Indonesian Justice And Unity Party Expert Asks The Indonesian Ulema Council To Prove AstraZeneca Vaccine Which Is Claimed To Be Haram Because It Contains Pork

MUI (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Indonesian Justice And Unity Party Expert (PKPI), Teddy Gusnaidi, responded to the polemic of using the AstraZeneca vaccine which was claimed to be haram because it contains pork by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Even though the provisions are haram, MUI allows its use because of an emergency situation.

"The MUI NGO must be able to scientifically prove their statement that the AstraZeneca vaccine contains porcine enzymes", Teddy wrote as quoted by VOI editorial team in his Twitter account @TeddyGusnaidi, Monday, March 22.

If MUI cannot prove that the British vaccine contains pork, Teddy doubts the halal labels that has been issued by MUI.

"Waiting for proof from the MUI NGO", he tweeted again.

As previously reported, the Indonesian Ulema Council allowed the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the national vaccination program, even though the composition of the British vaccine contains pork which is forbidden by Muslims.

"The law is that the first vaccine for AstraZeneca products is haram because the production stages use trypsin from pigs", said MUI chairman Asrorun Niam Sholeh, Friday, March 19.

Even so, the use of the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca is currently legally permissible because there are conditions of urgent need that occupy the position of emergency syar'i.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca emphasized that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine does not come into contact with pig-derived products or other animal products.

"It is important to note that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is a viral vector vaccine that does not contain products of animal origin, as confirmed by the British Medicines and Health Products Authority", he explained in a press statement, Saturday, March 20.

"At all stages of the production process, this virus vector vaccine does not use and come in contact with pork or other animal products", said AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca also assured that this vaccine has been approved in more than 70 countries around the world and including Muslim countries.