Badar Bajaber, secretary general of permanent committee on Anti-Organ Selling in the Human Rights Commission, has warned against advertisements wherein some persons offer their organs for sale. “Selling organs for money is against Shariah rules. The Board of Senior Ulema has already issued a clear decision about this before,” Bajaber was quoted by Al-Watan Arabic daily as saying. The paper quoted Bajaber as saying that selling organs or children is crime punishable by law and anyone involved in this will be held accountable. The Board of Senior Ulema has earlier issued a decision clarifying the issue and permitted the act of taking an organ from a dead person and implant it in a Muslim body if doctors are certain that the transplantation will be successful, he explained. The Board also permitted a Muslim to donate part of his organ to another sick Muslim if doctors are certain that the donor won't be affected and the sick person will benefit from the organ, he said adding that the donor should be okay with giving his organ and shouldn't be forced to do so. “Shariah emphasizes the dignity and respect of a dead person and prohibits selling of organs or a part of an organ. Deterring penalties will be given to anyone who participates in this crime.” The Anti-Trade Crimes Law issued on 13/07/2009 incriminates any act of abuse of power, coercive acts, begging or enslaving practices and imposes penalties that range from 15 years in prison or a fine not exceeding a million riyals, Bajaber explained. The permanent committee of Anti-Organ Selling committee also coordinates with concerned authorities to bring back the victim to his/her original country; it also holds media campaigns and launch social and economic initiatives to prevent these practices, he added.
