Danger of smoking,

Danger of smoking, no MUI warning?

From Republika

The Ministry of Health, backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), has warned the public on the hazards of smoking. Cigarette manufacturers cannot be blamed for advertising cigarettes, because they display this warning.

It is time for the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) to issue a ruling on this subject. In the 1700s, the Mufti of Istanbul issued this ruling: Smoking causes bad breath. That was the disadvantage of smoking that could be detected at that time.

Today we know that smoking entails many more disadvantages: It causes certain diseases in both active and passive smokers and it is a waste of money. Carelessly discarded butts cause fires that destroy homes and forests and cause accidents, while excessive smoking impairs physical strength. In some Muslim-dominated provinces in China, for example, smoking is forbidden.

MUI must issue a ruling on this matter and should not feel reluctant to do so simply because many Islamic elders and figures are known to be chain smokers.

KUSMADI AE

Bekasi, West Java