By: Deka Prawira )*
The government continues to be committed to providing halal vaccines to the public. Halal vaccines are expected to increase public participation in the national vaccination program.
Vaccination is a way to overcome the ferocity of Corona and since the beginning of March 2021, a national vaccination program has been promoted. The government has provided various brands of vaccines, from Sinovac, Moderna, to Pfizer. People are not afraid because everything is safe for health and guaranteed halal by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).
The Indonesian Muslim Consumer Foundation previously sued for judicial review of Article 2 of Presidential Regulation 99/2020 regarding vaccine procurement and vaccination implementation. The government through the spokesperson for the Covid-19 Task Force Team, Professor Wiku Adisasmito, answered the lawsuit. According to Prof. Wiku, the government guarantees the halalness of the Corona vaccine for Muslims, in the national vaccination program.
Prof. Wiku explained that the halalness of a product is tested based on the halalness of the ingredients and their derivative products, as well as the manufacturing process. If it violates sharia, it is considered null and void. In a sense, the Corona vaccine has been guaranteed to be halal because from the beginning MUI was involved, starting from the visit of the Sinovac vaccine factory in China to testing the halalness of the vaccine in Indonesia.
If there is a halal stamp from MUI then there is no doubt that it is halal and there is no lawsuit from any party. The government has also prepared to transform from a pandemic to an endemic period and one of the conditions is the number of Indonesians who have been vaccinated.
Currently, more than 60% of Indonesian citizens have been fully vaccinated and this number must be increased by 75% as a condition for preparing for the pandemic period. If the population has been vaccinated, group immunity is formed so that it will minimize the transmission of Corona and has entered the safe phase. However, the public is advised to adhere to health protocols for personal safety.
If there are parties who do not believe in the halalness of the Corona vaccine, it is feared that the national vaccination program will not succeed. They should see for themselves the ulama from the MUI who participated in testing the halalness of the Corona vaccine. It’s not just the origin of the signature because the demands are very heavy.
The Sinovac vaccine is made from an attenuated Covid-19 virus. In the manufacturing process, it also does not come into contact with pork gelatin or other non-halal ingredients. So it is natural that the MUI gave the Sinovac vaccine a halal status. Likewise with other vaccines such as Sinopharm, Moderna, Pfizer, etc. All guaranteed halal MUI.
The public certainly understands that the government is trying hard to deal with the effects of the Corona pandemic and one way is to promote vaccination. If the majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim, it is impossible for the government to include vaccines that do not pass the halal test or contain pork gelatin. Halal is a fixed price and cannot be violated by the government.
The public is also asked not to believe in hoaxes circulating on social media and WA groups, which state that the Corona vaccine is not halal because it contains monkey blood or pork gelatin. The hoax is very cruel because it can cause many people to refuse to be vaccinated. Even though if they are not vaccinated, they will easily get Corona and the stakes are at stake.
The government is trying optimally to provide halal vaccines by continuing to cooperate with the MUI. With the halal vaccine, people are asked not to worry and can carry out vaccinations comfortably.
)* The author is a contributor to the Press Circle and Cikini Students