Wait for ‘fatwa’ before getting COVID-19 vaccine shot, says Deoband cleric
New Delhi: When people gearing up for vaccination against COVID-19, Muslims across the world are worried about Halal certification as they are concerned over presence of pork gelatin in the vaccine.
A Muslim cleric from UP’s Darul Uloom Deoband has said that Muslims should wait for fatwa before getting a shot of coronavirus vaccine.
The cleric said before taking the vaccine Muslims should check to see if the substances used to make the vaccine are allowed in Islam or not.
Whether the vaccine is safe for Muslims will be decided by the head of the Fatwa department, he said.
Gelatin derived from pork is widely used as a stabilizer to keep vaccines safe and effective during storage and transportation.
The statement from the Muslim cleric comes a day after Sunni scholars from Mumbai’s Raza Academy said that Chinese vaccine is “haram” for Muslims as it contains pork gelatin.
In a video statement, Raza Academy’s Secretary-General Saeed Noorie urged the Narendra Modi-led BJP government to not order China-made vaccine.
“For any vaccine which has been ordered or made in India, the government should show us the list of content so that we can make announcements regarding the use of the vaccine,” Bizsamachar quoted Noorie as saying.
Meanwhile, In Lucknow Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali has directed Muslims to take the vaccine and not involve themselves with rumours.
UAE approves vaccines even with pork
Earlier, the United Arab Emirates’ highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, allowed coronavirus vaccines for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin.
Council Chairman Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah said that if there are no alternatives, then the coronavirus vaccines would not be subject to Islamic restrictions on pork due to higher need to “protect the human body”.
While the UAE has started rolling out free Chinese vaccine to all its citizens and residents, Morocco plans to use Chinese vaccines in a mass immunization campaign slated to start this month.
Chinese vaccines are also awaiting approval in Turkey, Indonesia and Brazil, while testing continues in more than a dozen countries, including Russia, Egypt and Mexico.