Islamic Bioethics, Artificial Intelligence Governance, and Human Moral Agency: A Comparative Study of Contemporary Sunni Jurisprudential Approaches in the Middle East and Europe

Abstract

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence technologies has generated major ethical and legal debates within contemporary Muslim societies concerning automation, surveillance, algorithmic governance, biomedical decision-making, and human moral agency. This article comparatively examines how Sunni Islamic bioethical institutions in the Middle East and Europe employ maqasid al-shari‘ah, usul al-fiqh, and contemporary ethical reasoning to address emerging artificial intelligence governance challenges. While previous scholarship on Islamic bioethics has concentrated primarily on organ transplantation, reproductive ethics, and end-of-life jurisprudence, comparatively limited attention has been devoted to the jurisprudential implications of artificial intelligence within transnational Muslim contexts. Drawing upon comparative textual analysis of institutional fatwas, bioethical policy frameworks, academic Islamic legal scholarship, and contemporary governance reports, the study demonstrates that Islamic AI ethics is increasingly shaped by differing institutional configurations, minority-majority dynamics, and socio-political understandings of technological modernity. The findings reveal that Middle Eastern institutions generally prioritize regulatory stabilization, collective social order, and state-oriented ethical governance, whereas European Muslim scholarly institutions emphasize human dignity, minority citizenship, algorithmic accountability, and ethical pluralism. The article argues that Islamic bioethical discourse concerning artificial intelligence reflects broader transformations in contemporary Islamic legal thought, particularly the growing integration of maqasid-oriented reasoning, interdisciplinary expertise, and global governance ethics. This study contributes to Islamic studies scholarship by developing a comparative analytical framework linking Islamic jurisprudence, bioethics, digital governance, and socio-political adaptation within contemporary Muslim intellectual discourse.