Two Islamic organisations in India have issued edicts against sex determination tests and the killing of female foetuses. The edicts, or fatwas, came after a census showed a skewed gender balance which experts said was because of the widespread aborting of female foetuses.
The organisations, both based in the northern city of Lucknow and among five institutions in India empowered to issue fatwas said sex determination tests such as those done through ultra-sound technology, were against the spirit of Islam.
"Except for medical reasons pertaining to congenital diseases which could prove to be fatal for the child or the mother, Islam bans tests meant for knowing about the foetus," Maulana Mehmood Hasan Hasni, head of the fatwa department of the Darul Uloom Nadwa tul Ulema said.
Though pre-natal sex determination tests are banned, thousands are conducted illegally every week across India by parents - from the majority Hindu community as well as minority Muslims - who see a girl child as a burden. Some chose to abort a female foetus.
A 2001 census showed that there were 933 females for every 1,000 males in India, pointing to the preference for boys over girls, activists say.
The Indian Medical Association estimates five million girls are killed in the womb every year in India. Female infanticide is also said to be common in some remote areas.
The Darul Uloom is an internationally known centre for Islamic studies.
The other organisation that issued a fatwa, the Firangi Mahal, is also based in Lucknow.
"Islam preaches equality between men and women and those indulging in female foeticide are committing murder," Maulana Khalid Rasheed, deputy chief cleric who signed the edict, told Reuters on Wednesday.
About 13.4 percent of India's population is Muslim. Muslims have a sex ratio of 936 females to 1,000 males, just slightly above the national average.
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