Ep.44 Understanding Vaccines with Dr Hisham Abdullah
Vaccines are in the news. As the coronavirus ravages the world, causing untold damage to lives, communities and livelihoods, a glimmer of hope has come in the production of new vaccines. Here in the UK, for example, the government promises to immunise 14 million people in the most severely affected categories by mid-February.
This breakthrough, however has not been universally embraced. Theories abound, across the internet and on social media, suggesting a number of reasons why vaccines are dangerous. It is in indictment of modern liberal democracies that fake news and ‘alternative facts’ have gone mainstream and at a time of a global pandemic, the consequences can be lethal.
But this is not just a problem in the west. Many Muslim communities have a deep scepticism towards what some call ‘western medicine’, pharmaceutical industries and expertise in general. It has got to the point that in some circles, preachers and activists develop pseudo analysis, stringing together a series of semi truths and feel confident enough to pronounce a view without knowledge or reference to knowledge. This lamentable situation dangerously reduces the value of ilm and the need to refer to those who know when we don’t and have turned laymen into sages.
Of course, there are times when one must question what experts are telling us. The ‘experts’ were telling us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, when in reality expertise was subverted for militaristic ends. The other extreme is to live as a gullible human, unaware and willing to soak up anything that is brought our way. We certainly suffer from this.
So how should we think about vaccines? Well the first step is to consult a trustworthy expert so we can make an informed decision. And we have such a person today. Dr Hisham Abdullah has a lifetimes work looking at vaccines and research. He holds a degree in pharmacy and a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences and clinical research. He started his career as a scientist at the US Food and Drug Administration and he has, since then, worked on various pharmaceutal projects in industry. On top of that, Dr Hisham has acquired qualifications in Islamic studies and has spent the past 30 years teaching Usul al-Fiqh and is active in Islamic circles in the US.