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Attitudes of Islamic Clerics to Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine in Iraqi Kurdistan: A Focus Group Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2023

Deldar Morad Abdulah Open the ORCID record for Deldar Morad Abdulah [Opens in a new window]  and
Hamdia Mirkhan Ahmed Open the ORCID record for Hamdia Mirkhan Ahmed [Opens in a new window]
Deldar Morad Abdulah*
Affiliation:
Community and Maternity Nursing Health Unit, College of Nursing, University of Duhok, Duhok, Kurdistan Region
Hamdia Mirkhan Ahmed
Affiliation:
College of Health Sciences, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region
*
Corresponding author: Deldar Morad Abdulah; Email: deldarmorad@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Objectives:

Religious beliefs may play a role in the rejection and acceptance of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines. We aimed to explore attitudes of Islamic clerics toward receiving the COVID-19 vaccines in a semi-structured qualitative focus group study.

Methods:

The clerics of members of the Union of Muslim Scholars of the Erbil branch were included through their representative in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2021.

Results:

This study found that both acceptance and non-acceptance focus groups approved of the existence and importance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The acceptance group intended to receive COVID-19 to protect themselves and tried to convince people to receive the vaccine. However, the non-acceptance focus group did not believe in the COVID-19 vaccine due to different reasons: (1) COVID-19 vaccines have been commercialized and politicized by the governments; (2) the government makes limitations for the people due to COVID-19; (3) making fake vaccine cards; and (4) several serious side effects of COVID-19 (death, etc.) and not receiving by health care workers. The acceptance group reported that some rumors are spread in our community and impact the public to not receive COVID-19 vaccines.

Conclusions:

This study showed that some Islamic clerics have serious concerns about the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

Keywords

attitudeCOVID-19religion
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e415
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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