Dilemma? As the Muslims worldwide go through the Ramadan as part of their faith obligations, there is a concern about taking the Covid-19 vaccine during the same season.
In some places, they administer the vaccine after breaking their fast in the evening to avoid compromise with their faith, while others have had to take it because it is mandatory at their places of work.
Abdul-Nasser Ssemugabi finds out how this dilemma between faith and science is treated.
During the last Ramadan, governments consulted with scientists and religious leaders to restrict Muslims from congregating in prayers, as most mosques, like all places of worship, were locked to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Islamic leaders say getting a COVID-19 vaccine does not violate Ramadan fast
Mosque member Asie Late’s granddaughter Emma watches as a Northwell Health registered nurse inoculates her with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccination site inside the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in Staten Island, N.Y., on April 8. Mary Altaffer / AP
Patients wait in the observation area after being inoculated with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccination site inside the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, Thursday, April 8, 2021, in the Staten Island borough of New York. Ahead of Ramadan, Islamic leaders are using social media, virtual town halls and face-to-face discussions to spread the word that it’s acceptable for Muslims to be vaccinated during daily fasting that happens during the holy month. (AP. Mary Altaffer
National News
Apr 9, 2021
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Islamic leaders are using social media, virtual town halls and face-to-face discussions to spread the word that it’s acceptable to be vaccinated for the coronavirus during daily fasting that happens during Ramadan, the most sacred month of the year for Muslims.
During the holy month which begins next week, Muslims across the world abstain from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset before typically congregating for evening prayers and iftar meals. The vaccine discussion centers on whether an inoculation amounts to the prohibited act of ingesting something while fasting.
It doesn’t, said Mohamud Mohamed, imam of the Maine Muslim Community Center, who is working to assure Muslims at his Portland mosque that getting the vaccine is perfectly fine but finds that some people are clinging to misperceptions.
Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine Islamic leaders are using social media, virtual town halls and face-to-face discussions to spread the word that it’s acceptable to be vaccinated for the coronavirus during daily fasting that happens during Ramadan, the most sacred month of the year for Muslims. During the holy month which begins next week, Muslims across the world abstain from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset before typically congregating for evening prayers and iftar meals. The vaccine discussion centers on whether an inoculation amounts to the prohibited act of ingesting something while fasting. It doesn’t, said Mohamud Mohamed, imam of the Maine Muslim Community Center, who is working to assure Muslims at his Portland mosque that getting the vaccine is perfectly fine but finds that some people are clinging to misperceptions.
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