Addressing Islamic Values in Medical Imaging Professionalism

This paper presents a conceptual framework in aligning the integration of Islamic values into the Medicalimaging practices through the aspect of Islamic Personality (IP). IP is a form of moral quality in thepsychological aspects of a human, which is governed by the belief in Allah as the One God and ProphetMuhammad (Peace be upon him) as His servant and His messenger. This work is seen within the context ofharmonizing Islamic values to the currently accepted professional attributes in medical imaging. Themedical imaging practice is comprised of various domains; basic principles in healthcare and medicalimaging, patient care, use of technology, the technicalities or procedures, quality, safety, economic,research and professionalism. In order to conceptualize the IP as applicable for Muslim Medical imagingpractitioners’ ten professional guidelines were examined. The extracted professional attributes were sortedinto common themes within the context of the above domains. From the examination of the guidelines, theexpected professional attributes of medical imaging practitioners are closely related to the concepts inIslamic ethics (‘ilm al-akhlaq) and circle around character building. There are nineteen commonprofessional personality traits that were determined from the Medical imaging professional guidelines; 1)respectful, 2) safe practice, 3) safe activity, 4) equality, 5) trustworthy, 6) honesty and integrity, 7)truthful, 8) responsible and accountable, 9) compassionate, 10) wisdom, and 11) being up-to-date, 12)competence, 13) teamwork, 14) self-reflection, 15) dignity, 16) ethical behaviors, 17) adhere to laws andregulations, 18) effective communication, and 19) continuity of knowledge and skills development. Some ofthese traits were interpreted within the Islamic perspectives as applicable for Muslim Medical imagingpractitioners. The outlined conceptual framework could be a model for improvement in the practice ofMuslim Medical imaging practitioners in terms of IP. In conclusion, the professional attributes as addressedin the current professional guidelines are feasible to be aligned with the IP to form a set of Islamicpersonalities that are applicable for Muslim Medical imaging practitioners.

A Preliminary Insight into an Islamic Mechanism for Neuroethics

Muslim relies on the structure or guideline of shari’ah or the maqasid al-shariah, which consist of five essential values, namely preservation/protection of faith, life, intellect, property, and dignity/lineage – to guide them in discovering guiding principles for new concerns such as posed by neuroscience. Like in the case of brain imaging technology, there is in need for proper explanation within Islamic and among the Muslim scientists/scholars on how Islamic beliefs, values, and practices might cumulatively provide ‘different’ meanings to the practice and application of this technology, or whether it is in line with the shari’ah – in the context of preservation of health and protection of disease. This paper highlights the Islamic mechanism for neuroethics as basis for a holistic ethical framework of neuroscience to cope with its new, modern, and emerging technologies in the globalised world, and how Muslim should response to such changes.