Pork gelatin in covid vaccines? Here’s what Muslim cleric Mahmood Madni has to say

The debate over the use of pork in the corona vaccine continues among Islamic religious leaders around the world. Muslim cleric Mahmood Madni said in a special conversation with India TV about pork in the corona vaccine that there should be a right to know what is in the vaccine. He said we should have a right to know what is there in the vaccine and it will be good if scientists are able to assure that there is pork in the vaccine.

Madani further said that the vaccine would have to be used if it was necessary and if there was no alternative. Madani appealed to the Muslims about the confusion being spread about the corona vaccine and said that instead of rumors, pay attention to realty… vaccines such as Pfizer or Oxford…

Debate on Haram-Halal issue 

Let me tell you, Islamic fundamentalists have started a debate on the issue of the vaccine being unsafe. Fatwa has been issued by Mumbai’s Raza Academy regarding the corona vaccine. Raising the front against Raza Academy founder Maulana Syed Noori Corona Vaccine, it is alleged that the gelatin of pig fat is being used in the vaccine. The controversy is about the use of pork gelatin in the vaccine. Which is used to make vaccines, but spokesmen for Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca have stated that their COVID-19 vaccines do not use products made from pork.

The debate over the issue comes at a time when the world is grappling with new deadly variants of coronavirus by clamping travel restrictions, a section of Indian Muslims led by some clerics is raising the bogey of the Covid-19 vaccines being ‘anti-Islamic’ because of reported use of pork gelatin.

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On Wednesday, leaders of 9 Muslim organisations including All India Jamiatul Ulema, Jamaat Ulema Ahle Sunnat, Anjuman Barkate Raza, All India Masjid Council, Darul Uloom Hanafia Rajvia and Raza Academy, met in Mumbai and decided that they would seek the opinion of experts whether the Covid vaccines are ‘halaal’ (Islamic) or ‘haraam’(un-Islamic) because of reports that pork gelatin has been issued while preparing these vaccines. The Islamic clerics said they would then decide whether to ask members of the Muslim community in India to accept Covid vaccines or not.

The Muslim scholars said that any vaccine containing pork was not permissible for Muslims under Islamic laws. The ulemas said that any vaccine made from pork gelatin must not be administered to Muslims. They were reacting to news reports that the Chinese Covid vaccine named Sinovac is derived from pig gelatin and was not acceptable to Muslims.

The secretary-general of Raza Academy Saeed Noorie said there are reports of the Chinese Covid vaccine containing parts of a pig’s body. “As pig is haram for Muslims, a vaccine containing pig gelatin cannot be allowed”, he added.

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