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The Health | january-february , 2021
| Hot Topic |
Dr Muhammad Munir
Panelists at Albalagh webinar . Shaykh Dr Rafaqat Rashid
Vaccine controversy
The rush to develop Covid-19 vaccines has given rise to the issue of whether it will be halal-certified
BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN
As pharmaceutical companies all
over the world are involved in producing a Covid-19 vaccine , there is no indication that the vaccines are or will be halal-certified .
Al Balagh Academy , a globallyrecognised online Islamic institute , held a webinar recently to discuss the controversies surrounding this issue and the Islamic stance on Covid-19 vaccines . Participating was a panel of expert Muslim scholars , scientists and bioethicists .
Themed ‘ Controversy over the Covid-19 vaccines : The Islamic Stance ’, the panellists were :
• Dr Muhammad Munir , virologist and lecturer in Molecular Virology from Lancaster University ,
• Mufti Amjad Mohammad , a faculty member of the Islamic Theology Department from the Islamic University of Rotterdam ,
• shaykh Abu Eesa Niamatullah pharmacist , Almaghrib Institute instructor and Vice-Chair of the Al-Qalam Sharī › ah Panel , and
• Dr Aasim Padela , Director of the Initiative on Islam and Medicine , Associate Professor of Medicine , Sections of Emergency Medicine and General Internal Medicine and Faculty at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics . The session was moderated by Shaykh
Dr Rafaqat Rashid , traditional Muslim scholar , General Practitioner , professional trainer and educator .
Covid-19 vaccine developments
Dr Mohammad Munir presented on the latest Covid-19 vaccine developments and addressed concerns surrounding it .
Currently , Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna
Dr Aasim Padela
Shaykh Abu Eesa Niamatullah
Mufti Amjad Mohammed are at the forefront of Covid-19 vaccine development . Both are mRNA-based vaccines which are purely synthetic and do not require cell culture , which is suitable for Muslims and vegetarians .
Meanwhile , AstraZeneca ’ s vaccine requires cell culture to grow viral particles . However , the cells are not carried over into the vaccine as the viral particles are purified and titrated .
“ When we talk about the Covid-19 vaccine , particularly focusing on the Pfizer- BioNTech , we are talking about 95 per cent efficacy . So , it is significantly higher than the flu .”
Another issue discussed was that Covid-19 vaccines were rushed through the evaluation and approval process .
Dr Mohammad commented while the Covid-19 vaccine development was in a year , it uses and repurposed 17 years of knowledge , technologies and experience with coronaviruses . The methodology of the trial is adapted from running sequential to parallel , ensuring data availability in a short time .
He added due to the unprecedented need for a vaccine , there were cuts in bureaucracy and politics .
Herd immunity
Currently , about 20 per cent of the world population have been infected and recovered from Covid-19 , and they would have some level of protection against the virus .
“ So , if we keep this natural herd immunity trend the same way , we will get 20 per cent in one year . That means to reach 60 per cent , we need another two and a half or three years ,” shared Dr Mohammad .
“ We have already lost 1.7 million people . So , if we carry on doing that every year , that ’ s going to be devastating and very complicated .
“ Herd immunity can only be achieved if we have increased vaccination . Therefore , more vaccination means a lower number of infections and a higher and quicker
When we talk about the Covid-19 vaccine , particularly focusing on the Pfizer-BioNTech , we are talking about 95 per cent efficacy . So , it is significantly higher than the flu .”
– Dr Mohammad Munir achievement of herd immunity .”
Seventy-five per cent of the global population needs to be immunised to curtain the pandemic .
“ And for that , we need 30 billion doses . And that is a massive and gigantic task , and we have never practised this kind of vaccination in human history .”
He explained if vaccination was started at the beginning of 2021 , about 65 per cent herd immunity could have been achieved by the end of the year .
The Islamic stance
Concerns were raised on the ingredients and excipients in drugs , particularly vaccines .
Mufti Amjad said : “ We seem to conflate ethical issues with the legality of a particular matter . So , when we give a fatwa about something , we ’ re looking at its permissibility .
“ There are several factors which need to be taken into consideration , such as the efficacy of this vaccine , which may have animal ingredients , stabilisers or anything else for that matter .”
He added as a Muslim following Mazhab Hanafi ( one of the categories of the Islamic school of thought ), any medical intervention – in this case , the Covid-19 vaccine – was seen as something permissible .
In the case of a vaccine containing impure substance , questions were raised whether one can take it to benefit herd immunity or to save lives .
According to Shaykh Abu Eesa , if there is a need and it is established that it will play an essential role in herd immunity , then it is obligatory to take it .
On the issue of trusting secular regulatory bodies and pharmaceutical manufacturers and accepting crucial medical advice from non-Muslim authorities , Shaykh Abu Eesa said : “ There ’ s absolutely no reason why we shouldn ’ t . As long as their medical information and evidence tracks , it does not matter whether they ’ re Muslim or not .”
He believes the religious background of secular regulatory bodies and pharmaceutical manufacturers should not be the public ’ s primary concern as they are people who hold a certain level of expertise to make an informed decision .
Dr Aasim commented : “ As a physician , we trust the regulatory agencies in almost every decision we make . I find it illogical to refuse to trust this part while accepting the rest .” — The Health