PESHAWAR: Eminent religious scholars from Pakistan and Afghanistan have reiterated that polio vaccines are not only safe and in compliance with Islamic principles, but also a religious and moral duty of all parents.
It was stated in a press release issued by EOC KP religious scholars in a joint declaration at the Afghanistan-Pakistan Eminent Ulema Conference held in Doha (Qatar).
The conference is an innovative step in the global effort to stop poliovirus, under the aegis of the Islamic Advisory Group for polio eradication (IAG).
For the first time, the IAG convened religious scholars from both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in a bid to appreciate their value as community leaders and to secure bilateral support for polio eradication efforts across the joint corridors through which the virus is being transmitted.
This came as one of the prominent recommendations of the Fifth Annual Islamic Advisory Group Meeting in 2018 to bring together around 30 Islamic scholars from the two countries together with representatives of IAG partner organizations from Al Azhar Al Sharif, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
As the last remaining bastions of wild polio virus are in the bordering areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the two countries are tackling challenges ranging from poor health systems to community mistrust. As global polio eradication efforts address the former, advocates including religious scholars are essential to addressing the latter and persuading parents for the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
The Conference was inaugurated by Dr Darwish bin Saif Al Maharbi, undersecretary for administrative and Financial Affairs, Ministry of Health, Oman and Sheikh Dr Kahlan bin Nabhan Al Kharusi, assistant Grand Mufti of Oman who welcomed the participants and prayed for their success.
“Children are precious in the eyes of Islam, which requires us to call for their protection,” said Dr Al Kharusi while referring to the importance of responsibility in issuing fatwas and the role of scholars in clarifying Islamic rulings to the general public.
