Cleric Declares polio drops as "un-Islamic"

[BurfordTJustice]

Pakistani Cleric Declares Jihad Against Polio Vaccination Teams.


Islamabad: A cleric in Pakistan's Punjab province has warned that a jihad
would be launched against polio vaccination teams at a time when the World
Health Organisation has expressed concern at the emergence of new cases of
the disease across the country.

Maulvi Ibrahim Chisti of Muzaffargarh district declared the anti-polio
campaign as "un-Islamic" and announced at the local mosque that jihad (holy
war) should be carried out against the polio vaccination team.

Chisti made the remarks after finding out that a vaccination team had
entered Khan Pur Bagga Sher area of Muzaffargarh and asked families to
cooperate with the campaign.

The cleric went to the largest mosque in the area and declared that polio
drops were "poison" and against Islam, The Express Tribune reported.

He warned that if the vaccination team forced anyone to participate in the
campaign, then jihad would be "the only option".