Kelantan Banning Shisha Too

 

(NST) – “Based on my experience in other issues, we (state Fatwa Council) will normally agree with whatever decision made by the National Fatwa Council,” he said.

Kelantan is set to issue a fatwa to ban shisha smoking to be in line with a edict on the matter made by the National Fatwa Council.

State mufti, Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamed, said the fatwa would be issued after the state’s religious authorities had complied with specific procedures, including receiving royal consent.

“Firstly, I will meet the state’s Fatwa Committee members after Hari Raya. Then, I will take our decision to the board members of the state Islamic and Malay Customs Council.

“Once they have agreed, we will submit the document to Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V to get his consent to enable the fatwa to be gazetted,” he said yesterday.

He said once gazetted, the fatwa could be adopted by local authorities, such as the Kota Baru Municipal Council, as a reference before they enact their own by-laws.

“Based on my experience in other issues, we (state Fatwa Council) will normally agree with whatever decision made by the National Fatwa Council,” he said.

The shisha smoking issue became the topic of national headlines recently, especially after it was reported that substance abuse by youths in several states were linked to shisha.

Kelantan will join Perlis, Perak and Malacca in declaring shisha as haram.

The National Fatwa Council declared shisha smoking as haram for Muslims on July 19.

Its chairman, Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Abdul Shukor Husin, was reported to have said that Muslims were also prohibited from providing shisha-smoking services or any activity associated with shisha.

He had said the council decided to prohibit shisha after listening to advice from experts from the Health Ministry and studying medical and scientific evidence.