Announcement: Bioethics Links Newsletter, Volume 21 Issue 1, June 2025

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Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to share with you the June 2025 edition of Bioethics Links, CBEC’s newsletter, featuring highlights from our January 2025 international conference titled “The Warp and Woof of Human Morality” / “Insaani Akhlaq kaa Tana Bana.” This issue captures some of its memorable moments, including essays based on three plenary talks, photographs of key events, quotes from speakers and attendees, faculty reflections, and snapshots of the press coverage.
As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback. Happy reading!

Dr. Farhat Moazam, Professor and Chairperson
Ms. Sualeha Shekhani, Assistant Professor
CBEC-SIUT, Karachi

Volume 21 Issue 1 June 2025

A Pakistani craftsman weaves threads of different colors and shades to make a traditional khadi shawl on his loom. The metaphor of weaving was chosen as the underlying theme for CBEC-SIUT’s January 2025 International Conference to reflect the diversity of sources that continue to inform human understanding of morality through the ages. Picture Courtesy: Sib Kaifee, Arab News.

Foreword by Farhat Moazam*

“The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.”
William Shakespeare. All's Well That Ends Well

The theme chosen for CBEC-SIUT’s bilingual (English and Urdu), January 2025 international conference was “The Warp and Woof of Human Morality” or “Insaani Akhlaq kaa Tana Bana.” When weaving cloth on a loom, the warp constitutes the vertical threads, whereas the woof is woven across these horizontally, an art the ancient Egyptians are credited for perfecting around 5,000 BCE. Weaving as a metaphor is frequently used to capture various aspects of human lives. Common examples include “the moral fiber” of individuals, “the fabric of life,” and “weaving” ideas to find solutions for difficult problems.

The choice of using this metaphor for the conference was our attempt to challenge an ahistorical and myopic ethics education that compartmentalizes secular versus religious, modern versus traditional, liberal versus conservative, whereas humans are composites of many identities.

The conference drew participants from professionals and members of the public alike. This edition of the Center’s newsletter, Bioethics Links, offers some of the highlights of the two days. This includes texts of three plenary talks, pictures of key events, quotes from attendees, and examples of press coverage.

*Professor and Chairperson, Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, SIUT

Articles

BIOETHICS AND WICKED PROBLEMS
THE CHIMES OF HAYY IBN YAQZAN: FROM THE DIVINE COMEDY TO ROBINSON CRUSOE AND ONWARD
RECLAIMING FEMINIST CONSCIOUSNESS IN URDU LITERATURE

Nauman Faizi
Syed Noman-ul-Haq
Fatima Hasan

If we are to think of bioethics as a discipline that theorizes and conceptualizes wicked problems, then its claims should sound less like clearly articulated principles, pathways, and guidelines…
We hear its chimes all over Europe — in pure philosophy, in science proper, and in educational doctrines, not to speak of literature and that liberating genre of fiction…
The patriarchal system not only ignored women but also considered them as nonexistent, essentially manifesting that women are devoid of any intellectual capabilities and wisdom…

Reports

CBEC’S LONG-STANDING ASSOCIATION WITH KMU
CBEC-SIUT MAKES INROADS IN BALOCHISTAN

Recent workshops have focused on research ethics to enhance the knowledge and sound functioning of ethical review committees (ERC) and their members in KPK.
CBEC’s reach into Balochistan, the country’s most disadvantaged province, had been minimal due to a paucity of medical fraternity contacts despite faculty efforts.

HIGHLIGHTS: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, JAN 10-11, 2025

Inaugural Session

Dr. Anwar Naqvi (left), Provost of Sindh Institute of Medical Sciences, delivers the opening remarks to inaugurate the CBEC-SIUT conference.
Dr. Caesar Atuire, President IAB, delivers the keynote speech titled “Pluriversality in Bioethics” online, followed by an engaging discussion with the audience.

Alumni Talks: Spreading The Word

Seminar: Women In Pakistan

CBEC Alumni Dr. Amjad Mahboob (KPK), Dr. Natasha Anwar (Punjab), and Dr. Nida Wahid Bashir (Karachi) in a group photo with Dr. Moazam and Dr. Aamir after their talks on how they took forward bioethics in their respective fields after graduating from CBEC.
Dr. Fatima Hasan and Dr. Arfana Mallah sit together during a session on Women in Pakistan. Dr. Fatima’s talk was titled “Female Consciousness and Female Urdu Poets,” while Dr. Mallah talked on “Women of Sindh: Caught between Feudalism and Fundamentalism.”

A Play by School Children: A Greener World

School children in a group photo with their drama instructors, Ms. Samar and Mr. Asher (standing right), along with CBEC faculty, after their performance. The play, “A Greener World, Re-imagined through Classic Tales,” centered on environmental pollution and the responsibility of humans. The picture on the right depicts a scene from the play portraying Snow White, the Wicked Witch and three environmentally conscious birds.

Lessons In Ethics from the Past

Dr. Paul Lombardo (left) and Dr. Syed Noman-ul-Haq (right) in a conversation about Muslim philosophers cum physicians, Ibn Sina (d. 1037) and Ibn Tufayl (d. 1185), on which their respective talks were focused.
Dr. Nauman Faizi (LUMS) speaking on “Hope without Moorings: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Live with Uncertainty” at the conference.

An Afternoon of Adab [Literature and Ethics]

Dr. Nida Wahid Bashir (standing), CBEC faculty, introduces the guests, Harris Khalique, Zehra Nigah, and Iftikhar Arif (seated left to right), for the session exploring the interplay of literature with ethics. Following a discussion, the poets recited their famous works at the request of the audience.

Views of Attendees

What the Press Said

Faculty Reflections

Other Links

Online Newsletter
Download PDF
View Archives

Contact

Centre of Biomedical Ethics & Culture (CBEC),
Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT),
Sindh Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS),
Karachi, Pakistan
Phone: +(92 21) 9921-6957
Email: cb...@siut.org
Website: http://siut.org/bioethics/

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Dear Colleagues, We are delighted to share with you the June 2025 edition of Bioethics Links, CBEC’s newsletter, featuring highlights from our January 2025 international conference titled “The Warp and Woof of Human Morality” / “Insaani Akhlaq kaa Tana Bana.” This issue captures some of its memorable moments, including essays based on three plenary talks, photographs of key events, quotes from speakers and attendees, faculty reflections, and snapshots of the press coverage. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback. Happy reading! Dr. Farhat Moazam, Professor and Chairperson Ms. Sualeha Shekhani, Assistant Professor CBEC-SIUT, Karachi

	Volume 21 Issue 1 June 2025

A Pakistani craftsman weaves threads of different colors and shades to make a traditional khadi shawl on his loom. The metaphor of weaving was chosen as the underlying theme for CBEC-SIUT’s January 2025 International Conference to reflect the diversity of sources that continue to inform human understanding of morality through the ages. Picture Courtesy: Sib Kaifee, Arab News.

Foreword by Farhat Moazam*
“The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” William Shakespeare. All's Well That Ends Well The theme chosen for CBEC-SIUT’s bilingual (English and Urdu), January 2025 international conference was “The Warp and Woof of Human Morality” or “Insaani Akhlaq kaa Tana Bana.” When weaving cloth on a loom, the warp constitutes the vertical threads, whereas the woof is woven across these horizontally, an art the ancient Egyptians are credited for perfecting around 5,000 BCE. Weaving as a metaphor is frequently used to capture various aspects of human lives. Common examples include “the moral fiber” of individuals, “the fabric of life,” and “weaving” ideas to find solutions for difficult problems. The choice of using this metaphor for the conference was our attempt to challenge an ahistorical and myopic ethics education that compartmentalizes secular versus religious, modern versus traditional, liberal versus conservative, whereas humans are composites of many identities. The conference drew participants from professionals and members of the public alike. This edition of the Center’s newsletter, Bioethics Links, offers some of the highlights of the two days. This includes texts of three plenary talks, pictures of key events, quotes from attendees, and examples of press coverage.
*Professor and Chairperson, Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, SIUT
		Articles

BIOETHICS AND WICKED PROBLEMS		THE CHIMES OF HAYY IBN YAQZAN: FROM THE DIVINE COMEDY TO ROBINSON CRUSOE AND ONWARD		RECLAIMING FEMINIST CONSCIOUSNESS IN URDU LITERATURE
Nauman Faizi		Syed Noman-ul-Haq		Fatima Hasan
If we are to think of bioethics as a discipline that theorizes and conceptualizes wicked problems, then its claims should sound less like clearly articulated principles, pathways, and guidelines…		We hear its chimes all over Europe — in pure philosophy, in science proper, and in educational doctrines, not to speak of literature and that liberating genre of fiction…		The patriarchal system not only ignored women but also considered them as nonexistent, essentially manifesting that women are devoid of any intellectual capabilities and wisdom…

		Reports

CBEC’S LONG-STANDING ASSOCIATION WITH KMU			CBEC-SIUT MAKES INROADS IN BALOCHISTAN
Recent workshops have focused on research ethics to enhance the knowledge and sound functioning of ethical review committees (ERC) and their members in KPK.			CBEC’s reach into Balochistan, the country’s most disadvantaged province, had been minimal due to a paucity of medical fraternity contacts despite faculty efforts.


HIGHLIGHTS: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, JAN 10-11, 2025
		Inaugural Session

Dr. Anwar Naqvi (left), Provost of Sindh Institute of Medical Sciences, delivers the opening remarks to inaugurate the CBEC-SIUT conference.			Dr. Caesar Atuire, President IAB, delivers the keynote speech titled “Pluriversality in Bioethics” online, followed by an engaging discussion with the audience.
Alumni Talks: Spreading The Word			Seminar: Women In Pakistan

CBEC Alumni Dr. Amjad Mahboob (KPK), Dr. Natasha Anwar (Punjab), and Dr. Nida Wahid Bashir (Karachi) in a group photo with Dr. Moazam and Dr. Aamir after their talks on how they took forward bioethics in their respective fields after graduating from CBEC.			Dr. Fatima Hasan and Dr. Arfana Mallah sit together during a session on Women in Pakistan. Dr. Fatima’s talk was titled “Female Consciousness and Female Urdu Poets,” while Dr. Mallah talked on “Women of Sindh: Caught between Feudalism and Fundamentalism.”
		A Play by School Children: A Greener World

School children in a group photo with their drama instructors, Ms. Samar and Mr. Asher (standing right), along with CBEC faculty, after their performance. The play, “A Greener World, Re-imagined through Classic Tales,” centered on environmental pollution and the responsibility of humans. The picture on the right depicts a scene from the play portraying Snow White, the Wicked Witch and three environmentally conscious birds.
	Lessons In Ethics from the Past

Dr. Paul Lombardo (left) and Dr. Syed Noman-ul-Haq (right) in a conversation about Muslim philosophers cum physicians, Ibn Sina (d. 1037) and Ibn Tufayl (d. 1185), on which their respective talks were focused.			Dr. Nauman Faizi (LUMS) speaking on “Hope without Moorings: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Live with Uncertainty” at the conference.
		An Afternoon of Adab [Literature and Ethics]

Dr. Nida Wahid Bashir (standing), CBEC faculty, introduces the guests, Harris Khalique, Zehra Nigah, and Iftikhar Arif (seated left to right), for the session exploring the interplay of literature with ethics. Following a discussion, the poets recited their famous works at the request of the audience.
Views of Attendees		What the Press Said		Faculty Reflections


		Other Links

Online Newsletter		Download PDF		View Archives
		Contact

		Centre of Biomedical Ethics & Culture (CBEC), Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Sindh Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), Karachi, Pakistan Phone: +(92 21) 9921-6957 Email: cb...@siut.org Website: http://siut.org/bioethics/