Stop spreading misleading information on Covid-19 vaccines – Labuan imam

LABUAN: An Islamic preacher here has reminded anti-vaxxers on the island to stop spreading misleading information about Covid-19 vaccines.

Muhammad Shafei Abdul Ghani said there should not be any dispute over the vaccination exercise, when the number of fatalities due to the pandemic is increasing.

“We must make an effort to curb the spread of this pandemic. This is in line with Islamic teachings which stress that it is our obligation to take preventive measures against the spread of contagious diseases.

“Anti-vaxxers cannot simply reject the vaccines by saying that they contain non-halal elements, unless the group has concrete evidence to support their claim,” he said.

Muhammad Shafie who is also the Layangan Mosque head imam received the PfizerBioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine at the Membedai Health Clinic yesterday along with a Labuan funeral management team - Abdul Fattah Abdul Hafiz (principle) and Arman Omar (Islamic affairs assistant) from Kompleks Darul Kifayah, the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP).

On Friday, Labuan acting police chief DSP Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Ghani said that action would be taken against any individual or group who use social media to spread inaccurate information on the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

Mohd Ibrahim said anyone convicted of spreading antivaccine propaganda and misleading information could be jailed up to two years or fined or both under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998.