Human Milk-Based Industry in the Muslim World: Religioethical Challenges

Human milk banks have been established in >35 countries worldwide; however, there are currently no human milk banks in the Islamic countries. The Islamic tradition recognizes breast milk as the optimal source of nutrition for infants, yet religioethical reservations have prevented the establishment of a human milk-based industry in Muslim countries.1 In Islamic law, breastfeeding establishes a kinship (i.e., milk kinship) between the mother or wet nurse and the recipient of the milk. The milk kinship prohibits marriage; a man cannot marry the woman who breastfed him and certain of her relatives (e.g., mother, sisters, and daughters). There are, however, requirements for establishing a milk kinship, and they all revolve around three main aspects: (1) the wet nurse, (2) the milk, and (3) the nursling (Fig. 1). The identity of the wet nurse must be known so as to prevent improper marriage. The breast milk must reach the baby's stomach; however, there is a difference of opinion in whether the milk must be suckled directly from a breast or whether it can be delivered through alternative means (e.g., bottle and feeding tube). There is also discussion over what quantity of milk and how many breastfeeding sessions constitute a milk kinship. Lastly, the nursling (i.e., infant) should not be older than 2 years.