THIS is indeed a mind-boggling question given that while it is obligatory for Muslims to consume halal food or use halal products, they are “mentally too weak” to boycott cigarettes – or vapes – even when their halal status remains obscure.
“Muslims should boycott this (cigarettes). The product clearly has no halal sign. I’ve scrutinised their boxes many times. The same applies to vape,” penned IKRAM Health Malaysia president Dr Mohd Afiq Mohd Nor on the X (previously Twitter) platform.
Boikot yang inilah. Produk ini jelas tiada tanda halal. Saya dah belek banyak kali kotaknya, memang tiada. Vape pun sama.
Saya tanya mereka, memang tak pernah ada. Tak pasti juga kalau pengusaha ada cuba apply sijil halal.
Tapi sedihnya, majoiriti Muslim juga yang masih beli. pic.twitter.com/Owz35EIJJ9
— AfiqAwe 🇲🇾 🇵🇸 (@drafiqawe) April 8, 2024
“I’ve asked them (manufacturers) to which they confirmed the halal sign has never been there. Not sure, however, if they have ever tried applying for a halal certificate. But sadly, the majority of Muslims are still buying (cigarettes).
Dr Afiq who is a smoke/vape-free activist went on to wonder why Muslims are able to restrain themselves from smoking during the daytime during the Ramadan fasting month but unable to withstand the temptation to smoke after breaking fast.
This prompted the emergency physician to propose to local authorities – with the support of state religious departments – to incorporate as part of licensing condition for retailers to place “Non-Halal” sign on cigarette/vape racks.
The post by Dr Afiq has elicited many positive reactions with netizens acknowledging that the placement of cigarettes at “Non-Halal” section would cast embarrassment among Muslims to make a purchase.
Expressing agreement with Dr Afiq, a netizen observed that in addition to not displaying “Non-Halal” logo, cigarette prices “have only shown upward spiral”.
To this, Dr Afiq clarified that it has been a long while since the last price increase for cigarettes in 2015 while “we’ll push for price hike during every annual budget presentation”.
As to why the government has not prohibited the cigarette sale to Muslims, Dr Afiq contended that there was a fatwa issued in 1995 to make cigarette sale to Muslims illegal followed by another similar fatwa for vape in 2015.
A netizen lamented that many Malay Muslims used the “makruh” (a disliked or offensive act that does not amount to forbidden) argument to justify their smoking habit or even to compare that “the sin from smoking is nowhere close to that of indulging in corruption”.
At the end of the day, another netizen wondered why it is so difficult to boycott smoking given many cigarette manufacturers are US companies – just like McDonald’s. – April 9, 2024
