🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 139 (from laksa183)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa139.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical, ml_categories_json AS ml_categories_json, ml_types_json AS ml_types_json, ml_intent_types_json AS ml_intent_types_json, meta_language AS meta_language, attrs_author AS attrs_author, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_publish_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_original_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_original_publish_time, ifNull(attrs_is_republished, 0) AS attrs_is_republished, ifNull(attrs_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_nr_words, ifNull(attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, ifNull(body_ext_links_number, 0) AS body_ext_links_number, ifNull(body_int_links_number, 0) AS body_int_links_number, ifNull(meta_nofollow, 0) AS meta_nofollow, ifNull(meta_noarchive, 0) AS meta_noarchive, ifNull(props_was_rendered, 0) AS props_was_rendered, ifNull(src_redirect, \'\') AS src_redirect, ifNull(download_time_msec, 0) AS download_time_msec, ifNull(download_ttfb_msec, 0) AS download_ttfb_msec, ifNull(download_size, 0) AS download_size FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://theweek.com/951604/is-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://theweek.com/951604/is-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/theweek.com\/951604\/is-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision","crawl_time":1776418934,"first_indexed_time":1694669822,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,theweek!\/951604\/is-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision s443","src_root_hash":"5471547289642633339","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Indonesia decides: is the Covid vaccine halal? | The Week","meta_descriptions":["Use of pork gelatin as stabiliser in some jabs has caused controversy in Muslim community"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"In most countries across the globe, the development of effective Covid-19 vaccines has been cause for celebration. But in\nIndonesia\n, the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, the vaccine announcements have met with a more mixed response.\nIndonesia is due to launch a mass inoculation campaign next week and has received three million doses of the Covid vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. The government in Jakarta has also secured more than 329 million doses of other Covid vaccines, “most notably from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, and AstraZeneca”,\nReuters\nreports.\nArticle continues below\nThe Week\nEscape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.\nSUBSCRIBE & SAVE\nSign up for The Week's Free Newsletters\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\nAccording to\nAl Jazeera\n, “AstraZeneca, Novavax and Pfizer have all said there are no pork products in their vaccines but Sinovac has not disclosed the ingredients of its product or said whether it contains gelatin”.\nThe issue is further complicated by “a difference of opinion amongst Islamic scholars” as to whether a vaccine is still considered to be “religiously impure” if “you take something like pork gelatin and make it undergo a rigorous chemical transformation”, says Dr Salman Waqar, general secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association.\nIndonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council aims to issue a ruling on whether the Chinese jab is halal or permissible under Islam before their country’s vaccination campaign is due to begin next Wednesday.\nThe United Arab Emirates’ highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, last month “ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin”, as Istanbul-based newspaper\nDaily Sabah\nreported at the time.\nA free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com\nCouncil chair Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah said that the vaccines would not be subject to Islam’s usual restrictions on pork because of the higher need to “protect the human body”.\nBut not everyone may be convinced by that argument.\nAs Al Jazeera notes, “controversy over whether vaccines adhere to Islamic principles have hindered public health initiatives before” in Indonesia.\nIn 2018, “the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a religious decree declaring that a measles vaccine was forbidden under Islam”, the Doha-based broadcaster reports.\nThat “vaccine fatwa” saw immunisation rates plummet, with millions of parents eschewing the jab, adds\nScience\nmagazine.\nWhether Indonesia’s religious leaders will now green-light Covid jabs remains to be seen, despite calls for urgent action to combat coronavirus outbreaks.\nIndonesia has\nrecorded\nalmost 800,000 infections and more than 23,000 deaths to date, far outstripping the tallies in neighbouring Asia Pacific nations.","attrs_markdown":"![](https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\/p\/?c1=2&c2=10055482&cv=4.4.0&cj=1)\n\n[![The Week](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/qsgislpohy1687441729.svg) The Week](https:\/\/theweek.com\/)\n\nUS Edition\n\n![flag of US](https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/theweek\/media\/shared\/img\/flags\/nosize\/US.svg)\n\n[![flag of US](https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/theweek\/media\/shared\/img\/flags\/nosize\/US.svg) US](https:\/\/theweek.com\/951604\/is-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision)\n\n[![flag of UK](https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/theweek\/media\/shared\/img\/flags\/nosize\/GB.svg) UK](https:\/\/theweek.com\/951604\/is-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision)\n\n[![https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg) SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Less than \\$3 per week](https:\/\/subscribe.theweek.com\/servlet\/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-header-block)\n\n×\n\nSign in\n\n- View Profile\n- Sign out\n\n- [The Explainer](https:\/\/theweek.com\/the-explainer)\n- [The Week Recommends](https:\/\/theweek.com\/the-week-recommends)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/theweek.com\/newsletters)\n- 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[Health](https:\/\/theweek.com\/health)\n\n[Features](https:\/\/theweek.com\/features)\n# Indonesia decides: is the Covid vaccine halal?\nUse of pork gelatin as stabiliser in some jabs has caused controversy in Muslim community\n\nBy [Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK](https:\/\/theweek.com\/author\/chas-newkey-burden)\n\npublished\n\nJanuary 7, 2021\n\n![Workers unload Sinovac vaccines from a truck under police escort.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/6TkeVu8szUvhDhKSqjecjT.jpg)\n\nWorkers unload Sinovac vaccines from a truck under police escort\n\n(Image credit: Juni Kriswanto\/AFP via Getty Images)\n\nShare\n\n- Copy link\n- [Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision)\n- [X](https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Indonesia+decides%3A+is+the+Covid+vaccine+halal%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision)\n- [Linkedin](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision&title=Indonesia+decides%3A+is+the+Covid+vaccine+halal%3F&source=theweek.com)\n- [Whatsapp](whatsapp:\/\/send?text=Indonesia+decides%3A+is+the+Covid+vaccine+halal%3F+https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision?fwa)\n- [Pinterest](https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2F6TkeVu8szUvhDhKSqjecjT.jpg)\n\nShare this article\n\nJoin the conversation\n\n[Follow us](https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=theweek.com)\n\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n\nNewsletter\n\nSign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox\n\nA free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com\n\n***\nBy signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/terms-conditions\\\/)  and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/privacy-policy\\\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.\n\nYou are now subscribed\n\nYour newsletter sign-up was successful\n\n***\nAn account already exists for this email address, please log in.\n\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n\nIn most countries across the globe, the development of effective Covid-19 vaccines has been cause for celebration. But in [Indonesia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/indonesia), the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, the vaccine announcements have met with a more mixed response.\n\n#####\n[People caught not wearing masks in Indonesia made to dig graves](https:\/\/theweek.com\/odd-news\/108087\/people-caught-not-wearing-masks-in-indonesia-made-to-dig-graves) [Is Indonesia becoming a sharia state?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/103382\/is-indonesia-becoming-a-sharia-state)\n\nPork-derived gelatin is used as a stabiliser in some vaccines to prevent them from degrading during storage and transport. However, pork products are not permitted in Islam - triggering debates about the halal status of vaccines.\n\nIndonesia is due to launch a mass inoculation campaign next week and has received three million doses of the Covid vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. The government in Jakarta has also secured more than 329 million doses of other Covid vaccines, “most notably from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, and AstraZeneca”, [Reuters](https:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/uk-health-coronavirus-indonesia-vaccine\/indonesia-says-mass-vaccinations-to-begin-jan-13-president-to-get-first-shot-idUKKBN29A0QH) reports.\n\nArticle continues below\n\nYou may like\n\n- [![Chicken](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KopktVWU9V8Ccv7o8MuYgd.jpg) What is halal meat and how are animals killed?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/58447\/halal-meat-what-does-it-involve-and-is-it-cruel-to-animals)\n- [![Hanging fruit bat, doctors and a gloved hand holding a vial representing the Nipah virus outbreak in India](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mx7A73Uo8c96wxURTAUV7H.jpg) A Nipah virus outbreak in India has brought back Covid-era surveillance](https:\/\/theweek.com\/health\/nipah-virus-outbreak-india-covid-19)\n- [![Photo collage of a can of oil, an oil slick, an illustration of a fire, a hand holding a matchstick, and a calendar](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/83gbTf2xDxcKNmUayqxKiD.jpg) The unusual repercussions of the oil and gas shortage in Asia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/the-unusual-repercussions-of-the-oil-and-gas-shortage-in-asia)\n\n## The Week\nEscape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.\n\n[SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https:\/\/subscribe.theweek.com\/servlet\/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article)\n\n![https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg)\n\n## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\n\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\n\n[Sign up](https:\/\/theweek.com\/newsletters)\n\nAccording to [Al Jazeera](https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/1\/7\/indonesia-aims-for-halal-ruling-before-covid-vaccine-roll-out), “AstraZeneca, Novavax and Pfizer have all said there are no pork products in their vaccines but Sinovac has not disclosed the ingredients of its product or said whether it contains gelatin”.\n\nThe issue is further complicated by “a difference of opinion amongst Islamic scholars” as to whether a vaccine is still considered to be “religiously impure” if “you take something like pork gelatin and make it undergo a rigorous chemical transformation”, says Dr Salman Waqar, general secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association.\n\nIndonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council aims to issue a ruling on whether the Chinese jab is halal or permissible under Islam before their country’s vaccination campaign is due to begin next Wednesday.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates’ highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, last month “ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin”, as Istanbul-based newspaper [Daily Sabah](https:\/\/www.dailysabah.com\/world\/mid-east\/uae-islamic-body-oks-vaccines-even-with-pork) reported at the time.\n\nSign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox\n\nA free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com\n\nBy signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/terms-conditions\\\/)  and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/privacy-policy\\\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.\n\nCouncil chair Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah said that the vaccines would not be subject to Islam’s usual restrictions on pork because of the higher need to “protect the human body”.\n\nBut not everyone may be convinced by that argument.\n\nAs Al Jazeera notes, “controversy over whether vaccines adhere to Islamic principles have hindered public health initiatives before” in Indonesia.\n\nWhat to read next\n\n- [![Signs point the way to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District across from Wigwam Stadium on February 27, 2025 in Seminole, Texas. Eighty cases of measles were reported in Gaines county, with one death reported. ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/2q6WLGUfBX9W7FsxXsEtdX.jpg) Is the US about to lose its measles elimination status?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/health\/measles-elimination-status-us-cases)\n- [![Workers in Turkey load medical supplies for shipment to Iran. ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/RMmkGnRwoD2rLeR5p5mgSL.jpg) How has the war in Iran affected global medical supplies?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/iran-war-affecting-global-medical-supplies)\n- [![Robert F. Kennedy Jr.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PPq8CXMY5JXo35fBBuTsuJ.jpg) Childhood vaccines: RFK Jr. escalates his war](https:\/\/theweek.com\/politics\/rfk-jr-war-against-childhood-vaccines)\n\nIn 2018, “the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a religious decree declaring that a measles vaccine was forbidden under Islam”, the Doha-based broadcaster reports.\n\nThat “vaccine fatwa” saw immunisation rates plummet, with millions of parents eschewing the jab, adds [Science](https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2018\/11\/indonesian-vaccine-fatwa-sends-measles-immunization-rates-plummeting) magazine.\n\nWhether Indonesia’s religious leaders will now green-light Covid jabs remains to be seen, despite calls for urgent action to combat coronavirus outbreaks.\n\nIndonesia has [recorded](https:\/\/coronavirus.jhu.edu\/region\/indonesia) almost 800,000 infections and more than 23,000 deaths to date, far outstripping the tallies in neighbouring Asia Pacific nations.\n\nExplore More\n\n[COVID-19](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/covid-19)   [Coronavirus](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/coronavirus)\n\n[Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK](https:\/\/theweek.com\/author\/chas-newkey-burden)\n\nSocial Links Navigation\n\nChas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.\n\nRead more\n\n[![Chicken](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KopktVWU9V8Ccv7o8MuYgd.jpg) Religion What is halal meat and how are animals killed?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/58447\/halal-meat-what-does-it-involve-and-is-it-cruel-to-animals \"What is halal meat and how are animals killed?\")\n\n[![Hanging fruit bat, doctors and a gloved hand holding a vial representing the Nipah virus outbreak in India](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mx7A73Uo8c96wxURTAUV7H.jpg) Health A Nipah virus outbreak in India has brought back Covid-era surveillance](https:\/\/theweek.com\/health\/nipah-virus-outbreak-india-covid-19 \"A Nipah virus outbreak in India has brought back Covid-era surveillance\")\n\n[![Photo collage of a can of oil, an oil slick, an illustration of a fire, a hand holding a matchstick, and a calendar](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/83gbTf2xDxcKNmUayqxKiD.jpg) World News The unusual repercussions of the oil and gas shortage in Asia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/the-unusual-repercussions-of-the-oil-and-gas-shortage-in-asia \"The unusual repercussions of the oil and gas shortage in Asia\")\n\n[![Signs point the way to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District across from Wigwam Stadium on February 27, 2025 in Seminole, Texas. 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[Visit our corporate site](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/).\n\n© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.","attrs_readable_markdown":"In most countries across the globe, the development of effective Covid-19 vaccines has been cause for celebration. But in [Indonesia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/indonesia), the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, the vaccine announcements have met with a more mixed response.\n\nIndonesia is due to launch a mass inoculation campaign next week and has received three million doses of the Covid vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. The government in Jakarta has also secured more than 329 million doses of other Covid vaccines, “most notably from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, and AstraZeneca”, [Reuters](https:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/uk-health-coronavirus-indonesia-vaccine\/indonesia-says-mass-vaccinations-to-begin-jan-13-president-to-get-first-shot-idUKKBN29A0QH) reports.\n\nArticle continues below\n\n## The Week\nEscape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.\n\n[SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https:\/\/subscribe.theweek.com\/servlet\/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article)\n\n## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\n\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\n\nAccording to [Al Jazeera](https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/1\/7\/indonesia-aims-for-halal-ruling-before-covid-vaccine-roll-out), “AstraZeneca, Novavax and Pfizer have all said there are no pork products in their vaccines but Sinovac has not disclosed the ingredients of its product or said whether it contains gelatin”.\n\nThe issue is further complicated by “a difference of opinion amongst Islamic scholars” as to whether a vaccine is still considered to be “religiously impure” if “you take something like pork gelatin and make it undergo a rigorous chemical transformation”, says Dr Salman Waqar, general secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association.\n\nIndonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council aims to issue a ruling on whether the Chinese jab is halal or permissible under Islam before their country’s vaccination campaign is due to begin next Wednesday.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates’ highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, last month “ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin”, as Istanbul-based newspaper [Daily Sabah](https:\/\/www.dailysabah.com\/world\/mid-east\/uae-islamic-body-oks-vaccines-even-with-pork) reported at the time.\n\nA free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com\n\nCouncil chair Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah said that the vaccines would not be subject to Islam’s usual restrictions on pork because of the higher need to “protect the human body”.\n\nBut not everyone may be convinced by that argument.\n\nAs Al Jazeera notes, “controversy over whether vaccines adhere to Islamic principles have hindered public health initiatives before” in Indonesia.\n\nIn 2018, “the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a religious decree declaring that a measles vaccine was forbidden under Islam”, the Doha-based broadcaster reports.\n\nThat “vaccine fatwa” saw immunisation rates plummet, with millions of parents eschewing the jab, adds [Science](https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2018\/11\/indonesian-vaccine-fatwa-sends-measles-immunization-rates-plummeting) magazine.\n\nWhether Indonesia’s religious leaders will now green-light Covid jabs remains to be seen, despite calls for urgent action to combat coronavirus outbreaks.\n\nIndonesia has [recorded](https:\/\/coronavirus.jhu.edu\/region\/indonesia) almost 800,000 infections and more than 23,000 deaths to date, far outstripping the tallies in neighbouring Asia Pacific nations.","meta_canonical":null,"ml_categories_json":"{\"\/People_and_Society\":698,\"\/People_and_Society\/Religion_and_Belief\":530,\"\/News\":459,\"\/Health\":336,\"\/Law_and_Government\":284,\"\/Health\/Public_Health\":265,\"\/Health\/Public_Health\/Health_Policy\":253,\"\/Law_and_Government\/Legal\":224,\"\/News\/Politics\":195,\"\/News\/Politics\/Campaigns_and_Elections\":119,\"\/Law_and_Government\/Legal\/Constitutional_Law_and_Civil_Rights\":116}","ml_types_json":"{\"\/Article\":998,\"\/Article\/News_Update\":967}","ml_intent_types_json":"{\"Informational\":999}","meta_language":"en","attrs_author":"Chas Newkey-Burden","attrs_publish_time":1610015709,"attrs_original_publish_time":1610015709,"attrs_is_republished":0,"attrs_nr_words":"1397","attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words":"488","body_ext_links_number":17,"body_int_links_number":64,"meta_nofollow":0,"meta_noarchive":0,"props_was_rendered":1,"src_redirect":"","download_time_msec":428,"download_ttfb_msec":418,"download_size":266093}

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Indonesia decides: is the Covid vaccine halal? | The Week

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Use of pork gelatin as stabiliser in some jabs has caused controversy in Muslim community

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In most countries across the globe, the development of effective Covid-19 vaccines has been cause for celebration. But in Indonesia , the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, the vaccine announcements have met with a more mixed response. Indonesia is due to launch a mass inoculation campaign next week and has received three million doses of the Covid vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. The government in Jakarta has also secured more than 329 million doses of other Covid vaccines, “most notably from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, and AstraZeneca”, Reuters reports. Article continues below The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. According to Al Jazeera , “AstraZeneca, Novavax and Pfizer have all said there are no pork products in their vaccines but Sinovac has not disclosed the ingredients of its product or said whether it contains gelatin”. The issue is further complicated by “a difference of opinion amongst Islamic scholars” as to whether a vaccine is still considered to be “religiously impure” if “you take something like pork gelatin and make it undergo a rigorous chemical transformation”, says Dr Salman Waqar, general secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association. Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council aims to issue a ruling on whether the Chinese jab is halal or permissible under Islam before their country’s vaccination campaign is due to begin next Wednesday. The United Arab Emirates’ highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, last month “ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin”, as Istanbul-based newspaper Daily Sabah reported at the time. A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Council chair Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah said that the vaccines would not be subject to Islam’s usual restrictions on pork because of the higher need to “protect the human body”. But not everyone may be convinced by that argument. As Al Jazeera notes, “controversy over whether vaccines adhere to Islamic principles have hindered public health initiatives before” in Indonesia. In 2018, “the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a religious decree declaring that a measles vaccine was forbidden under Islam”, the Doha-based broadcaster reports. That “vaccine fatwa” saw immunisation rates plummet, with millions of parents eschewing the jab, adds Science magazine. Whether Indonesia’s religious leaders will now green-light Covid jabs remains to be seen, despite calls for urgent action to combat coronavirus outbreaks. Indonesia has recorded almost 800,000 infections and more than 23,000 deaths to date, far outstripping the tallies in neighbouring Asia Pacific nations.

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Use of pork gelatin as stabiliser in some jabs has caused controversy in Muslim community By [Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK](https://theweek.com/author/chas-newkey-burden) published January 7, 2021 ![Workers unload Sinovac vaccines from a truck under police escort.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6TkeVu8szUvhDhKSqjecjT.jpg) Workers unload Sinovac vaccines from a truck under police escort (Image credit: Juni Kriswanto/AFP via Getty Images) Share - Copy link - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision) - [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Indonesia+decides%3A+is+the+Covid+vaccine+halal%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision) - [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision&title=Indonesia+decides%3A+is+the+Covid+vaccine+halal%3F&source=theweek.com) - [Whatsapp](whatsapp://send?text=Indonesia+decides%3A+is+the+Covid+vaccine+halal%3F+https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision?fwa) - [Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2F951604%2Fis-coronavirus-vaccine-halal-indonesia-awaits-decision&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2F6TkeVu8szUvhDhKSqjecjT.jpg) Share this article Join the conversation [Follow us](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=theweek.com) Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com *** By signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/) and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful *** An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter In most countries across the globe, the development of effective Covid-19 vaccines has been cause for celebration. But in [Indonesia](https://theweek.com/tag/indonesia), the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, the vaccine announcements have met with a more mixed response. ##### [People caught not wearing masks in Indonesia made to dig graves](https://theweek.com/odd-news/108087/people-caught-not-wearing-masks-in-indonesia-made-to-dig-graves) [Is Indonesia becoming a sharia state?](https://theweek.com/103382/is-indonesia-becoming-a-sharia-state) Pork-derived gelatin is used as a stabiliser in some vaccines to prevent them from degrading during storage and transport. However, pork products are not permitted in Islam - triggering debates about the halal status of vaccines. Indonesia is due to launch a mass inoculation campaign next week and has received three million doses of the Covid vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. The government in Jakarta has also secured more than 329 million doses of other Covid vaccines, “most notably from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, and AstraZeneca”, [Reuters](https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-indonesia-vaccine/indonesia-says-mass-vaccinations-to-begin-jan-13-president-to-get-first-shot-idUKKBN29A0QH) reports. Article continues below You may like - [![Chicken](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KopktVWU9V8Ccv7o8MuYgd.jpg) What is halal meat and how are animals killed?](https://theweek.com/58447/halal-meat-what-does-it-involve-and-is-it-cruel-to-animals) - [![Hanging fruit bat, doctors and a gloved hand holding a vial representing the Nipah virus outbreak in India](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mx7A73Uo8c96wxURTAUV7H.jpg) A Nipah virus outbreak in India has brought back Covid-era surveillance](https://theweek.com/health/nipah-virus-outbreak-india-covid-19) - [![Photo collage of a can of oil, an oil slick, an illustration of a fire, a hand holding a matchstick, and a calendar](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/83gbTf2xDxcKNmUayqxKiD.jpg) The unusual repercussions of the oil and gas shortage in Asia](https://theweek.com/world-news/the-unusual-repercussions-of-the-oil-and-gas-shortage-in-asia) ## The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. [SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https://subscribe.theweek.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article) ![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg) ## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. [Sign up](https://theweek.com/newsletters) According to [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/7/indonesia-aims-for-halal-ruling-before-covid-vaccine-roll-out), “AstraZeneca, Novavax and Pfizer have all said there are no pork products in their vaccines but Sinovac has not disclosed the ingredients of its product or said whether it contains gelatin”. The issue is further complicated by “a difference of opinion amongst Islamic scholars” as to whether a vaccine is still considered to be “religiously impure” if “you take something like pork gelatin and make it undergo a rigorous chemical transformation”, says Dr Salman Waqar, general secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association. Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council aims to issue a ruling on whether the Chinese jab is halal or permissible under Islam before their country’s vaccination campaign is due to begin next Wednesday. The United Arab Emirates’ highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, last month “ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin”, as Istanbul-based newspaper [Daily Sabah](https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/uae-islamic-body-oks-vaccines-even-with-pork) reported at the time. Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com By signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/) and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. Council chair Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah said that the vaccines would not be subject to Islam’s usual restrictions on pork because of the higher need to “protect the human body”. But not everyone may be convinced by that argument. As Al Jazeera notes, “controversy over whether vaccines adhere to Islamic principles have hindered public health initiatives before” in Indonesia. What to read next - [![Signs point the way to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District across from Wigwam Stadium on February 27, 2025 in Seminole, Texas. 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That “vaccine fatwa” saw immunisation rates plummet, with millions of parents eschewing the jab, adds [Science](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/indonesian-vaccine-fatwa-sends-measles-immunization-rates-plummeting) magazine. Whether Indonesia’s religious leaders will now green-light Covid jabs remains to be seen, despite calls for urgent action to combat coronavirus outbreaks. Indonesia has [recorded](https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/indonesia) almost 800,000 infections and more than 23,000 deaths to date, far outstripping the tallies in neighbouring Asia Pacific nations. Explore More [COVID-19](https://theweek.com/tag/covid-19) [Coronavirus](https://theweek.com/tag/coronavirus) [Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK](https://theweek.com/author/chas-newkey-burden) Social Links Navigation Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books. 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Readable Markdown

In most countries across the globe, the development of effective Covid-19 vaccines has been cause for celebration. But in [Indonesia](https://theweek.com/tag/indonesia), the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, the vaccine announcements have met with a more mixed response. Indonesia is due to launch a mass inoculation campaign next week and has received three million doses of the Covid vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. The government in Jakarta has also secured more than 329 million doses of other Covid vaccines, “most notably from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, and AstraZeneca”, [Reuters](https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-indonesia-vaccine/indonesia-says-mass-vaccinations-to-begin-jan-13-president-to-get-first-shot-idUKKBN29A0QH) reports. Article continues below ## The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. [SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https://subscribe.theweek.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article) ## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. According to [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/7/indonesia-aims-for-halal-ruling-before-covid-vaccine-roll-out), “AstraZeneca, Novavax and Pfizer have all said there are no pork products in their vaccines but Sinovac has not disclosed the ingredients of its product or said whether it contains gelatin”. The issue is further complicated by “a difference of opinion amongst Islamic scholars” as to whether a vaccine is still considered to be “religiously impure” if “you take something like pork gelatin and make it undergo a rigorous chemical transformation”, says Dr Salman Waqar, general secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association. Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council aims to issue a ruling on whether the Chinese jab is halal or permissible under Islam before their country’s vaccination campaign is due to begin next Wednesday. The United Arab Emirates’ highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, last month “ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin”, as Istanbul-based newspaper [Daily Sabah](https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/uae-islamic-body-oks-vaccines-even-with-pork) reported at the time. A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Council chair Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah said that the vaccines would not be subject to Islam’s usual restrictions on pork because of the higher need to “protect the human body”. But not everyone may be convinced by that argument. As Al Jazeera notes, “controversy over whether vaccines adhere to Islamic principles have hindered public health initiatives before” in Indonesia. In 2018, “the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a religious decree declaring that a measles vaccine was forbidden under Islam”, the Doha-based broadcaster reports. That “vaccine fatwa” saw immunisation rates plummet, with millions of parents eschewing the jab, adds [Science](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/indonesian-vaccine-fatwa-sends-measles-immunization-rates-plummeting) magazine. Whether Indonesia’s religious leaders will now green-light Covid jabs remains to be seen, despite calls for urgent action to combat coronavirus outbreaks. Indonesia has [recorded](https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/indonesia) almost 800,000 infections and more than 23,000 deaths to date, far outstripping the tallies in neighbouring Asia Pacific nations.

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