Mumbai ulemas say no to Chinese vaccine with pork gelatin

At a time when everyone is waiting for the arrival of a coronavirus vaccine, ulemas or Muslim scholars met in Mumbai and decided that vaccines with pork gelatin cannot be administered to any Muslim.

At a meeting of Sunni Muslim ulemas in Mumbai on Wednesday, it was decided that a Chinese vaccine, which allegedly contains pig gelatin, is ‘Haram’ or forbidden for Muslims. There are reports that a Chinese vaccine against Covid -19 contains pig-derived gelatin. This has raised concern among Muslims all over the world.

The meeting was called by Muslim scholars, also known as ulemas, to decide on the matter with reference to Islamic laws. After the meeting, they decided that consuming pig is forbidden as per Islamic laws and anything which contains it is not permissible.

While reading out the decision, Raza Academy’s Secretary-General, 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.”

In a video statement, Noorie has appealed to the Government of India to not order the particular Chinese vaccine with pork gelatin. “Any vaccine ordered or made in India, the government should give a list of vaccine content to the ulemas so that they can make announcements regarding the use of the vaccine.”

Meanwhile, UAE’s highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, has ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if the contains pork gelatin.