Islam: Reservations Against Coronavirus Vaccine

The Ulema Council of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, will decide whether the government’s COVID-19 vaccine is permissible (halal) before mass vaccination starts.

The problem: The vaccine may use a pig-based gelatine as a stabiliser. For Muslims consuming pork is prohibited. In 2018, the Council banned a measles vaccine.

Indonesia President Joko Widodo a secular Muslim who has a "has a penchant for loud rock music" will be the first to be vaccinated to boost public trust in vaccines. The country has obtained three million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine.

Picture: Joko Widodo, #newsNfdhmcmugx