Three Muslim groupings led by the Quadriyyah Muslim Ulama Council of Malawi have asked Members of Parliament to pass the termination of abortion bill once it is tabled in Parliament.
Speaking at a joint the press briefing held in Zomba on Monday, the vice chairman for the Quadriyyah Muslim Ulama Council of Malawi sheikh Jim Sulaimana, said the Muslim groupings see no concrete reasons why the Members of Parliament should not table and pass the bill.
Sulaimana said the bill is a human rights piece of legislation aimed at reducing cases of maternal mortality rate in the country.
“We recommend the bill in which the law commission has prepared and which is scheduled for tabling in Parliament where the law commission agreed that despite abortion being illegal, there should be other exceptional instances where it can be performed.
“In addition, there are broad principles such as no harm, no harassment, and the rule that basic nature of things is misbelief unless forbidden by explicit text,” said Suleimana
The chairperson further said Islamic teachings recommend that abortion should be carried under conditions such as that before four months of pregnancy.
“The permission to terminate the pregnancy based on valid health and medical justifications are expounded in the books of Islamic jurisprudence,” he said.
He said while Islamic teachings permits promoting pregnancy for valid reasons, it does not allow violating the pregnancy once it occurs unnecessarily.
According to him, Muslim jurists agree unanimously that after the foetus is completely forced and has been given a soul, aborting it is illegal.
He said it is also a crime, the commission of which is prohibited to the Muslims, because it constitutes an offence against a complete, life of a human being.
He said his institution has started sensitizing the Muslim fraternity in various forums in a bid to bring about proper understanding among the populace.
Commenting on the issue, Khadija Mwawa, a Muslim Women representative noted that lack of proper sensitization measures by the authority was the main contributing factor that makes the community and members of parliament to defer the bill.
Organizations which were part of the press briefing included Dawah association and Islamic commission for justice and freedom.
The country’s legislature was expected to deliberate and pass the abortion bill during the last sitting of parliament but failed to present it during the sitting because of some glaring clauses that needed some clarifications from the framers of the bill.
