Watch Out Hoaks! Church Called COVID-19 Vaccine Prohibited When MUI Is Legalized

JAKARTA - A Facebook account with the name Elsa Said has uploaded a post stating that the church has forbidden the COVID-19 vaccine. The account also questions why the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) determines that the vaccine is halal.

Currently, the post has 41 comments and has been shared 13 times by other Facebook accounts.

"Listen thoroughly so as not to fail to understand ... Why is the Church prohibiting vaccines? How come the Church has even called for refusing vaccines, Christians are rejecting vaccines ... Meanwhile the gang of clerics who have just sat in MUI say it is safe and lawful. just follow the regime in power ... Beware, love our lives !!! " write the Elsa Said account post which was uploaded on January 20.

However, this is misleading or hoax information. Quoted from the official website of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Member of the Mafindo Commissariat of the University of Indonesia, Natalia Kristian, said that the church's claim to forbid vaccines distributed to the public was false news.

"Misinformation. Parties from PGI and KWI provided support and their representatives participated in the first vaccination with President Jokowi on January 13, 2021," wrote the statement of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, quoted by VOI on Monday, February 1.

The affirmation that Elsa Said's post was hoax content was proven in a search on the official website of the Indonesian Church Association (PGI).

In fact, PGI urges churches to provide optimal support for the implementation of vaccination which is an effort to tackle COVID-19.

In fact, there were a number of figures who participated in the vaccination with President Joko Widodo on January 13, 2021, such as Ronal Tapilatu as a representative of PGI and the Executive Secretary of the Commission for Interreligious Relations and Trust Conference of the Indonesian Trustees of the Church (KWI), Agustinus Heri.

While undergoing vaccination, Agustinus admitted that he did not hesitate and was afraid of the COVID-19 vaccine and stated that receiving the Covid-19 vaccine was the same as defending the country.

"Judging from the explanation, the church's claim to forbid and reject vaccines is not true, so it is included in the category of misleading content or misleading content," said the statement.