JAKARTA: AstraZeneca said on Sunday its Covid-19 vaccine contains no pork-derived ingredients, countering an assertion in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, that the drug violates Islamic law.
Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council, the Indonesia Ulema Council, said on its website Friday that the vaccine is “haram” because the manufacturing process uses “trypsin from the pork pancreas.”
Still, the council approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use given the pandemic emergency.
But AstraZeneca Indonesia spokesman Rizman Abudaeri said in a statement: “At all stages of the production process, this virus vector vaccine does not use nor come in contact with pork-derived products or other animal products.”
The council and the country’s food and drug agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Indonesian authorities on Friday approved the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine after reviewing reports that it had caused blood clots among some recipients in Europe.
Indonesia is grappling with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia – with 1,455,788 cases and 39,447 deaths as of Saturday.
These fundamentalist mullahs have left no stone unturned in making fun of Islam. Today, the whole world is laughing at the Muslims because of these fatwas of these illiterate maulanas, but because of their behavior, the lives of Muslims are in danger all over the world. In a dangerous epidemic like Corona, when saving the life of human beings should be the first priority, then these people are not only endangering the masses of Muslims with their antics, but also defaming Islam in front of others. The administration of Indonesia should take strict action against these people.