Indonesia's top Islamic body is set to debate whether to forbid Muslims to smoke when it holds a national gathering early next year, reported Reuters.

"Cigarettes are not forbidden but the impact of smoking that tends to be dangerous could lead to them being forbidden," said Ma'ruf Amin, head of the fatwa division of the Indonesian Ulemas Council, known as MUI. Fatwa refers to the legal opinion issued by an Islamic scholar and ulema to the religious scholars.
He said the council had received requests for a ban that would be discussed at its meeting in January, though ulemas from East Java and North Sumatra were opposed to it. Amin said care should be taken before issuing a ban because the Koran did not explicitly forbid smoking.
Religious councils in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, had previously agreed to ban smoking by children and in public areas, but have not implemented this and stopped short of a total ban. (pi)