The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council has officially announced that post-mortem corneal and eye tissue donation is permissible under Islamic law, following an exhaustive religious ruling (fatwa) by its high-level scholarly body. This landmark decision marks a significant shift in public health advocacy within the country’s Muslim community, aiming to address the growing backlog of preventable blindness through voluntary altruism.
According to Sheikh Mohammed Zeynu, Secretary of the Ulema Council, the High Fatwa Committee arrived at this consensus after conducting thorough theological and medical research. The ruling establishes that while eye donation is now religiously sanctioned, it must strictly adhere to predefined ethical, legal, and procedural safeguards. Authorities emphasize that the framework is designed to honor the dignity of the deceased while extending life-changing medical assistance to individuals suffering from corneal blindness.
To ensure compliance with Islamic jurisprudence, the council outlined several mandatory conditions for the donation process to take place. Primarily, the donor must have explicitly consented to the procedure through a formal living will or testament prior to their death. Additionally, the explicit consent and agreement of the deceased’s family members or legal heirs are legally and religiously required before any retrieval can be executed.
Furthermore, the guidelines strictly mandate that all donations must be conducted purely on a voluntary, altruistic basis without any form of financial compensation or commercial exchange. The procedure must also be performed within recognized, accredited medical institutions by qualified professionals, ensuring that the physical remains of the deceased are handled with utmost respect and that bodily disfigurement is strictly avoided.
Public health advocates and interfaith leaders have widely welcomed the decree as a profound humanitarian step forward. Haji Mesud Adem, Deputy General Secretary of the Inter Religious Council of Ethiopia, noted that the initiative carries immense moral value by helping transition individuals from darkness to light, encouraging broader community participation in vital organ donation programs.