As people of the country await COVID-19 vaccine, Sunni Muslim scholars from Mumbai’s Raza Academy said that Chinese vaccine containing pork gelatin is “haram” for Muslims.
Raza Academy’s Secretary-General, Saeed Noorie in a video statement urged the Indian government to not place an order for the Chinese vaccine, which contains pork gelatin.
Saeed Noorie, said, “There are reports of a Chinese vaccine with parts of pig’s body. As pig is Haram for Muslims, a vaccine containing its body parts cannot be allowed.”
While reading out the decision by Qazi-e-Mumbai Hazrat Mufti Mehmood Akhtar, Noorie said, “Even if a hair of a pig falls in a well, water from that well is forbidden for Muslims. Hence, as per Islamic law, a vaccine which contains pig’s gelatin cannot act as a treatment against any disease.”
“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,” said Noorie.
Meanwhile, UAE Fatwa council has said that vaccines containing pork gelatin is permissible for Muslims. Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah, who heads the UAE Fatwa Council, the highest Islamic authority in the country, has said that the coronavirus vaccines would not be subject to Islam’s ban on pork-derived products because of the greater cause to “protect the human body”. Pork gelatin used in vaccines is considered medicine and not food, the UAE Fatwa Council ruled.
According to reports, pharmaceutical companies use pork-derived gelatin as a stabilizer in the vaccines to ensure they remain safe and effective during storage and transport.
