Why many Muslims are not organ donors

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Many Muslims are reluctant to become organ donors because they fear that their bodies would be mutilated.
This was the main reason given by more than half, or 56.3 per cent, of the respondents in a random survey carried out by the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) last year.
The survey, which involved 500 Muslims in the Klang Valley, also found that religious factor only affected 5.2 per cent of the respondents.

It also revealed various misconceptions among those surveyed. Among them are that:
• family members of a donor would have to pay for the organs to be removed;
• doctors would be reluctant to save the life of a known donor;
• a recipient’s sin will have to be borne by a donor; and
• organs from Muslims must only be donated to another Muslim.

"It is ignorance which is deterring Muslims from becoming organ donors. What they do not realise is that a majority of those waiting for organs are Muslims," said an exasperated Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen Shaikh Mohd Salleh, IKIM’s former Senior Fellow (Centre for Science and Technology) who was in charge of the survey.
Their reluctance has resulted in the comparatively small number of Muslims who have pledged their organs for donation as compared to other races.
Between 1997 and now, only 10,193 Muslims have pledged their organs as compared with 60,876 Chinese and 22,565 Indians.
The misconceptions which contributed to their reluctance was surprising considering that more than 95 per cent of the respondents knew about organ donation, with most of them getting their information from the mass media.
The vote was, however, split on whether one should be a living donor or only donate the organs after death.
Perhaps an encouraging finding of the survey is that two-thirds of the respondents have said that they would allow their family members to become organ donors.
Most also have no problems about allowing organs from their loved ones to be removed if the person had pledged to be a donor.
However, a majority of the respondents said they would prefer to accept an organ from a fellow Muslim donor.
"What they do not understand is that in Malaysia, anyone, including Muslims, can donate and receive organs from anybody. Recipients will have to accept the organs they get," explained Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen, who is now the Executive Director of Yayasan Ilmuan.
In another indication of their ignorance, 46.8 per cent of the respondents said they would only accept tissues and organs from living donors.
Many do not realise that many critical organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, and corneas can only be obtained from a donor who is brain dead.
Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen said although the number of pledges have increased over the years, a lot still needed to be done to encourage Muslims to come forward.
He pointed out that the National Fatwa Council had stated in 1970 that organ donation was permissible in Islam.
"The reluctance on the part of many Muslims may be a result of the lack of information, lack of understanding or pure selfishness," he said, adding that many Muslim countries have sanctioned organ and tissue donation.
One of the earliest countries to do so was Egypt in 1952 when the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Makhloof, issued a fatwa (decree) allowing corneal transplants.
"Many other fatwa have been issued by religious scholars and authorities around the world, including in Malaysia, allowing organ and tissue transplant," Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen said when met at an organ donation seminar in Sungai Buluh yesterday.
The role of religious leaders could not be underestimated as seen in Johor which has the highest number of Muslim donors — thanks to its supportive state Mufti who goes to the ground and talks about the importance of donating organs.
An encouraging development of late, said Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen, was that more young Muslim men and women were coming forward to pledge and donate their organs.
However, to avoid any misunderstandings later, he urged them to inform their family members.
Many, he said, did not do so as they were afraid they would be scolded by their parents or other family members.