Bangsamoro clerics allow setting up of vax hubs in mosques

COTABATO CITY --- A bloc of Islamic theologians issued Tuesday a “fatwah” allowing the setting up of vaccination hubs in mosques to address low anti-COVID-19 immunization turnout in the Bangsamoro region.

Fatwah means edict in Arabic, from religious groups, such as the Darul Iftah in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where there is strong vaccination hesitancy among local residents due to fallacies

The fatwah from BARMM’s Darul Iftah, also known as the region’s House of Opinions, was dated April 12, 2022, signed by its mufti, or grand preacher, Sheik Abu Hurayra Udasan.

The Darul Iftah is composed of senior Islamic preachers from across the Bangsamoro region, among them graduates of Islamic schools in the Middle East and North Africa.

Udasan told reporters Wednesday it is not haram (forbidden) for Muslims to have anti-COVID-19 jabs, contrary to what so many BARMM residents believe in.

He said the Qur’an has extensive teachings on preservation of life, particularly on control of contagious diseases and epidemics.

He said getting vaccinated during the Ramadan  is also acceptable in Islam.

The Islamic Ramadan fasting season, which lasts for one lunar cycle, started April 3.

Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during the Ramadan, a holy month in Islam.

Fasting during Ramadan, one of the 12 months in the lunar-based Hijrah calendar, is a religious obligation and a means of inculcating among the faithful the need for self-restraint to achieve spiritual perfection.

Abstention from food and drinks at daytime during Ramadan is one of the so-called “Five Pillars” of the Islam, which includes belief in Allah, praying five times a day facing the Middle East, giving of sadaqah, or alms to the poor and, for those who can afford the cost of travel, performing the hajj (pilgrimage) to Makkah in Saudi Arabia, at least once in a lifetime.