Friday, January 4, 2008

Top Islamic Council Declares Victims of Rape Must Abort Child

Top Islamic Council Declares Victims of Rape Must Abort Child
The Islamic Research Council of Al-Azhar, considered by many to be the highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning in the world, has issued an edict declaring that women who become pregnant because of a rape must abort their child.

"A raped woman must terminate the pregnancy immediately upon learning of the pregnancy if a trusted doctor gives her clearance for the abortion," the Council said, according to AFP news. The Council continued, saying that this would promote "social stability."

Egypt's top imam, Mohammad Sayed Tatwani, who is also the Grand Shaikh of Al-Azhar, recast the Council's statement in terms of abortion "rights," according to gulfnews.com, saying "Any girl or woman, who is subjected to rape, has the right in Islam to have abortion at anytime, and she would not commit a sin for doing this."

The Council's edict allegedly comes in response to the increasing number of rapes taking place in Egypt. According to a frequently cited statistic, some 20,000 cases of rape occur annually in Egypt.


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