Faculty of Science at the Arab American University held a workshop to raise awareness on organ donation, attended by a group of university students.

The workshop came to raise awareness of university students about the importance of organ donation at the time of death because it has a great human impact in saving the lives of other patients who need organs to complete their lives, especially that Islamic law allows so.

It was moderated by Dr. Rula Jadallah, lecturer in the Biology and Biotechnology Department, as well as the nurse and lecturer on organs donation in Palestine Mrs. Maryam Shalabi, and Jenin’s Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Abu Al-Rob.

The presenters talked about a number of topics including defining organs donating, who’s the donor and the recipient, donation from alive human being to another, a dead person’s donation to a living one, the waiting list for donation, religions opinion of donation, family role and attitude towards it, and statistics on the numbers of donors and recipients in Palestine.

They also spoke about the organs that can’t be donated such as the ones carrying genetic characteristics and the causes of prevention. The Palestinian government has recently approved the law on the transfer and transplant human organs in Palestine, and appointed a higher committee to follow up the organs’ transplants.

“Giving without waiting for a repay is a purely humanitarian act, when one’s expects nothing in return for their action. Adding, one organs donor can save the lives of seven people suffering from certain diseases”, Shalabi said in her speech.

Mufti Abu Al-Rob stressed, organs transplantation is permissible from deceased or alive people to save patients’ lives according to special terms and conditions. He said the deceased may donate organs before his death, taking into account his family feelings and his dignity without the mutilation of the body. In the case of a living one, the person may donate organs that do not harm his life because donating vital organs can becomes a suicide attempt, which is forbidden in Islam.

Students and speakers both discussed many topics related to the donation issue, the hospitals readiness for these operations, organs that can be donated, and cases that don’t prevent the donor from donating an organ.