MUI's Fatwa on Vaccination and the Response of Muslim Communities: Between Islamic Legal Compliance and Social Resistance
Keywords:
MUI fatwa, Covid-19 vaccination, Islamic Law, Social resistance, IndonesiaAbstract
The Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia/MUI) issued Fatwa No. 33 of 2021 declaring the COVID-19 vaccines used in Indonesia's national immunization program to be permissible (mubah) for use by Muslims, despite concerns raised regarding the halal status of some vaccine components. This study examines the reception of and responses to this fatwa among Muslim communities across diverse Indonesian regions, with particular attention to the sources and dynamics of social resistance to vaccination despite the fatwa's permissive ruling. Employing a mixed-methods design combining a survey of 620 respondents across five provinces with in-depth interviews and media content analysis, the study finds that the fatwa generated complex and heterogeneous community responses. While it facilitated vaccine acceptance among communities deferential to MUI authority, it also triggered counter-mobilization among groups who questioned MUI's legitimacy, the theological adequacy of the fatwa's reasoning, and the integrity of the government's vaccination program. The study identifies three distinct response patterns — compliant deference, critical engagement, and resistant rejection — and analyzes the sociological factors that predict membership in each group. The findings contribute to understanding the relationship between Islamic legal authority, public health compliance, and social trust in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.
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