Human embryonic stem cell (HESC) research in Malaysia : multi-faith perspectives

The Malaysian government has identified biotechnology, which includes stem cell research, as one of the core technologies to facilitate the transformation from developing country into a fully industrialised nation. As human embryonic stem cell (HESC) research is contentious, it is argued that it is necessary for the Malaysian government to consider adopting a strict regulatory framework, which includes comprehensive legislation, to govern the research. However, in the formulation of tight regulation, it is important to achieve consensus on the research which is difficult in this multi-religious nation where there are different perspectives of the different faiths on the research. Religious views have been prominent in debates and reports on cloning and stem cell research, especially in the western world.1 They are informed by ethical, theological and legal issues. The debate on the moral status of the human embryo is closely linked to philosophical and religious perspectives on the subject of HESC research. Islam is the official religion in Malaysia, as provided in Article 3 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia which reads: "Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation." The majority of Malaysia's population is Muslim and there are also large numbers of adherents of other faiths such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism.2 This article explores the different perspectives of these main religions and the following challenges are noted. First, HESC research raises issues of deep religious significance. Second, within a society, there is religious diversity. Third, this problem is accentuated by the fact that there is no single authoritative voice that speaks for the religion as this involves making interpretations of holy texts that may lead to conflicting ones. Fourth, scientific advances have reached a stage where much modern biomedical research is new both theoretically and in practice, unimaginable when the ancient sacred texts were written. With the emergence of modern developments like HESC research, new orientations to theological/religious texts are required.