Moral Consciousness and Ethical Decision-Making Among Muslim Physicians in End-of-Life Care

Abstract

Despite growing global interest in ethical dilemmas at the end of life, limited attention has been given to how Muslim physicians experience and resolve moral tensions in clinical practice, especially in the context of passive euthanasia. End-of-life ethical decision-making is a critical area in medical ethics, particularly when examined through the lens of religious values and clinical responsibility. Within this domain, Muslim physicians often face unique moral tensions when dealing with passive euthanasia, a situation that demands both professional judgment and religious reflection. However, existing research has largely overlooked how these physicians experience and internalize such decisions in practice, raising the question: How do Muslim physicians interpret and respond to the moral challenges of passive euthanasia?

This study adopts an interpretative phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of Muslim physicians confronting ethically complex end-of-life cases.

Using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with ten Muslim physicians, the study reveals four major themes: the moral weight of decision-making, the negotiation between Islamic values and medical protocols, the role of spiritual coping, and the absence of institutional religious support. Thematic analysis was conducted through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), allowing for deep insight into how participants construct meaning around these experiences. Findings suggest that participants navigate their decisions not merely through legal or clinical frameworks but through a reflective process grounded in faith, emotion, and existential concern. These results fill a critical gap in Islamic bioethics by highlighting the subjective dimensions of moral reasoning in real clinical settings.

The study expands our understanding of culturally embedded ethical practice and suggests the need for integrating religious and spiritual dimensions into medical ethics education and support systems for healthcare professionals.