KOTA BARU – The Kelantan government wants a study carried out to ensure potential Covid-19 vaccine complies with Islamic law before it is administered to the faithful in this country, said deputy menteri besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah.
He said the study is crucial to increase public confidence among Muslims.
“Some people totally reject the vaccine on religious grounds, which to me is not appropriate, because the vaccine is also among efforts for us to fight against a disease. So, if it is halal and does not contradict syariah, it is not wrong to get the vaccine.
“However, we want the federal government to conduct a thorough study and refer to the religious authorities or the fatwa council to avoid polemics,” he told reporters at his office at Kota Darul Naim here today.
On November 7, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that the government will start making orders for the COVID-19 vaccine through an allocation of more than RM3 billion in the 2021 Budget.
Malaysia is in the priority list for China’s Covid-19 vaccine, however, it has caused controversy among Muslims who doubt the halal status of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, on the Conditional Movement Control Order being implemented in Kelantan, Amar urged residents to continue to be disciplined by adhering to the prescribed standard operating procedures (SOP) to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“If everyone complies with the SOP, it means the CMCO will not be extended, but it depends on the Covid-19 situation. That is why we want the people to discipline themselves so that the Covid-19 figure does not increase and if it increases then the government has no choice but to extend the CMCO,” he said.
The CMCO was enforced in Kelantan for two weeks from November 21 following the increase in infections in the state. – Bernama, December 2, 2020
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