Saudi Gazette report The Kingdom actively supports organ donation and the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT) has spearheaded numerous public awareness campaigns on the importance of organ donations. Despite these efforts, experts say a lack of transparency, awareness and conflicting religious edicts have hindered efforts to increase the number of donors. Many experts said an organ donation week, similar to blood donation campaigns, should be held to increase awareness, and schools across the Kingdom should join these efforts by holding seminars for students. “The main obstacle that causes many people to refuse to donate their organs is a lack of religious awareness on the permissibility of organ donations. Organs of one brain-dead individual can help save the lives of eight other people who are awaiting donors. This greatly necessitates the launching of an educational campaign, with the participation of scholars, scientists and doctors to achieve a speedy response,” said researcher Emad Kashi. “Organ donation is a most noble and humanitarian act that can only be appreciated by someone who had lost a loved one who was waiting for a donor. The main obstacle that prevents people from donating is their family's opposition because they reject the idea of having organs removed from the body of their deceased relatives,” he added. Citizen Abdullah Mishaan said organ donation requires a strong will and decision on the part of the donor who should have complete conviction of the noble reasons for such an act. “If everyone imagines that he or she is a relative of a loved one who is awaiting a donor, society's view on donating organs would change. In addition, people should try to imagine that when they are burying their loved ones, parts of them are in someone else's body, helping that person live a normal life,” he said. The Kingdom has one of the highest rates of road accident deaths in the Middle East, and since so many people lose their lives on the Kingdom's roads, donor Muhammad Al-Mutairi, said national ID cards and driving licenses should indicate whether or not a person has agreed to be an organ donor. “This way, the body of someone who dies in a road accident can immediately be prepared to harvest the necessary organs,” he said while urging religious scholars to clear any misconceptions people may have on the religious stance on donating organs. “Islam has stressed helping others and donating organs helps save lives. The Ministry of Health should broadcast advertisements and commercials that encourage organ donations and religious scholars should address fatwas (religious edicts) that prohibit the donations of organs. Only scholars and the media can solve this problem,” he added. Dr. Tarik Al-Bigami donated one of his kidneys to his mother to end her constant suffering due to continuous dialyses she had to undergo. The dialysis had weakened her body. Al-Bigami believes it is the duty of every able-bodied individual to donate his or her organs. “I believe that organ donation is a duty, especially if it saves lives and reduces the pain people who need organs are going through. In my opinion, scholars have the solution to this dilemma,” he said. “There is a great reward in donating organs and donors should receive incentives and special treatment from different government and private bodies to encourage more people to donate their organs,” he added. Pediatrician Dr. Lama Al-Aiousi described organ donation as an “ongoing charitable act” that serves the interests of the community. Al-Aiousi also said scholars need to do more to explain the charitable aspect of organ donation to people. “Saudi society needs to be more aware about the concept of organ donation because of the widespread ignorance in this matter despite the fact that the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Makkah, as well as many distinguished scholars, both in the Kingdom and in the Muslim world, has spoken about the religious permissibility of organ donation.”
