Islamic fasting during pregnancy harms childrens’ IQ and health

By: Nicolai Sennels, psychologist

It is well known that inbreeding among Muslims are wide spread and pose a serious risk to the childrens’ IQ and mental and physical health. At least 25 percent of Turks, 45 percent of the Arabs and 70 percent of Pakistanis are born from blood-related parents, typically first-cousin marriages (often through many generations).

The religiously sanctioned practise of inbreeding is not the only a danger to Muslims’ intelligence and mental and physical health. Islamic fasting, Ramadan, is also potentially harmful for the offspring’s cognitive abilities, as research concludes that the risk of low IQ-problems almost doubles if the mother fasts during the first periode of her pregnancy. It increases the risk of adult disability with 20 percent.

Islamic fasting during pregnancy is “the norm”

Islamic scholars differ in their view on fasting during pregnancy. The most common opinion seems to be that if the mother fear for her child, she should delay the fasting until after birth.

But the risk of harming one’s unborn child is not the only fear, many Muslim mothers have. Pregnant Muslim mothers also have responsibility for preserving family honor and may also not feel strong enough to be the only fasting person in the family, once she has given birth and has to make up for the missed fasting days.

In spite of any possible religious and medical advises, research show that a majority of Muslim women fast during pregnancy, as summarized by Douglas Almond and Bhashkar Mazumder:

“Pregnant women who request an exemption from fasting are expected to ‘make up’ for the fasting days missed during pregnancy after delivery. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this may discourage pregnant women from seeking the exemption since they may be the only member of the household fasting [Hoskins, 1992, Mirghani et al., 2004].1 Mirghani et al. [2004] noted: ‘Most opt to fast with their families rather than doing this later’:636.

In addition, some Muslims interpret Islamic Law as requiring pregnant women to fast. For example, the religious leader of Singapore’s Muslims held that: ‘a pregnant woman who is in good health, capable of fasting and does not feel any worry about herself or to her foetus, is required and expected to fast like any ordinary woman’ [Joosoph and Yu, 2004].2 Furthermore, since fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and is a central part of the culture of the Muslim community, many women fear a loss of connection with the community or would feel guilty about not observing Ramadan [Robinson and Raisler, 2005].

As far as we are aware, comprehensive data on Ramadan fasting during pregnancy do not exist. Various surveys of Muslim women suggest that fasting is the norm. For example, of the 4,343 women delivering in hospitals in Hamadan, Iran in 1999, 71% reported fasting at least 1 day, ‘highlighting the great desire of Muslim women to keep fasting in Ramadan, the holy month’ [Arab and Nasrollahi, 2001]. In a study in Singapore, 87% of the 181 Muslim women surveyed fasted at least 1 day during pregnancy, and 74% reported completing at least 20 days of fasting [Joosoph and Yu, 2004]. In a study conducted in Sana’a City, Yemen, more than 90 percent fasted over 20 days [Makki, 2002]. At the Sorrento Maternity Hospital in Birmingham, England, three quarters of mothers fasted during Ramadan [Eaton and Wharton, 1982]. In a study conducted in Gambia, 90

percent of pregnant women fasted throughout Ramadan [Prentice et al., 1983]. In the US, a study of 32 Muslim women in Michigan found that 28 had fasted in at least one pregnancy and reported that 60-90 percent of women from their communities fast during pregnancy [Robinson and Raisler, 2005].”

A study by Robinson and Raisler found that “Ramadan fasting is important to Muslim patients, including pregnant women.” in the USA.

Consequenses of fasting during pregnancy

Almond,  Mazumder and Ewijk concludes that, just like other kinds of malnutrition or lack of nutrition during pregnancy, “…exposure to Ramadan during an especially sensitive developmental period exerts meaningful and persistent effects on human capital accumulation.”

With “especially sensitive developmental period,” the three authors mean that exposure to Ramadan fasting is most harmful to the development of the fetus in the first trimester, especially the third month of pregnancy. “Human capital” implies intelligence and different kinds of cognitive abilities, especially those important for creating value within a society.

(Data chart from the ?study by Almond,  Mazumder and Ewijk. As can be seen, Muslims score significantly lower than any other student group when it comes to school grades, and higher than any other group when it comes to qualifying for free school meals (offered to children from low income homes)).

Another study by Almond and Mazumder concludes that “We generally find the largest effects on adults when Ramadan falls early in pregnancy. Rates of adult disability are roughly 20 per cent higher, with specific mental disabilities showing substantially larger effects.”

This study also found that “relatively mild prenatal exposures can have persistent effects.”

Almond and Mazumber’s study shows that “turning to specific disabilities, the most striking finding is the increased incidence of a mental or learning disability when Ramadan occurs during the first month of pregnancy. … this implies that the occurrence of Ramadan early in pregnancy nearly doubles the likelihood of a disability related to diminished cognitive function. Thus, the increase in mental/learning disabilities from month-one Ramadan exposure would account for about 15 percent of all mental/learning disabilities among Muslims.”