United Arab Emirates’s Highest Islamic Authority Rules That Coronavirus Vaccines Is Permissible For Muslims Even If They Contain Pork Gelatin

The United Arab Emirates' highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, has ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin, Khaleej Times reported.

The ruling follows growing apprehension that the use of pork gelatin, a common vaccine ingredient, may hamper vaccination among Muslims who consider the consumption of pork products haram , or forbidden under Islamic law.

The UAE Fatwa Council, under the chairmanship of Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, issued a 'fatwa' (Islamic ruling) allowing the coronavirus vaccines to be used in compliance with Islamic Sharia’s objectives on the protection of the human body and other relevant Islamic rulings.

"Coronavirus vaccination is classified under preventive medicines for individuals, as recommended by the Islamic faith, particularly in times of pandemic diseases when the healthy happen to be prone to infections due to the high risk of contracting the disease, therefore posing risk to the entire society," the Council explained.

The Fatwa Council added that even though the vaccine in question contains non-halal ingredients banned by Islam, it's permissible to use it in implementation of the Islamic rule that permits the use of such products in case there are no alternatives

The council added that in this case, the pork gelatin is considered medicine, not food, with multiple vaccines already shown to be effective against a highly contagious virus that poses a risk to the entire society .