Genetically Modified Foods: Islamic Ethical Perspectives

Genetically Modified(GM) foods have created a strong divide between the pro-GM scientists and the opposing camp comprising environmentalists and food purists, both deliberating on this issue based on their own morally held values regarding food. When it comes to Muslim scholars, there is a difference in opinion amongst the jurists, where some consider it a manageable risk while others adopt a more precautionary approach towards the technology. This study explores the key moral themes raised by GM foods and the ethical discourse related to this technology both within Food Ethics and its interdisciplinary subjects like Environment, Economics, Law, etc., to name a few. The first section discusses the scientific aims behind GM foods' introduction and their differences and similarities from the conventionally grown foods. The following section evaluates GM foods through the lens of possible benefits, expected harms, and associated values, especially regarding the universal ethical principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and autonomy. Finally, a semantic analysis of the word ṭayyib has been carried out in the last section to figure out how have Muslim theologians understood the concepts of consuming ṭayyib foods as mentioned in the Qur'an, [2:168] and how far can a link between these ṭayyib foods and the GM foods be established. A benefit /risk assessment has also been undertaken in the light of the Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘a. I conclude that GM foods should be analysed beyond this binary lens of ḥalāl and harām, and contemporary scholars should engage in more ethical discourses to make this distinction between ḥalāl and ṭayyib clearer for the better understanding of the masses.