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MUI Deeply Reviews Vape Haram Fatwa, Invites Experts

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 18, 2026•3 min read

MUI Deputy Chairman Anwar Abbas responded to the National Police chief’s request for a vape haram fatwa: MUI will conduct an in-depth review and invite experts before the Fatwa Commission decides. Anwar noted the police chief understands vape dangers from his time leading the national narcotics agency.

Key Facts

MUI Deputy Chairman Anwar Abbas responded to the police chief's request for a vape haram fatwa: MUI will study it in depth before issuing any fatwa and plans to invite experts; confirmed Friday (10/16/2026).
Anwar: "If any party asks MUI for a fatwa on the ruling of using or smoking vape, MUI will first study it in depth before issuing a fatwa."
MUI will invite experts from various fields to comprehensively understand vape's benefits and harms; the empirical and rational review will feed the MUI Fatwa Commission.
Anwar said the police chief understands vape's dangers because he previously led the National Narcotics Agency (BNN): "The police chief clearly knows the dangers of vape... he truly knows its dangers for vape users."
Context: MUI Fatwa Division Chairman Prof. KH Asrorun Niam Sholeh (10/16) stated readiness to follow up the police chief's request with in-depth, multi-angle deliberation; the police chief said over 90 countries ban vape and that a total ban proposal was conveyed to the President with a positive response.
National Police Chief Gen. Suyudi Ario Seto made the request during a courtesy visit to MUI headquarters in Menteng, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (10/13/2026); the main reason is vape's suspected role as a medium for liquid narcotics smuggling.

MUI to Deeply Review Vape Haram Fatwa, Invite Experts

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) will conduct an in-depth review of National Police Chief Gen. Suyudi Ario Seto's request for a fatwa declaring vaping haram. MUI Deputy Chairman Anwar Abbas stressed MUI will not rush and plans to invite experts to discuss the matter.

"If any party asks MUI for a fatwa on the ruling of using or smoking vape, MUI will first study it in depth before issuing a fatwa," Anwar said when confirmed on Friday (10/16/2026).

According to Anwar, MUI will invite experts in their fields so it can properly understand the benefits and harms of vaping comprehensively. "Once that empirical and rational review is done, only then will the MUI Fatwa Commission discuss the ruling on using or smoking vape, and then issue the fatwa," he said.

Police Chief Knows Vape Dangers From Leading Anti-Narcotics Agency

Anwar said the request cannot be separated from Suyudi Ario Seto's background as former head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN). "The police chief clearly knows the dangers of vape. That is understandable because before becoming police chief he led BNN, so he truly knows its dangers for vape users," he said.

The request was conveyed during the police chief's courtesy visit to MUI headquarters in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (10/13/2026). The main reason: vape is suspected of being a medium for liquid narcotics smuggling — liquid meth and liquid cannabis extract disguised in fruity liquids, hard to distinguish from ordinary vape by sight.

The police chief also praised MUI East Java for banning vape first and said the proposal for a total ban on e-cigarettes had been conveyed directly to President Prabowo Subianto with a positive response.

Over 90 Countries Ban Vape; MUI Yet to Issue Fatwa

Responding to the police chief, MUI Fatwa Division Chairman Prof. KH Asrorun Niam Sholeh said on Friday (10/16/2026) that MUI is ready to follow up with in-depth, comprehensive deliberation through various approaches. "When the police chief visited MUI, he conveyed the dangers of vape, so MUI will follow it up with in-depth discussion using various approaches," Niam said.

The police chief said more than 90 countries have banned e-cigarettes, including Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Brunei Darussalam. Police hope MUI's support will strengthen government efforts to protect the public from narcotics abuse via vape, though religious fatwas and national regulation follow different mechanisms. As of now, MUI has not issued an official fatwa; the matter remains under review.