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Clerics Nix Botox for Malaysia Muslims

Posted on: Friday, 28 July 2006, 09:00 CDT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Islamic clerics have banned Malaysian Muslims from undergoing Botox treatment for cosmetic purposes because the compound contains prohibited and harmful substances, a news report said Friday.

The National Fatwa Council, which advises the government on Islamic regulations, issued the edict Thursday, but conceded that using Botox for medical reasons - for example, to treat cerebral palsy sufferers - is permissible if doctors deem it necessary, The New Straits Times reported.

Council Chairman Shukor Husin told the newspaper the ruling is not legally binding, but that Muslims who defy it would be committing a sin.

Shukor said Botox contains extracts from pigs, an animal considered unclean in Islam, and that the council ruled on the issue after studying reports by local and international specialists, as well as religious edicts in Middle Eastern countries.

Botox is the brand name for a substance derived from the toxin botulin which, when injected into the face, temporarily paralyzes the facial muscles to eliminate wrinkles. It can also be used treat migraines, excessive sweating and muscle spasms in the neck and eyes.

The fatwa council rulings in Malaysia help shape Islamic Sharia laws here, but not all their edicts are passed into legislation. Some 60 percent of this Southeast Asian country's 26 million people are Muslims. Malaysian Muslims are required to obey council edicts, even if they have not been enshrined in national or Sharia law.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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