ISLAMABAD -Terming the polio eradication Muslim Ummah's issue, the religious leaders from Pakistan and other countries have declared that parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated against polio commit a sin and such refusals are against the teachings of Islam.
They also condemned the killings of polio workers. They spoke to media after attending a conference that has brought together Islamic scholars and technical experts from Pakistan and other countries to seek guidance on strategies that can effectively overcome current social and political challenges to polio eradication in Pakistan. The two-day conference 'polio Eradication in the Light of Islam' started Wednesday has been jointly organised by International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) and the Alazhar University Cairo.
Such meetings have been planned to be held in Afghanistan and Nigeria. As the only three countries that remain polio endemic are the Muslim countries; Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria, which are affected by severe and complex challenges of insecurity, insurgency, armed conflicts and misconceptions about the vaccine and the programme.
The conference is one of the follow-up recommended action points of the regional consultation with Muslim scholars, which took place on March 6-7, 2013 in Cairo. Islamic scholars have expressed a strong commitment to achieve the objective of a polio-free Islamic world by end of 2014 in that consultation.
Dr Ataur Rehman, who is associated with three seminaries and Inter-Faith Religious Council Balochistan, cautioned that Pakistanis might not be able to perform Haj and Umra if polio is not eradicated. He was of the view that one of the main reasons behind the attacks on polio teams were due to misconceptions about the polio drive. The Taliban leadership was engaged in Jamrud (Khyber Agency) and we were able to convince them regarding the importance of polio eradication and they have ensured their support to the campaign, he informed.
The scholars quoting various references from the Holy Quran and the life of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) declared that immunisation of children is a religious obligation of the family and a responsibility of the wider community, particularly its leaders and guides.
Dr Mohammed Wesam, a notable scholar of the Dar-ul-Ifta Al Missriya in Saudi Arabia, stated that vaccination of children to protect them from polio is a religious and health obligation of the Muslim parents/ guardians as the religion of Islam accords high importance to the health of children.
"Parents who deliberately disallow administration of polio drops to their children are actually committing a sin. All Fiqhas of Islam have already termed the polio vaccination as a religious obligation."
Condemning the killings of health workers who are involved in this noble cause he said, they have been doing a brilliant job and such killings have no relevance with Islam. So far 16 polio workers have been killed in the country.
Dr Abdulqahir Mohammed Qamar, Director of Fatwa Department, The International Islamic Fiqh Academy Jeddah, remarked that polio drops should be administered even if the parents are not willing to immunise their children.
Senator Maulana Samiul Haq who avoided to attend the press conference while talking to the journalists after the event maintained that the reaction of Taliban against the polio eradication campaign is part of their policy against foreign occupation of US-led forces. And in war everything is fair.  Dr Yagoub Al Mazrou, Secretary General Council of Health Services, also spoke during the conference.
Meanwhile, two new polio cases have been surfaced, rising the total number of polio case to 12. According to National Institute of Health (NIH) officials, Ilyas s/o Rehmat Ullah, 23 months old boy, resident of Tehsil Bara in Khyber Agency, and Ghanema d/o Ajmal Khan, 22-month-old girl, resident of Bannu have contracted the poliovirus.