Zulkifli: COVID-19 vaccine is permissible

PUTRAJAYA: A special meeting of the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs on Dec 3 has decided that the use of the COVID-19 vaccine is permissible (harus) and obligatory (wajib) for groups which have been identified by the government.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri in a statement today said that the decision was presented to the Conference of Rulers.

"In this regard, I call on all Malaysians, especially Muslims, to adhere and give full trust to the government in tackling the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through the use of vaccines," he said.

Zulkifli said that the use of vaccines to protect people from being infected with dangerous diseases is not a foreign thing in the Islamic perspective.

He said that prevention through vaccination can be seen in the six decisions that require its use which had been decided by the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia from 1988 to 2013.

The six decisions involved immunisation against rubella; hepatitis B; measles; tuberculosis; whooping cough; diphtheria, tetanus and polio; meningococcal meningitis; human papilloma virus and meningitis menveo, he said.

At the international level, he said, the global fatwa institutions had issued fatwas (edicts) on the permissibility of the use of vaccines, including the al-Azhar al-Sharif; the United Arab Emirates' Fatwa Council; and Majma 'Fuqaha' al-Shari'ah in the United States.

Therefore, the issue of taking COVID 19 vaccine, is a decision set by the government, he said.

"This is because the government is required to make a decision that brings benefits to the people, after taking into consideration various factors and after obtaining views from experts and authorities," he said.

-- BERNAMA