Gudang Garam deplores haram edict on smoking

JAKARTA: PT Gudang Garam, one of Indonesia's largest cigarette companies, on Thursday deplored the haram (forbidden according to Islamic law) edict on smoking issued this week by Muhammadiyah - Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organization.

PT Gudang Garam spokesperson Yuli Rosiadi said the edict would adversely affect cigarette sales, which could in turn threaten factories and thousands of workers.

"In the long term, the edict will undoubtedly affect our company and we will have to do something in anticipation of it," he told detik.com.

Muhammadiyah considers cigarette smoking a health hazard so dangerous that it is comparable to taking one's own life, which is prohibited under Islamic dogma.

Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Islamic organization, earlier issued a similar recommendation albeit for certain high-risk groups, such as pregnant women. - JP