COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Bangsamoro Darul Iftah declared Thursday that COVID-19 vaccines being administered to Muslim frontliners in five southern provinces are halal.
Halal means permissible, or acceptable in Arabic.
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The Darul Iftah, also known as the House of Opinions, is comprised of clerics, among them graduates of Islamic universities in the Middle East and North Africa, and helps oversee the religious affairs of the regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Darul Iftah’s figurehead, Islamic theologian Abuhuraira Udasan, said Thursday that Muslims should not worry about getting vaccinated due to speculations that vaccines have components that are haram (forbidden) in Islam.
He said the vaccines are safe and are meant to protect people from COVID-19. Udasan said there is nothing wrong with Muslim frontliners getting jabs to protect them from the coronavirus disease.
Hundreds of Muslim health workers in the Bangsamoro region have received jabs in a continuing vaccination program that started Monday.