A few years ago, a man claiming to be an Islamic cleric started off a rumor that spread like a wild fire. He believed and preached that the polio vaccination is not for the treatment of a disease at all. They were nothing but American tactic to make the Pakistani men sterile. Apparently controlling Pakistan’s population is at the top of America’s political agenda.
It Gets Crazier
Infertility is not the only offence associated with polio vaccinations. Even before this controversy, certain Islamic groups had passed sermons that the vaccination should be considered haram. The haram police claimed that it was created from pig fat. Things got even crazier when some of them even declared that people dying from polio should be considered martyrs!
It is rather astonishing how much obsessed we are with the concept of martyrdom. We want haram acts of committing suicide, genocide, and filicide to be classified under it.
The Aftermath of Crazy Sermons
These nonsensical ideas were propagated to the extent that a huge number of Pakistanis, especially from FATA, refused to have their children vaccinated. This led to an increase in the chances of the disease resurfacing. Several neighboring countries, including China were worried vaccination dubai. While both the private and the public sector of Pakistan made efforts to knock sense into them, the adamant parents didn’t budge. Reports showed that 85,000 children were not given the vaccination drops. In the year 2012, around 300 cases of poliomyelitis appeared earning Pakistan the title of “hub of polio.”
Somehow, people were more afraid of having infertile adults than they were worried about having crippled children. Some priorities are always baffling!
Nothing but a Rumor!
In 2015, a laboratory that was controlled by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) decided to test the vaccine. They certified that it was halal and no questionable ingredient was found in it. Furthermore, reliable sources from the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) explained that the said vaccines were only being registered in Pakistan after being thoroughly evaluated by a committee of experts on biological drugs.
Yet, the people continued to be skeptical and still are. However, the situation has somewhat improved but the fact that such madness sells in our country is indeed a matter of great concern. We need to question where we stand as a nation.
No logic? Blame it on Islam
Unfortunately, for our nation, whenever someone wants to have a say, no matter how absurd it is, Islam is dragged into it. In fact, the more absurd the topic is, the higher is the likelihood of it being right according to the teachings of Islam. Manipulating religion in favor of our whims and agendas has somehow become our national game.
However, we need to understand that it is high time we realize that people and not Islam have made polio vaccination haraam.
Source: https://english.alarabiya.net
