“Do you yearn to go to Makkah for pilgrimage? Get vaccinated to get a chance of two tickets hajj lottery.”
This is the latest method Canadian imams used to encourage members of the Muslim community to get COVID-19 vaccination.
Saying that not getting vaccinated goes against the teachings of Islam, a group of twenty-five imams have issued a statement pointing to “overwhelming, undeniable scientific evidence” of vaccine protection as a fourth wave hits the world, CBC reported.
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“We strongly urge unvaccinated Canadian Muslims (if there is anyone left) to get vaccinated,” the imams say in the statement.
“This will certainly help in saving lives.”
Syed Soharwardy is a Calgary Imam and chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada. (Dan McGarvey/CBC)
Against Islamic Teachings
The imams warned that delaying or avoiding vaccination put lives in danger and goes against the teachings of Islam.
The Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, an organization based in Calgary, has also announced its lottery to encourage vaccination.
Any Canadian Muslim who receives both doses between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31 will be eligible to enter a draw for two pilgrimage tickets to the holy city of Makkah.
Allah tells us that “If anyone saved a life it would be as if he saved the life of the whole humanity.” Quran 5:32
Earlier this year, a national movement, Love My Neighbor, was launched to encourage each Canadian to gift one vaccine forward to allow for the equitable distribution of vaccines to developing countries.
Love My Neighbor, in partnership with UNICEF Canada, aims at gifting forward 38 million COVID-19 vaccines to hardest-to-reach vulnerable neighbors living in 92 low- and middle-income countries – that’s one for each grateful Canadian.