Organ Transplants, Islam, and Human Dignity in Egypt

Egypt, a pioneer of organ transplantation, has been reluctant to pass a national organ transplant law for more than three decades. Sherine Hamdy's newly released book Our Bodies Belong to God: Organ Transplants, Islam, and the Struggle for Human Dignity in Egypt (University of California Press, 2012) analyzes the national debate over this issue, which has unfolded during a time of major social and political transformation—including revolution, the privatization of health care, advances in science, the growing gap between rich and poor, and the Islamization of public space. Hamdy also explores the implications this has for “Islamic Bioethics” in general.