WHT HAPPENS IF A SMOKER COUNTRY GETS NO-SMOKING 'FATWA'?

  By Andi Abdussalam

           Jakarta, March 16 (ANTARA) - Tobacconists, cigarettes makers and even the cabinet member in charge of religious affairs have voiced opposition to an edict or fatwa issued by the country's Muslim organization Muhammadiyah declaring  smoking "haram" or forbidden in Islamic law.

         Considering that it is harmful to people's health and could have other negative impacts on the people's life, the Legal Council (Tarjih) of Muhammadiyah is of the view that smoking is no longer Makruh (should be avoided) but  actually 'haram', or against Islamic law.

         However, smoking is closely linked to the livelihoods of tobacco farmers and cigarette industries so that a 'haram' fatwa on it will, if implemented, affect the livelihoods of millions of people and state income.

         Thus, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali asked religious organizations to be wise in issuing fatwas that could affect the people's life, particularly  their livelihoods.

         If religious organizations are not wise in issuing  religious edicts they would create unrest in the people's life.

         "Fatwas can affect  many aspects of life, not only religion but also people's  economy. So, I hope that religious organizations will be wise in issuing religious advice because it could have an impact on many sectors. If it impacts on the people's economy it will create unrest," he said in response to  ongoing polemics on the admonition issued by Muhammadiyah's lawmaking body that  smoking was haram.

          Reducing the number of cigarette consumers would threaten tobacco/cigarette producers and millions of people whose livelihoods depend on the industries.

          So far, cigarette industries have continued to grow in the country. Indonesia's cigarette production in 2005 was recorded at 221.1 billion pieces. It rose to 240 billion pieces in 2006 and in 2009 it stood at about 260 billion pieces.

          The Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association (APTI) has also voiced opposition to the  Muhammadiyah's non-smoking edict. "I regret the declaration since it will have a negative impact on the social and economic sectors," APTI chairman Abdus Setyawan, said on Tuesday.

         He argued the decision would affect around 700,000 tobacco farmers nationwide who were planting a total of 200,000 hectares of land with a total production of 160,000-200,000 tons of tobacco per year.

         "The edict is opposed not only by tobacco farmers but also those who work in the cigarette industry," said the Jember district's secretary for tobacco affairs.

         The fatwa will affect not only tobacco farmers and cigarette industries, but also state receipts from cigarettes taxes.

         "Surely it (the edict) will affect the country's excise receipt target. We will see later how significant  its effect is because right now we have not yet calculated it," Director General of Customs and Excise Thomas Sugijata said.

         Thomas said that the directorate general of customs and excises would respect the edict, and would recalculate the potentials of the country's excise receipts if the fatwa is already in force.

         "We have not yet counted it. We will wait for one or two months after the fatwa has come into force before we can make any recalculations," the director general said.

         The target of excise receipts for 2010 is Rp57.29 trillion, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise said in its online report.  The government's receipts from cigarette taxes have continued to increase from year to year. The state income from cigarette taxes in 2006 stood at Rp37 trillion,  which rose to Rp42 trillion in 2007 and  Rp46.5 trillion in 2008.

         However, if the costs for all tobacco-related diseases and other negative impact are taken into account,  the government's spending would be bigger than the amount of the cigarette taxes it is receiving.

         According to the chairman of the National Commission for Tobacco Control, Farid Anfasa Moeloek, who is also a former health minister, smoking has a direct impact on the people's health and on the emergence of social ills  such as drug addiction, alcoholism  and violence.

        The total cost of treatment of tobacco-related diseases and deaths, are higher than the total amount of receipts from tobacco/cigarette taxes. Farid mentioned a study made in 2004 which revealed that the government spent a total of Rp127 trillion in 2001 on treatment of tobacco-related diseases while the cigarette taxes it collected in the same year amounted to Rp16 trillion only.

         "Tobacco consumption costs 7.5 times more than state income from tobacco excises," Farid said.

         Therefore, the lawmaking body of Muhammadiyah, which in 2005 issued a fatwa that smoking was 'makruh' changed its fatwa into haram.

         Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said  the edict on smoking was discussed by Muhammadiyah's lawmaking body (Mejelis Tarjih) and still constituted a legal view. It had not yet become a decision of the Majlis Tarjih which would be effective nationally.

         According to plan, he said, the Central Board of the Majlis Tarjih will discuss the problem at a national meeting so that it could become an official decision by Muhammadiyah as a whole.

         The legal council of the Muhammadiyah organization issued a fatwa last Tuesday (March 9) which stated that smoking, which had caused various negative impacts on the health, social and economic sectors, is haram, or unlawful based on the Islamic law.

    
(T.A014/A/HAJM/A/S012)
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(T.A014/A/A014/A/S012) 16-03-2010

MUSLIM SCHOLARS PLAN TO DECLARE SMOKING UNLAWFUL

By Andi Abdussalam

       Jakarta, Aug 28 (ANTARA) - Smoking in the history of mankind is a habit that has existed since time immemorial. Since then, pros and cons have emerged not only because smoking is harmful to human health and disturbs non-smokers but also because it is commercially profitable to many parties. The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) is planning to declare smoking is unlawful based on the Islamic law.

        Despite the pros and cons, smoking has spurred people to develop its commercial aspect, the result of which shows tremendous growth in cigarettes industries in every part of the world that provides prosperity.

        In the early stage, no one could really enjoy the taste of a cigarette. But why do people try it again and again until they are addicted?

        "Smocking is a symbol of manhood and a means of social intercourse," said 40-year old Hasan who has tried to stop smoking several times but failed.

        Others say that smoking is good for killing time, reducing tension, making friends or even for seeking inspiration, for writers for example.

        "I began smoking at the age of 15 when I mixed with peers among whom cigarette consumption was a normal thing. But I have tried, to no avail, to stop smoking now because it is not good for health," Hasan said.

        Ovide Pomerleau of the University of Michigan's Medical School, whose research appears in the journal Addiction said smoking even one cigarette is a bad idea. "It's a trap," he was quoted as saying by the Xinhuanet recently.

        "What they don't realize is if they have this kind of genetic make-up, they are on their way to dependency," he said, and that raises their risk for lung cancer. He was referring to a gene type that not only increases the addiction risk, but also has been implicated in the development of lung cancer.

        Teams of scientists reported earlier this year that smokers who had certain changes in three nicotine receptor genes - which control entry of nicotine into brain cells - were more likely to develop lung cancer than other smokers.

        Campaigns on the negative effects of smoking such as the growth of lung cancer have been launched since a long time ago.

        In the 1980s, physicians of a Royal College in Britain found that 90 percent of deaths from lung cancer were attributed to smoking.

        At that time the Duke of Gloucester, Patron of Action on Smoking and Health told the House of Lords in a debate that of 1,000 young people who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, 250 would die prematurely from smoking induced diseases.

        If fifty percent of Indonesia's 228 million people are young smokers, about 28.5 million out of them would, if the assumption above is true, become victims of premature deaths

        This is because the human body is not designed to absorb chemicals inhaled through the respiratory system.

        Besides, smoke that belches out of smokers' nostrils could be inhaled by non-smokers, thus disturbing them and turning them into 'passive' smokers, threatening their health. Thus, smoking disturbs the public.

        That's why, the Jakarta city administration under then-Governor Sutiyoso last year banned smoking in public places in the capital city. However, the ruling seems to be ineffective and is not being enforced consistently under tight supervision.

        People still smoke freely in public places such as on public buses, at railway stations, bus terminals and in government offices.

        A public controversy on whether or not smoking should be banned arose recently following a plan by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a `fatwa' (edict) that smoking is prohibited under Islamic law.

        While tobacco and cigarette producers raised their objections, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari supported the MUI's plan to declare smoking haram (forbidden for Muslims to do or consume).

        "I am glad to hear about the MUI plan, and I support it," Supari said after a visit to a relative's grave at the Giriloyo public cemetery in Magelang Saturday.

        Yet, Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni doubted the effectiveness of a ban on smoking the MUI was planning to issue.

        "It is better to prioritize efforts to promote public awareness about the dangers of nicotine because many MUI fatwas have been issued before but remained unimplemented," the minister said on Monday.

        To tobacconists and cigarette makers, a big number of smokers in a country means a big potential market. Indonesia which has a population of about 228 million is a potential market for cigarette industries.

        If each of fifty percent of the country's 228 million smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, cigarette industries would be able to put 114 million packs of cigarettes on the market a day.

        Reducing the number of cigarette consumers would threaten tobacco/cigarette producers and millions of people whose livelihood depends on the industries.

        Besides, the government should also downsize its revenue target from cigarette taxes which it set this year at Rp46.5 trillion.

        So far, cigarette industries have continued to grow in the country. Indonesia's cigarette production in 2005 was recorded at 221.1 billion pieces. It rose to 240 billion pieces in 2006 and in 2009 it is planned to increase to 260 billion pieces.

        The increase in cigarette production also raised state income from cigarette taxes which in 2006 stood at Rp37 trillion and in 2007 increased to Rp42 trillion.

        This year the government's tax target from cigarette excise tapes is set at Rp46.5 trillion. (T.A014/A/HAJM/21:20/a014)  28-08-2008 21:25:33