Will Indonesia Ban Smoking?
Indonesia’s top Islamic body had debated earlier in the year whether to ban smoking for Muslims or to place restriction on tobacco in the country. Officially, Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population.
‘Maybe smokers won’t drop the habit in five or six years, but we hope that before the apocalypse there won’t be any smoker in Indonesia if we put a ban on it,’ said Mr Hasan Mansur Nasution, an ulema from North Sumatra. He advocated a smoking ban despite being a smoker himself.
The debate over smoking has resulted a split between those wanting to make it ‘haram’ (meaning: not allowed) and others who prefer a ‘makruh’ (a Arabic term which means smoking is bad and is better not to smoke)
Indonesia is the world’s No. 5 tobacco market. The economic importance of the tobacco industry in Indonesia meant that there are interest groups who will do their best to stop a blanket ban or even a restriction to smoking. At approximately US$1 a pack, even the poor can afford it from time to time. Some major cities have banned smoking in public places, but the rules are usually not been observed. So a blanket ban would be tricky to implement even if the lawmakers decide to give it green light.
Additional Reading:
Hypnosis To Change Your Life by Steve G Jones.
