The Intersections of Sexual Health, Professional Misconduct, Medical Education and Islamic Bioethics: A Way Forward

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Mariam B. Khan

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Consulting a healthcare professional on sexual dysfunction often elicits feelings of vulnerability. When people with a faith-based approach to life or from traditional cultures/communities muster the courage to seek support, it is not uncommon for them to access the services of healthcare professionals of their faith or from similar cultures/communities. However, despite healthcare professionals’ main goal being to provide the best possible, unbiased, patient-centred healthcare, Muslim women seeking help from Muslim healthcare professionals encounter an androcentric healthcare system that undermines women’s sexual pain and autonomy in marriage. Muslim women fall prey to professional misconduct, gynaecological violence and subsequent sexual violence in their marriage. Muslim healthcare professionals prioritising the husband’s right to sex, informed by gender-biased Islamic teachings antithetical to the spirit of Islam, are guilty of a range of unethical and harmful behaviours, detrimental to their patient’s sexual and psychological well-being. This essay analyses some of these harmful behaviours of Muslim healthcare professionals in the U.S., U.K., and South Africa, as reported by patients who have had firsthand experience whilst seeking treatment for vaginismus. In response, this essay advocates for a comprehensive, holistic approach to sexual health and healthcare aligned with Islamic bioethics useful for Muslim healthcare professionals.