Muslims in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, are leading efforts to fight ‘fake news’ about COVID-19 vaccine, sharing health messages at Friday prayers.

“With the vaccination being rolled out, we hope and pray that in due course this will bring some sense of normality to our lives,” Chief Imam Hafiz Mohammad Sajid, of the at Middlesbrough’s Al Mustafa Centre on Parliament Road in central Middlesbrough, said, Gazette Live reported.

“We have received guidance from The British Board of Scholars & Imams (BBSI), who have consulted various experts in infectious diseases as well as sought scholarly opinion on the issues of vaccination.”

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Recently, the mosque has shared public health messages during its weekly Friday prayer as part of a national NHS anti-disinformation drive.

“The Tees Valley Muslim Council members, on the advice of our national bodies, therefore give a clear and unequivocal message that individuals should take the covid-19 vaccine on the advice of their medical practitioner following informed consent,” imam Sajid added.

He continued: “We are of the belief that this will protect the community members from a probable and considerable risk of harm from covid-19 infection.

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Appreciation

South Tees Joint Director of Public Health Mark Adams has thanked the Al Mustafa Centre for its support.

“Sadly there is lots of misinformation relating to the covid vaccine,” he said.

“It’s really important that influential voices within all our communities do their bit to encourage people to come forward for their vaccine when it’s their turn. I’d like to thank the chief imam for helping to keep people safe.”

Different Muslim groups have been leading campaigns to encourage people to take the vaccine and protect lives.

According to the plans, a local mosque in Balsall will open a vaccine hub tomorrow in its community halls to reach more vulnerable residents.

Earlier this month, the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) okayed the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19 for Muslims.

In December, BIMA also approved Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Muslim communities, confirming that there are no animal products in this vaccine.