World News for Students of English

13-01-2021 15:00

Almost 90% of the Indonesian population are Muslims and they practice Islam. There are halal products which Muslims can eat or use. Haram products are things which Muslims cannot eat.

Indonesia wants to start mass vaccination against COVID-19, but some people say that the vaccine is not halal. Some vaccines usually have gelatin in them and it often comes from pigs. Islam does not allow Muslims to eat pigs and pigs are not halal. This is the reason why many people are afraid to get the vaccine.

Indonesian Muslim officials must decide if it is okay to use the vaccine or not. A Russian company which makes the vaccine for Indonesia did not say it there was gelatin in the vaccine. Other companies which make vaccines for other countries said that their vaccines did not contain gelatin.

Difficult words: mass vaccination (when many people get a vaccine in a short time), gelatin (a material that comes from animals’ bones and skin, and people often use it to make cakes or glue), contain (when a thing has something inside it).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.