Islam and tobacco use
Many of the principles of Islam call upon people to look after their health, avoid health hazards and raise their standards of hygiene. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has sought the opinions of a number of eminent Muslim scholars with regard to the Islamic ruling on smoking. The general consensus was that smoking is either completely prohibited in Islam or abhorrent to such a degree as to be prohibited.
These opinions were published by the Regional Office in the booklet:
The right path to health: Health education through religion—Islamic ruling on smoking [pdf 7.32Mb].
Many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, where religion plays a key role in tobacco control strategies, have issued Islamic rulings at national level.
Libya: Islamic ruling on smoking (2009) [pdf 1.2Mb]
Jordan: Islamic ruling on smoking (2006) [pdf 285kb]
Tobacco and religion
Religion has a strong influence in the Eastern Mediterranean Region; it is a part of the daily life of individuals. All religions call upon people to look after their health and to avoid health hazards and risks.
Tackling tobacco use from a religious perspective is a key component of the Tobacco Free Initiative programme; it started in 1996 with the release of the first edition of The right path to health: Health education through religion – Islamic ruling on smoking. In 2000, the second edition of this publication was issued together with the Christian view on smoking. The Vatican issued laws and regulations prohibiting smoking in 2002..
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The Vatican and tobacco use |
