Alcohol Hand Sanitizers Are Permitted for Muslims
The Claim
Some have blamed Muslims for the Leicester lockdown, claiming that they don't use hand sanitizers during COVID-19 because alcohol is forbidden in Islam.
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Emerging story
A variety of claims about Muslims and hand sanitizers have been doing rounds on social media since the beginning of COVID-19. Some blamed Muslims for the outbreak and others wondered if it was okay for Muslims to use hand sanitizers because they contain alcohol.
A screenshot shared hundreds of times on Facebook claims that Leicester went into local lockdown because Muslims living in the area didn’t understand government advice and didn’t use hand sanitizer because it was against their religion.
Other social media users circulated news that Muslims are using Halal hand sanitizers which do not kill bacteria because they do not contain alcohol.
Verified on Twitter, user Hemant Mehta shared an article that says that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are “Haram."
Misbar’s Analysis
As the circulating claims have a lot of misinformation, Misbar started by inspecting what Islam says about the use of alcohol. In Islam, Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol, not to use it as medicine.
Leicester’s outbreak claims blaming Muslims came after Prime Minister told local sources that lack of translation of messaging contributed to the outbreak. The article does not specify religions.
As for hand sanitizer, there is no evidence that supports the claim that Muslims use it less than other communities, or that not using hand sanitizers was a factor in Leicester’s outbreak.
Dr.Sumiya Shaikh tweeted in the response to the halal, nonalcoholic hand sanitizer claims:
However, it has been stated multiple times that hand sanitizers with alcohol are permitted for Muslims.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has issued guidance to wash hands frequently with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer gel.
Misbar didn’t find a credible source that revealed about the Fatwa issued by an Islamic Scholar against alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
