Religious views on contraception vary from being completely prohibited to being allowed under certain circumstances. While Judaism displays more tolerance for contraceptive methods when the health of the pregnant woman is threatened, traditional Catholic views are much more stringent because procreation is viewed as the one and only goal of marital sex. Therefore, it follows that any methods of contraception which hinder this ultimate goal would not sit well within the religious sphere. In this blog I will explore the third Abrahamic religion, Islam, and its take on contraception.
“Do not kill your children for fear of poverty—We shall provide for them and for you.”
Quran [17:31]
What’s the ruling?
In short, it’s vague. While some Islamic scholars might declare the use of contraception as Haram (prohibited), others might consider it makruh (disliked, but allowed). A few Hadith (words of the Prophet Muhammad) are interpreted by some scholars to allow for ‘azl i.e. the withdrawal method or coitus interruptus. However, for a religion as globally present as Islam, it seems almost impossible to derive a unified judgement. When you consider the different sects in Islam, their Islamic views on contraception all vary. This goes back to the fact that the sources of legal rulings, the Quran (the Holy book) and Hadith can be interpreted into so many meanings. One might then think, that maybe a single ruling can be derived for, let’s say, the Sunni sect of Islam. Again, this seems impossible as there are multiple schools of Islamic jurisprudence under just the Sunni umbrella, all of which follow their own ways to interpret the religious texts. The convolution does not just end here, as it turns out the issue of contraception cannot be extracted from external factors, such as political and cultural, into a purely religious one. It is embedded deep within such elements, therefore, it seemed more interesting to me that I look at the idea of contraception in Islam as it is viewed amongst Muslim populations in different geographical locations.
“Islam vs. West”
A popular idea which is often debated within Muslim spheres is that of “Islam vs. West”- the traditional values of Muslim majority nations against the more modern Western influences. It would be interesting to observe what happens when these two ends cross over. For instance, would a Muslim woman’s view on contraception in a Muslim majority country differ if she were in a Western country? If it does, then the issue of contraception extends way beyond religious ideologies and seeps into cultural, societal and economical factors. Let’s take a look at how the comparison plays out between Muslims in the United States and in Pakistan- a country with an overwhelming Muslim majority.
A 2018 Demographic and Health survey reveals Pakistan’s current modern contraceptive rate to be only 25%. Furthermore, according to surveys targeting married Muslim women in Pakistan, specifically in the two large provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the use of contraception to aid family planning is incredibly unpopular. The hesitancy towards the idea stems from the belief that contraception is inherently a barrier to ‘God’s will’. Therefore, the popular notion amongst Muslims in Pakistan is that since contraception interferes with the natural way of things, as God had intended, it is highly discouraged i.e. makruh, if not entirely haram. In Punjab, approximately 80% of women surveyed did not report any current use of contraception. This percentage drops lower for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where over 90% of surveyed women did not use contraceptives.
While the overarching discouragement towards contraception exists across Muslim populations in most geographical locations, it is interesting to note that American Muslim women display a relatively greater affinity for it when compared to a Muslim majority country such as Pakistan. A recent online survey aimed at American women who self-identified as Muslims, reported a 79.5% usage of contraceptives. A similar survey that interviewed Muslim women residing in Southern California reported 96.5% of the respondents having used contraception. In the aforementioned surveys, a popular belief amongst participants was that Islam allows for reversible methods of contraception, while methods which permanently restrict a woman’s ability to get pregnant are prohibited. The most popular methods of contraception among American Muslim women were oral contraceptive pills, condoms, and coitus interruptus. Another common element that stood out within both surveys was that the use of contraception was slightly higher among Shia Muslims as compared to Sunni Muslims and other sects. Differing approaches to contraception between sects points to the effect that societal tendencies can have on inhibiting individual decisions.
While slight variations naturally exist amongst sects, the overall use of contraception by American Muslim women is significantly higher than Pakistani Muslim women. This goes to show that while the religiously motivated notion is ever-present, cultural and societal factors act as a pivotal element when it comes to the issue of contraception. A closer look on the ethnicity of the participants in both surveys further proves this idea, as more than half of them were of South Asian descent. Hence, it may very well be true that Muslim women who emigrate from Muslim majority countries like Pakistan are significantly more likely to adopt the use of contraception, considering there is much less societal pressure and stigma attached. Therefore, for a religious issue as indeterminate as contraception, the conclusive factor in individual decisions is cultural and societal influence.
References:
- Ayubi, Zahra. “AUTHORITY AND EPISTEMOLOGY IN ISLAMIC MEDICAL ETHICS OF WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH.” The Journal of religious ethics 49, no. 2 (2021): 245–269.
- Srikanthan, Amirrtha, and Robert L. Reid. “Religious and Cultural Influences on Contraception.” Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada 30, no. 2 (2008): 129–137.
- Maguire, Daniel C. Sacred Rights : the Case for Contraception and Abortion in World Religions New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Ataullahjan, Anushka, Zubia Mumtaz, and Helen Vallianatos. “Family Planning, Islam and Sin: Understandings of Moral Actions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.” Social science & medicine (1982) 230 (2019): 49–56.
- Shabaik, Salma A, Joseph Y Awaida, Pamela Xandre, and Anita L Nelson. “Contraceptive Beliefs and Practices of American Muslim Women.” Journal of women’s health (Larchmont, N.Y. 2002) 28, no. 7 (2019): 976–983.
- Budhwani, Henna, Jami Anderson, and Kristine R Hearld. “Muslim Women’s Use of Contraception in the United States.” Reproductive health 15, no. 1 (2018): 1–1.
- McCarthy, Julie. “In Pakistan, Birth Control and Religion Clash.” NPR. NPR, August 10, 2011. https://www.npr.org/2011/08/10/139382653/in-pakistan-birth-control-and-religion-clash.
- Azmat SK, Ali M, Ishaque M, Mustafa G, Hameed W, Khan OF, Abbas G, Temmerman M, Munroe E. Assessing predictors of contraceptive use and demand for family planning services in underserved areas of Punjab province in Pakistan: results of a cross-sectional baseline survey. Reprod Health. 2015 Mar 28;12:25. doi: 10.1186/s12978-015-0016-9. PMID: 25880987; PMCID: PMC4383051.
This is such an interesting review of contracaption within Islam. I really liked that you compared Muslim majority countries to western countries, since they have such different views on contraception. The research study you used was really informative.
This was literally amazing and so well-researched. I really liked how you used incredibly empirical examples to show that there was sort of a “control” i.e. the women being of South Asian descent. And the experimental factors, thus, became the society they were in. This allows us to extrapolate very clearly the impacts of society and our way of thinking on the choice to get contraception. Awesome!
This was literally amazing and so well-researched. I really liked how you used incredibly empirical examples to show that there was sort of a “control” i.e. the women being of South Asian descent. And the experimental factors, thus, became the society they were in. This allows us to extrapolate very clearly the impacts of society and our way of thinking on the choice to get contraception. Awesome! —ars
I was more intrigued by the withdrawal method that you talked about in the presentation. I had no idea that contraceptives were such a reserved topic in Islamic traditions. Learnt a lot in this presentation!
This is super interesting and I feel like contraception is not really considered in conversations about patriarchal control over women. And I have heard about the conception that “Allah will provide” instead of using protection to prevent pregnancy, I think there’s a similar conception in Christianity.
Great project! I liked how you demonstrated how geographical locations affected women’s views on contraception and how that can play and how that can have a larger influence than scripture.
Reading about how contraception controls women makes me realize what a tight grip the patriarchy still has on much of our lives even in today’s society! Saying that contraception goes against God’s will actually harms women more than people think creating negative impacts for the Muslim community. This entire project was so well researched and overall really informative!
It’s so interesting to see how the society we live in shapes the religious views we uphold. The interpretations of religious texts clearly differ depending on how it best fits our own moral views, as we see with the contrasting results of the surveys between Western Muslims and Muslims from Islam-majority countries. It really highlights the lasting effects of the patriarchy and traditional values in the East. Well done!
I loved this discussion on contraception in Islam, and I really appreciated the distinction you highlighted between the experiences of Muslims in the West versus the experiences of Muslims in Muslim-majority countries. Far too often, all Muslim experiences are painted with the same brush despite the fact that the culture we grow up surrounded by heavily impacts our experiences of religion. Also, highlighting how control of women’s reproductive rights by patriarchal societies is more of an intersectional and international issue that requires nuanced approaches. Definitely interesting and an important point to consider when discussing feminism in a Muslim context.
I learned a lot from this project, thank you for sharing!
I really enjoyed this project! I think that use of contraception isn’t as heavily discussed in Islamic contexts, as much as it is in Jewish or Christian contexts. It was also super interesting to see how Muslim views on contraception were so diverse from one region of the world to another. I feel like most people, specifically in the West, don’t see Islam as having such a wide range of beliefs on a single topic like that, so I think it was very valuable to show that in this project.
I thought this was such an interesting topic. The statistics comparing contraceptive use in Pakistan vs Muslim women in the west was revealing. It’s crazy that Muslim women living in the West are so much more open to the use of birth control. I also liked that you addressed the fact that the Qur’an and Hadith texts can be interpreted in a bunch of different ways and has been by different sects of Islam. This project opens up the dialogue about how to reconcile women’s reproductive rights with Islamic teachings. Great job!
I really enjoyed listening and reading about your project. I think it is important that you point out the difference. between Muslim women in the US versus Muslim women who grew up Muslim majority countries and especially in their views on contraceptions. It is crucial to acknowledge how a lot of the beliefs surrounding contraception and other controversial topics are only caused due to a society’s stigma surrounding that issue. Our society and culture really has the biggest impact on how you view certain topics.
This was such an informative project, I really enjoyed reading it! The data that you provide highlights the really striking difference that culture has on these beliefs, and I was really surprised just how big of the gap was (90% against it vs. 90% in support of it is so much bigger of a difference than I would have expected!) I wonder how much of the results in the West were influenced by geographic area, since California tends to be more liberal, and I wonder if more conservative responses might be found in different pockets of the US.
I found your project to be super interesting because I have always been curious about the religious divides that happen when one is surrounded by people of the same religion versus when they are exposed more to diverse ideas. I think this topic was a good one to tackle and I appreciate the thoroughness of the project and how neatly you wrap it up into this blog post.
I thought your project was really interesting and explained well. I find that sometimes when people write about “vague” topics, the written explanation can quickly become confuddled and hard to read in the author’s attempt to thoroughly explain all of the details of a topic so large. The way that you explained all of this, though, was laid out so well and made a difficult topic more accessible which I greatly admire.
I found your project extremely interesting. It is fascinating to see the many different factors that influence the position that someone would take. Whether it be sect, school, political affiliation, or culture, I think you did a great job showing the differing views of the faith on contraception.
While reading your article I found it surprising that coitus interruptus is considered a form of contraceptive that would be morally wrong. I had heard arguments against morning after pills and condoms, but specifically mentioning interrupting sex as a form of contraceptive is something less discussed that I’m really glad you included.