Religious affairs minister: Exceptions to halal vaccine ingredients allowed in emergencies

 

PARLIAMENT | Vaccines are permitted for Muslims if they are made from halal ingredients but exceptions can be made in life-threatening circumstances, de facto Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri said today.

Speaking during his Budget 2021 winding-up speech, he said such matters were decided by the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia (MKI).

MKI is a body under the Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

“With the issue of medicine, ulama (religious scholars) concur that food, including medicines, must be made from good (thoyyib) and halal ingredients.

“They must not contain elements that are harmful to physical health or the brain.

“However, there is some leeway in using haram ingredients if halal ingredients are unavailable - for emergency cases where someone’s life is at risk or for chronic diseases,” Zulkifli said.

The minister’s answer was in response to a question posed by Jalaluddin Alias (BN-Jelebu) during the budget debate.

The Perikatan Nasional cabinet decided last month that Malaysia will join the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Covid-19 vaccine global access (Covax) programme.

Covax guarantees vaccine supply to 20 percent of a participating nation’s population but it involves an upfront payment of RM94.08 million.

Last week, the government also signed a five-year agreement with Beijing to collaborate on vaccine development. This partnership guarantees Malaysia priority access to Covid-19 vaccines developed by China. - Mkini