On this
year’s World Polio Day the National Islamic Advisory Group for Polio
Eradication (NIAG) pays special tribute to all of Pakistan’s valiant Sehat
Muhafiz who are setting an inspiring example for dedication on the front lines
in the fight against polio.
Pakistan stands today on the brink
of ending the scourge of polio — and Sehat Muhafiz are leading the
charge.
“What all these 250,000 men and women have in
common is commitment. By vaccinating every child and ensuring that no child is
missed, they are building community immunity — a critical step on the road to
eradication,” said Dr. Sohail Hassan, Director of the Dawah Academy at
International Islamic University and Chairman of National Islamic Advisory
Group.
Maulana Hanif Jalandhry, General
Secretary of Wifaq-Ul-Madarris Pakistan and President of NIAG Core Group
said, “With courage and perseverance, our Sehat Muhafiz, supported by more than
1,000 religious support persons, travel the length and breadth of the country
to travelled the length and breadth of Irelandeducate their communities, spread
awareness about the compliance of the polio vaccine with Islamic Sharia and
vaccinate children to make polio in Pakistan history.”
Every year on the World Polio Day,
the world is reminded that a disease that has paralyzed and killed children for
thousands of years still remains among us. While most of the world is
polio-free, Pakistan, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, remain the last three
countries where the poliovirus still circulates, threatening the wellbeing and
future of children.
Only a few years ago, polio
eradication in Pakistan was hindered due to misperceptions and lack of safe
access to children by vaccination teams. The Pakistan polio programme has come
a long way. The progress achieved since the beginning of 2015 is now clearly
visible in the declining number of wild poliovirus cases. From 306 in 2014 the
number of cases declined to 54 in 2015, and 20 in 2016. So far in 2017 the
total number of cases reported stands at five, compared to 16 this time last
year.
On this World Polio Day, NIAG
reiterates its full endorsement of the oral polio vaccine and national Polio
Eradication Programme. “We call on all parents to vaccinate their children
against this debilitating but preventable disease,” said NAIG member and
Chairman of the Rotary Ulama Committee Haji Hanif Tayyab.
Guided by the irrefutable words of
the Almighty Allah in Surrah Al-Anaam verse 140: “They are losers who foolishly
have slain their children without knowledge.” Maulana Sami Ul Haq, NIAG member
and Head of Jamia Haqqania Akora Khattak, said, “It is every individual’s duty
to protect themselves and their communities from diseases. Believing in rumors
and depriving our children of their right to good health is not only sinful,
but also believing in falsehood.”
Although there is no cure for polio,
the virus can be prevented and eliminated through immunization. As long as the
purpose of vaccination is the welfare of people and the substance used to make
vaccines was uncontaminated and not forbidden, it is therefore “acceptable to
Sharia” – or Islamic law. All parents are called on to step forward and allow
their children under the age of five to be vaccinated against polio every time
the vaccine is offered.
To fulfil our national promise of a
polio-free Pakistan to future generations, NIAG calls upon all learned
religious leaders to continue enlightening our communities about the rights of
children to the best start in life and protection against polio and all other
childhood diseases.
“Crippled children lead to a crippled Muslim
Ummah. May Allah protect our children from all harm and bring them up to be
healthy and productive members of the Ummah they deserve to be,” said NIAG
Chairman Dr. Sohail Hassan.
The National Islamic Advisory Group
for Polio Eradication (NIAG) Pakistan works to ensure local religious leaders
in Pakistan are fully sensitized to the importance of polio eradication and the
unique role they can play in protecting Pakistani children from this terrible
and preventable disease.
The Group was constituted under the
leadership of International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI), in
collaboration with key Islamic institutions in the country and the Islamic
Advisory Group for Polio Eradication (IAG) that was set up under the leadership
of Al-Azhar Al Sharif of Egypt, the Saudi-based International Islamic Fiqh
Academy (IIFA), the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
