A Muslim perspective on abortion: Beyond ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-life’

A recent "pro-choice" billboard campaign in Chicago, designed by a progressive "reproductive health and justice" charity for Muslims, has reignited a complex conversation on abortion rights within the Muslim American community.

Using social justice language of the left, the billboard has called on Muslims to align themselves with secular arguments for abortion and support "reproductive rights" fully. However, the call did not resonate with many in its target audience. Many Muslims found the position represented on the billboard failing to capture the depth of Islamic perspectives on abortion and thus unrepresentative of their world view.

When I, along with other female students from the Chicago-based Muslim college Darul Qasim, wrote an open letter in response to the billboard campaign underlining its inadequacy and oversimplification of a deeply complex issue, we received an outpouring of support from the community. This was a reflection of the concerns many Muslims have over the binary framing of "pro-choice" and "pro-life" in the abortion debate.

Since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a case that had found American women had the right to make their own reproductive choices, abortion has been a primary topic of discussion and source of division in communities across the country. As the issue further divided an already polarised nation before recent landmark elections, both sides of the debate began presenting their position as the only right and moral one. In this environment, Muslims found themselves struggling to sift through propaganda and politically charged misrepresentations of the Islamic positions on abortion.

In fact, as one of the goals of Islamic law is preservation of life, Islam neither fully opposes nor unconditionally supports abortion. As is the case with other sensitive issues, Islam's guidance on abortion is very nuanced and grounded in ethical principles and divine law. As the debate continues to dominate the US conversation, perhaps both the left and the right could benefit from attempting to learn from the Islamic perspectives on the issue, rather than trying to pull Muslims into their camp.

So what exactly is the Islamic guidance on abortion?

In Islam, decisions on issues like abortion are not based solely on personal autonomy or individual rights, as is the case in secular Western discourse. Instead, they are guided by Islamic teachings and rooted in a broader ethical and theological framework. Muslim jurists derive rulings on abortion from primary sources such as the Quran and Sunnah and carefully consider factors like the health of the mother and the viability of the fetus at different stages of its development. This approach, which respects both the mother's welfare and the sanctity of unborn life, does not fit neatly within American political binaries but instead upholds a unique and comprehensive vision of justice.

Thus, attempts by progressives, like the charity behind the Chicago billboard, to present their black-and-white views on abortion as representing the Islamic position are highly misguided.

As pre-eminent American Muslim scholar Shaykh Amin Kholwadia recently noted, progressives often try to "hijack the mainstream Muslim narrative" on issues like abortion, even though their positions do not reflect those of the vast majority of Muslims globally or the traditional values and ethics of Islam. Muslims should reject such attempts, as many did in Chicago, because the Muslim position on an issue like abortion should be rooted firmly in Islam's universal and timeless principles, and not on political trends in the West.

For instance, the language of "reproductive rights" used by the pro-abortion rights movement frames the conversation on abortion as one that should be centred on personal freedom. However, Islamic ethics take a different approach. The body in Islam is considered a trust (amanah) from Allah with its care and usage governed by divine guidance rather than individual discretion. Thus, the choices we make concerning our bodies should consider our accountability before God rather than just our personal preferences, desires and rights.

This principle illustrates why Muslims should look beyond the limitations of the "pro-choice" vs "pro-life" debate and take a more holistic and faith-centred approach to the issue of abortion. Rather than viewing abortion merely as a matter of individual rights, we should understand it as an issue embedded within a sacred ethical framework, one that should be handled by considering the rights of the mother and the unborn child as well as accountability in the hereafter.

While some American Muslim organisations may seek to confine Islamic perspectives within secular dogma to fit in with their progressive political allies, it is essential that Muslim Americans look beyond this politically driven rhetoric. We must turn to knowledgeable scholars to guide us on ethical questions around women's health, ensuring our perspectives are grounded in Islamic knowledge. As Kholwadia explains, with 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide, the values of Islam extend far beyond America's borders and political climate.

Our scholars have provided us with a wealth of knowledge on reproductive ethics. They have outlined the goals of Islamic law, when abortion becomes permissible, and the steps a family should take if they find themselves faced with difficult pregnancy decisions. These rulings – derived from divine sources and legal analysis – offer a framework that is deeply compassionate and centred on the welfare of both the mother and unborn child. There is nothing to be gained from reframing this vast knowledge within the "reproductive rights" rhetoric based in a belief in the supremacy of individual freedoms.

When discussing sensitive issues like abortion, American Muslims must honour our robust tradition and uphold the sanctity of our bodies, which have been given to us by God. We must approach such issues with a perspective that reflects the timeless and compassionate principles of Islam. Rather than accepting progressive or other perspectives rooted in Western discourse and realities, we must reaffirm our commitment to an ethical and spiritually conscious approach to life's most complex questions.