Pakistan’s first human milk bank halts operations as initiative seen ‘haram’ under Islamic law

Pakistan’s first human milk bank has been forced to suspend operations following a religious edict that deemed the initiative “haram” or forbidden under Islamic law. The Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) in Karachi had launched the country’s first Shariah-compliant human milk bank just weeks ago, with the goal of providing donated breast milk to premature and malnourished infants.  However, the project has now been put on hold after a revised fatwa or religious ruling. Notably, in December 2023, a fatwa was issued by the influential Darul Uloom Karachi seminary which called for “providing necessary religious endorsement to proceed.” Now, the revised fatwa by the seminary cited the need to respect religious and cultural sensitivities surrounding the issue and said it would seek further guidance from Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology. Concept of ‘Milk Kinship’The controversy centers around the Islamic concept of “milk kinship”, where a woman who breastfeeds a child not biologically related to her develops familial ties that prohibit marriage between the child and her own offspring.  While human milk banks have operated in the West for over a century, the notion of milk kinship has impeded their adoption in the Muslim world. A similar initiative in Bangladesh was shut down in 2019 after facing religious opposition.  “This relationship is akin to blood ties, which forbids marriage between breastfed siblings within Islamic legal frameworks,” as per Mufti Syed Qaiser Hussain Tirmizi, a prominent Islamic scholar.  Watch | Israel war | UN report: Conditions improve in Northern Gaza
Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) had initially obtained a fatwa allowing the milk bank to operate, on the condition that it maintain detailed records of donors and recipients to prevent any violations of Sharia law.  However, the revised edict from Darul Uloom Karachi has now forced the institute to suspend the project, despite its potential to save the lives of premature and malnourished infants in Pakistan.”Our primary goal remains the health and well-being of children, and we are committed to finding solutions that honour both our medical and religious responsibilities,” SICHN said in its statement.(With inputs from agencies)
Heena SharmaHeena Sharma is a digital journalist who writes mostly on current geopolitical developments. @HeenaSharma0819