LONDON: An intensive care doctor from the UK has issued a heartfelt appeal to the British Muslim community to help save lives by taking the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine.
Dr. Wasim Mir, who works for the country’s National Health Service, made his plea in conjunction with officials from Green Lane Masjid and Community Center in Birmingham, who warned that the number of funerals managed by the mosque had been increasing on a similar trajectory to the first wave of the virus outbreak.
“Many of my close family have passed away, as well as my friends. COVID-19 is a real disease, and it kills real people. It is therefore important that we come forward and fight this disease so we can save the lives of all of us, as a life of a Muslim is very sacred in our deen (way of life),” Mir said.
“We must trust our health professionals, our health regulators, and scholars. Therefore, I encourage you to take the vaccine,” he added.
In the joint message, the mosque also said preserving life was one of the core tenets of Islam and made it clear that spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories was forbidden.
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The UK’s vaccination drive is picking up pace throughout the country, but people from minority groups, including Muslims, are being vaccinated at a lower rate — in part because of false information circulating about the safety and religious permissibility of the vaccine.
On Friday, UK Imams delivered sermons addressing the rumors, making clear that the vaccines were halal — religiously permissible — and urging people to ignore conspiracy theories.
The CEO of Green Lane Masjid, Kamran Hussain, told Arab News they are encouraging people to make informed decisions and trust the advice of those qualified to speak on the subject.
“As a major mosque in the UK, we have a part to play in protecting and guiding our community,” he said.
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Hussain noted a recent survey by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) that found willingness to receive a vaccination was significantly higher among white respondents than those from black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups, with British Asians revealed to be the least willing among the UK’s ethnic minorities to take the vaccine.
“There is a lot of information out there and people are confused about what to do. This leaves them with many unanswered questions around the vaccine, such as what it contains, why some fringe minority of health professionals are raising concerns, possible side-effects, and so on.
“Our responsibility is to confirm whether the vaccine is allowable (halal) and to then refer other answers to those of knowledge — in this case our medical professionals,” he added.
A Green Lane Masjid statement issued to Arab News, said: “The sanctity of human life is not something to be taken lightly. We urge Muslims to make fact-based decisions that are supported by experts and to share guidance that is sensible and protective to society as a whole.”
