that Islam is a major world religion with approximately two billion followers, how new medical technologies align with Islamic principles is important to these two billion people, which will in turn have a major impact on the uptake of new technologies such as CRISPR worldwide and their commercial success. Within the Muslim world, the current controversy over gene editing has also aroused much concern among many Islamic scholars, who have to critically examine this issue from the lens of the Sharīʿah. While gene editing technology certainly has the potential of curing or preventing various chronic diseases, it also raises ethical dilemmas regarding the potential abuse of this new technology platform. In general, Islam encourages its adherents to seek cure and medicine when they are afflicted with pain or diseases but within the conditions and guidelines specified by Sharīʿah, such as not causing harm to oneself and other people, and the need for proven efficacy in medical treatment. Hence, there is a dire need to critically examine CRISPR/cas9 ethical issues from the Sharīʿah perspective and propose guidelines that are in line with the objective of the Sharīʿah (maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah). Therefore, the primary objective here is to analyse CRISPR-based gene editing technology through the lens of qawāʿid and maqāṣid in order to underscore specific ethical insights.

Item Type:	Article (Electronic Media)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	CRISPR Technology, Qawāʿid Maqāṣid Ijtihad Islamic Medical Jurisprudence Bioethics contemporary juristic issues
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc > BP1 Islam > BP100 Sacred books > BP140 Islamic law (Fiqh) K Law > KBP Islamic Law > KBP1 Islamic law.Shariah.Fiqh > KBP490 Furūʻ al-fiqh. Substantive law. Branches of law. > KBP 3098 Medical legislation
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
Depositing User:	Dr. Sayyed Mohamed Muhsin
Date Deposited:	30 Jan 2024 15:11
Last Modified:	30 Jan 2024 15:11
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/110594

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