Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the role of the state in shaping the Muslim community's attitudes and beliefs towards organ donation in Singapore.

Paper long abstract:

The state has an undeniable hegemonic hold over the mainstream media's and government/statutory bodies' representation of organ donation as a positive act. Organs have been represented as gifts of lives allowing transplant recipients to live on and those who donate their organs and/or donate organs on behalf of a family member are hailed as heroes. This paper explores the role of the state in shaping the Muslim community's attitudes and beliefs towards organ donation in Singapore through selected narratives and also looks at how alternative media outlets such as The Independent, coconut.co and other foreign news agencies are valuable and imperative resources that one should use at his/her disposal to make a reasonably informed decision on whether or not to opt him/herself out of the automatic opt in system. What they bring to the table is often a counter narrative that has been suppressed within and by the mainstream media. If the "informed" in informed consent is only shaped by a one- sided, dominant view that privileges state agenda over all other sources of information and is vocal in its quest to change beliefs, attitudes and ideas which do not fall in line with it, we question how "informed" are peoples' subsequent decisions going to be and what kind of consequences that will have on their loved ones.