High-profile 'Principles of Bioethics' seminar concludes in Doha

The seminar brought together scholars of Islamic jurisprudence (scholars of the text), and medical scholars (scholars of the context) for detailed discussions around two critical contemporary issues related to applied ethics in medical science.

The first subject examined the Islamic principles of bioethics, and how they can be determined in the light of Maqasid al-Shariah (objectives of Islamic legislation). The second topic investigated whether the four principles of bioethics, as often defined and discussed in the West, are universal.

A number of renowned scholars in the fields of Islamic jurisprudence and medical sciences attended the seminar, the first in a series being organised by CILE. Participants included Sheikh Dr Abdullah Bin Bayyah, the renowned scholar and Vice-Chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Sheikh Dr Ali Al-Qaradaghi, Professor of Shari'ah Law at Qatar University, and the General Secretary of IUMS; Sheikh Dr Ahmed Raissouni, Professor of Maqasid Al Shariah (higher objectives of Islamic legislation) and Secretary General of Islamic Fiqh Academy; Sheikh Dr Abdulsattar Abu Ghuddah, Professor of Comparative Law and expert at the Islamic Fiqh Academy; Dr Annelien Bredenoord, Professor of Bioethics at Leiden University Medical Center; Dr Tom Beauchamp, Professor of Moral Philosophy at Georgetown University and Director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics; Dr Mohammad Ali Albar, Consultant at King Fahd Centre for Medical Research; and Dr Hassan Pasha, Head of Non-Invasive Cardiology at King Fahd Armed forces Hospital. In addition, Professor Tariq Ramadan, Director of CILE, Dr Jasser Auda, Deputy Director of CILE, and Dr Mohamed Ghali, Professor at Leiden University and chair of the seminar were in attendance.

CILE specialises in Islamic legislation and ethical thought, with a focus on applied ethics. With a vision of reform and renewal guided by the fundamental principles of the Holy Qur'an, Sunna and the higher objectives (Maqasid) of Islam, the center aims to provide a methodological and theoretical framework that leads to concrete contributions, as part of a process that transforms reality in order to bring about a more just and ethical world.