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KUALA LUMPUR – The long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine does not need to be halal to be administered in Malaysia, said Health Ministry Director General Noor Hisham Abdullah, allaying concerns among local Muslims about injections containing substances banned by Islam. .
“If they can get halal certified it would be better, but we don’t register a drug based on halal status or not. We also register non-halal drugs,” Dr Noor Hisham told The Straits Times.
Concerns about whether the Covid-19 vaccine is permissible for use by Muslims have arisen as Malaysia signs deals with manufacturers to purchase shipments.
The Muzakarah Special Committee of the National Council for Islamic Affairs of Malaysia met on December 3 to discuss whether the vaccine can be administered to Muslims. Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said last week that the decision would be announced after it has been submitted to the King, who oversees religious affairs, for his consent.
Malaysian pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga has said it plans to build the world’s first halal vaccine facility by 2022.
Malaysia signed an agreement with Pfizer in November to supply 12.8 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for 20 percent of the population. It has also signed a pact with the Covax Facility to cover another 10% of the population.
The country is also ready to obtain the vaccine from China, which has raised doubts among Muslims about its halal status.
“Even if there is an ingredient that is not allowed, the chemical transformation process will make it clean and halal,” Perlis Mohd mufti Asri Zainul Abidin said in a Facebook post after attending Muzakarah’s committee meeting last week. .
Malaysia recorded 959 new cases on Wednesday (December 9) and five deaths. This brought the confirmed case count to 76,265, while deaths totaled 393.
The halal issue in Malaysia can be sensitive and can sometimes generate racial tensions.
While Muslims are obliged to ensure that the food they eat is halal, cases of false certificates or unsanitary production processes are often in the news in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s halal industry contributes 7.8% of the country’s gross domestic product.
As the agency responsible for certifying whether products are halal, the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) has found itself at the center of recent furors fueled by social media claims that certain certified restaurants serve pork.
Jakim has had to play the role of myth buster lately, following a viral video claiming that halal-certified coffeehouse chain OldTown White Coffee served pork, when it was actually chicken.
While Muslim Malays make up 60% of the country’s 32 million inhabitants, a video posted by Jakim last month revealed that nearly 70% of applicants for halal certificates were not bumiputeras, a term used to jointly refer to the Malay Muslim majority and indigenous tribes. .
As of December 2, this year a total of 6,403 halal certification applications had been approved, out of a total of 7,853. Of those who were successful, 67 percent were non-bumiputera applicants.
Most of these corresponded to products (62 percent) and restaurants (22 percent).
OldTown White Coffee is far from the only victim of fake news about its halal status. Jakim has had to publish 99 statements this year, refuting deception and inaccurate information.
He also started a series on his Facebook page last week, debunking misinformation about impostors as if the earth is flat and if Muslims can play the online battle game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
“Spreading fake news is serious business. It is like an epidemic that has to be handled quickly and firmly,” Md Akhir, director of Jakim’s Halal Management Division, told ST Bukhari.
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