Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Islamic charity website encourages UK Muslims to discuss, take up organ donation

AN ISLAMIC charity has launched a website to encourage British Muslims to learn more about organ donation, after one of its surveys found 75 per cent of the community had never discussed the subject with anyone.

New Horizons in British Islam -- which engages in critical discussions on Muslim identity, traditions and reforms -- said the website “summarises what the Islamic position on organ donation is, sets out the 2020 law change and answers some common questions around donating”.


In May 2020, England had implemented a new organ donation law, under which people will be considered to have agreed to donate organs after death, unless they record their intent to “opt out”, or belong to an excluded group.

Since then, at least 167,000 people have removed themselves from the organ donation list. And, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), 23 per cent of them were black or Asian.

New Horizons in British Islam has been working with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to help address the “critical shortage” of organ donors from black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

According to the NHS, someone dies waiting for a transplant every day in the UK.

Data from 2019 showed almost a third (31 per cent) of those waiting for a transplant in the country were from BAME backgrounds, despite the group making up just 14 per cent of the population.

“One of the most important conversations people can have in their lives is about death,” said a New Horizons spokesperson.

“British Muslims have lots of questions about how organ donation sits with their faith and the process but they don’t seem to be talking about it with their families.

“We’re positive the website can be a tool to answer questions, help people make an informed decision and to encourage Muslims to have an honest and open dialogue with their families about it.”

Amjid Ali, who had been on the organ donor register for 23 years before he received a kidney in 2011, said he “very much hoped” the initiative would raise awareness, and bolster “the ongoing work of NHSBT… to build links with diverse Muslim communities living in the UK”.

Harpreet Matharu, specialist nurse for organ donation at NHSBT, said: “It’s important that people know they still and will always have a choice. Families will still be consulted, and people’s faith, beliefs and culture will continue to be respected.

“We know that families are more likely to say yes to donation if they have had the discussion are aware of what their loved one wanted.

“Death can be a difficult subject and especially in BAME communities it can quite often be seen as a taboo subject. We are hoping the new change in law will be the perfect opportunity to get these important conversations going.”

More For You

JLR-Tata-Getty

JLR had initially planned to manufacture more than 70,000 electric vehicles at the facility. (Photo: Getty Images)

JLR halts plan to build EVs at Tata’s India plant: Report

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has put on hold plans to manufacture electric vehicles at Tata Motors’ upcoming £775 million factory in southern India, according to a news report.

The decision was influenced by challenges in balancing price and quality for locally sourced EV components, three of the sources said. They added that slowing demand for electric vehicles was also a factor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

Sarju Khushal

Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

A MAN who supplied controlled drugs on a ‘wholesale’ scale across Leicestershire has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Sarju Khushal, 30, was arrested in 2022 after investigations revealed he had been transporting drugs from Lancashire into the area.

Khushal, formerly of Hazeldene Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to several charges, including the supply and conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He was sentenced at Leicester crown court last Thursday (6).

Keep ReadingShow less
Tamil Nadu Education

Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people

Getty images

Education or imposition? Tamil Nadu battles India government over Hindi in schools

A war of words has erupted between Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin and the federal government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends a three-language formula in schools, with two of the three being native to India. Stalin has voiced strong objections, claiming that the policy could lead to the imposition of Hindi, a northern Indian language, in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu. The issue has reignited old tensions between southern states and the central government over the privileging of Hindi.

Historical resistance to Hindi

Tamil Nadu has a deep-rooted history of opposing the promotion of Hindi, dating back to the 1960s. Protests broke out in the state when the federal government attempted to make Hindi the sole official language, leading to a compromise that allowed the continued use of English. Language in Tamil Nadu is not merely a means of communication but a powerful symbol of cultural identity. Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people. As a result, any perceived threat to its prominence is met with strong resistance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Former Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire enters House of Lords as Baroness

Thangam Debbonaire

Former Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire enters House of Lords as Baroness

FORMER Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire has taken her seat in the House of Lords after being awarded a life peerage last month.

The 58-year-old, who represented Bristol West for Labour from 2015 until July’s general election, wore the traditional scarlet robes during her introductory ceremony. She will now be known as Baroness Debbonaire of De Beauvoir Town in the London Borough of Hackney.

Keep ReadingShow less