The Muslim Consumer Association (PPIM) have urged the authorities to ban Muslims from smoking cigarettes, following the National Council of Islamic Affairs' (MKI) edict declaring that shisha (water pipes) were haram (forbidden).

According to a report by Sinar Harian, PPIM secretary Maamor Osman said cigarettes were dangerous as it contained more than 4,000 chemicals, among 40 of which were carcinogenic.

“Actually, many consumers realise that cigarettes are the cause of numerous diseases, including erectile dysfunction (ED). Therefore, they must be banned as the harm they cause is clear,” he said.

According to Maamor, the National Fatwa Council held a Muzakarah (discussion) in 1995 declaring cigarettes to be haram but it received lukewarm response from the state governments which refused to gazette the matter into law.

“The decision to make cigarettes haram must be gazetted to facilitate any further action,” he was quoted as saying.

Health risk

He added that the public should not view the National Fatwa Council's decision negatively as many aspects were considered in the ban.

"It is not easy to make (this) decision from a health, medical, economy and social perspective while following the teachings of the al-Sunnah.

“Furthermore, the smokers must be willing to quit smoking as it doesn't just affect their health, but also the people and things around them,” he explained.

On Friday, the National Fatwa Council's special deliberation on Islamic affairs had declared the smoking and selling of shisha was forbidden on account of medical findings on the hazardous health effects it had.

A report by World Health Organisation (WHO) also revealed that a 60-minute shisha session produces about 100 to 200 times more smoke than a regular cigarette, which translates into a heavier output of toxic fumes for both the smoker and the people around them.

In a related development, the Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam  announced today that a committee led by Institute of Respiratory Medicine director Dr Abdul Razak Muttalif will be studying the effects shisha use had been established.

He said the committee held its first meeting last week and is expected to complete its research in a month.