FT mufti calls smokers ‘devil’s kin’

KUALA LUMPUR: Cigarette smokers are akin to the “devil’s kin” due to their wasteful and costly habit, the Federal Territories mufti said citing the Quran to back a new nationwide smoking ban in all eateries.

Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said smokers are also considered as rich people who make themselves poor, further noting that Malaysians have been reported to spend RM1.5 billion annually to buy cigarettes.

“If a mosque was built at a cost of RM10 million each, that amount can be used for 150 mosques.

“Therefore the problem of lack of mosques can be solved in just one year,” he wrote in a statement that was carried on the mufti’s office’s website.

The mufti’s office was referring to verse 17:27 of the Quran which labels those who are wasteful as kins of the devil, as one of the points supporting the ban of smoking in eateries, where even the use of vape or shisha is also banned.

Among the other points offered together with citations of reports and government-provided health information, the mufti’s office said smoking could cut short the life of Malaysians.

“According to estimates, 3,500 of every 10,000 deaths each year in Malaysia are related to smoking. This shows 35 per cent of deaths are caused by smoking,” it said.

It said smoking could lead to a whole list of chronic illnesses such as lung cancer, heart attacks, risk of stroke and even affect male fertility, adding that second-hand smokers inhale 60 to 75 per cent of the smoke, which contains higher levels of dangerous chemicals.

It said smoking could also lead to other problems such as littering of cigarette butts and ashes, while claiming that smoking could eventually lead to drug addiction.

“According to a study by the National Anti-Drugs Agency, 90 per cent of drug addiction cases originate from smoking. This shows a close relation between smoking and drug addiction,” it said.