Council of American Islamic Relations

My name is Mahomed Nimer. I'm Research Director with the Council on American/Islamic relations. Islam, since the seventh century, has made the preservation of life as a supreme value for all Islamic law. Muslin theologians across history have debated the issue of abortion. There is one thing that nobody has ever disagreed on - that is - after the first trimester, abortion is haram. Haram, meaning sinful, prohibited in Islamic law. Muslims generally have different views as persons. There is no clergy structure for the whole Islamic faith but our surveys have shown that Muslims generally are more conservative than the most conservative elements of American public on this issue. It comes down to this - abortion as a lifestyle issue has no room in Islamic faith.