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Islamic clerics mull smoking ban in Indonesia
By RACHMA NURJANAH,Associated Press Writer AP - 1 hour 30 minutes ago
PADANG PANJANG, Indonesia - Indonesian clerics debated Saturday whether Muslims _ an overwhelming majority in the country _ should be banned from smoking.
If the Ulema Council, Indonesia's top Islamic body, issues a ruling on the issue, it could shape government policy in one of the world's largest tobacco markets. The country of 235 million is secular but 90 percent of the population is Muslim.
Gusrizal Gazahar, an Ulema Council member, said more than 700 clerics and theological experts gathered for the weekend talks in Padang Panjang, a village in West Sumatra province. They will make a decision on the issue on Sunday.
Other hot issues on the agenda included possible restrictions on practicing yoga _ considered unlikely _ and bans on underage marriage and even voting.
The smoking debate was triggered by concerns over health, Gazahar said, but some clerics on the main island of Java, where the tobacco industry plays a key role in the economy, do not want a fatwa to be passed.
Both sides of the issue would be carefully weighed, he added.
At a dollar a pack, even the poorest of the poor can scrape up enough money to smoke in Indonesia. Two-thirds of the country's young adult males light up, the Indonesian cigarette producers' association says, joined by a growing number of women.
Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country in the world, some 210 million. Most practice a moderate form of the faith, but a vocal extremist fringe has succeeded in recent years in influencing the government, which relies on the support of Islamic parties.
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