HEMGEN · Health, European Muslims and Gender: Medical Authority and Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Sunni Islam

Infertility is estimated to affect an average of 14% people worldwide. It is an issue that affects equally both men and women, although it is often associated with a women’s social burden and the case of Islam is not an exception. While religion influences Muslims’ health beliefs, behaviours and decisions, health providers are not always aware of cultural and religious preferences and norms. Thus, Islamic norms on health treatments can result in Muslim’s exclusion from the health care system, especially affecting Muslim women. This can especially impact issues on infertility and reproduction, which holds exceptional moral and social significance across religions. Through an innovative focus, this project aims to advance scientific knowledge about how Sunni Muslims in a minority context in Europe navigate between the authority of medical science and the authority of religion, and to what extent this affect their access to health care.. The project will provide empirical data and develop a theoretical framework based on gender studies, sociology of religion and anthropology of health literatures. This will be achieved by applying intersectional perspective and qualitative methodologies, consisting of semi-structured interviews with Health Professionals and Muslims who have had fertility treatments. The research will be conducted in two European cities: Oslo and Barcelona. Both cities have experienced a rapid increase in religious diversity in last decades but are different in their organisation of religious communities and of health systems. The comparison between the two cities will provide insights into differences among Sunni Muslims around negotiating health, religious and gender issues. This project will contribute to new avenues of investigation concerning the life conditions of Sunni Muslims in Europe and will develop new knowledge on health inequality that may be adapted for future research on other religious minorities or vulnerable groups.