Indonesian Ulema Council or MUI does not plan to release the mandatory fatwa for the COVID-19 vaccine. (Image via Kompas)

MUI: COVID-19 doesn't have to be mandatory

The Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) will not release a mandatory fatwa for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination. Speaking on Monday, the Head of the Fatwa Commission, Hasanuddin AF, stated that the decision was taken in the meeting attended by the leaders of the MUI.

Hasanuddin asserted that MUI is ready if the leaders of MUI tell them to release the mandatory fatwa for the COVID-19 vaccine. Fatwa should be released by the authority of the leaders of the MUI. However, the leaders of MUI does not want to release the mandatory fatwa. Therefore, according to the leaders of the MUI, Hasanuddin stated that MUI will only release an edict or recommendation for the people to embrace the COVID-19 vaccine.

Supporting Hasanuddin's statement, the Deputy Head of the Fatwa Commission, Ahsin Sakho, stated that currently, the Fatwa Commission has no plan to release mandatory fatwa for the COVID-19 vaccine. For now, Ahsin said that the Fatwa Commission is only responsible for giving certainty on the "halal" quality of the vaccine, which was already done.

Furthermore, Ahsin explained that the Fatwa Commission has already released the halal fatwa for the Chinese-flagged COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac of Sinovac. Simultaneously, the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) also released the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the vaccine. However, if the situation forces them to, then Ahsin said that MUI is ready to release the mandatory fatwa.

The vaccination program has commenced on 13 January, using the CoronaVac. Previously on 9 January, the Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, once warned that there will be sanctions for people rejecting the COVID-19 vaccine. As regulated in Law No. 6 of 2018 on Health Quarantine, the sanction may take the forms of fines to imprisonment, even both.

Source: https://bit.ly/3bNvC8x