Another silly news

Islamic council to restrict Indonesians from smoking
Putri Prameshwari


The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) is considering issuing a religious edict to banning smoking to protect children from diseases caused by cigarette smoke, its chairman said Tuesday.

The council made an agreement with The National Commission on Child Protection (KPA) to campaign for a cigarette ban in Indonesia, citing the need to protect public health.

“The fatwa (edict) will direct adults to stop smoking and protect children from the dangers of cigarette,” MUI chairman Amidhan told the Jakarta Globe.

Such an edict has been issued in all Sumatra regions except Lampung

Amidhan, who goes by a single name, said that the edict would be discussed further in a conference of Muslim scholars to be held by the end of the year and it would ban cigarette ads that can be seen by children.

“Cigarette producers should not put up advertisements anywhere in children’s activity centers,” Amidhan added.

A report released by Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids said that from 1995 to 2004, almost 80 percent of smokers in Indonesia started before 19 years of age.

KPA chairman Seto Mulyadi said that the commission urged MUI to immediately issue the edict, forcing families and related institutions to create a cigarette-free environment for children.

“This fatwa is crucial to save children in the future. People need to be convinced that smoking near a child is wrong,” Seto said in a telephone interview.

Amidhan admitted that the fatwa would affect the economy, as people in the cigarette industry could lose their jobs, and asked the government to create alternative job opportunities for cigarette industry workers in the future.

Two years ago, Jakarta regional government issued a bylaw prohibiting people to smoke in public places but the ban has been largely ignored.

Indonesia, a country with more than 250 million people, has yet to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, an international treaty that became a law in February 2005. The framework requires its 152 ratifying nations to implement effective methods to reduce tobacco use.

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The silliest part is the paragraph in italics. Buang bodi, mas?

Anyway. As a smoker, though like most people I've been trying to reduce the habit, I am of course against the banning. But I gotta admit, smoking near a child is just ruthlessly insensitive.