Foreword

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) takes a keen interest in catering for the needs of readers in terms of information in various fields, in a way consonant with the Islamic values and responsive to life requirements in our changing world.

The last years have witnessed an increased interest in population education in particular, and in population culture in general. Hence the proliferation of issues related to this scientific field, foremost among which is reproductive health. The Islamic Organization deemed it necessary, therefore, to supply, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the basic information relevant to this domain to students, researchers and various strata of the Muslim society, male and female alike. The Islamic Organization keeps in mind one of the established facts in the realm of literacy action, notably that a large portion of efforts is squandered or undermined because of the relapse of new literates into illiteracy owing, inter alia, to the scarcity of reading materials likely to satisfy their quest of knowledge, respecting all the while their mental capabilities.

With all these considerations in mind, ISESCO and UNFPA are pleased to present this booklet on reproductive health from an Islamic perspective. The booklet addresses  topics which are most vital for people to know, but are usually eluded due to moral constraints. Building on his experience in the field, Dr. Ahmad Rajae Abdulhamid, reproductive health teacher at the Al-Azhar University’s International Islamic Centre of Population Studies and Research, has adhered to simplicity of style, without as much as affecting the validity of information, the aim being to tailor the content to the level of the newly literates who are, as a matter of fact, priority targets of such information in view of their direct bearing on population growth from their effective social roles.

The Islamic Organization (ISESCO) and UNFPA are conscious that the booklet adopts the tone of straightforwardness in dealing with topics deliberately avoided by many authors notwithstanding their vital character. The booklet is presented by both organizations on the grounds of two fundamental principles :

No shyness may be admitted in matters of religion, nor of science.

I pray the Almighty to make this contribution beneficial to all Muslims.