I

ndonesian men do not use condoms or participate in family planning programs due to a lack of religious edicts (fatwa), the National Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) says.

Agency chairman Sugiri Syarief called on the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue an edict declaring that contraception, particularly the use vasectomies, was allowed under Islamic law.

“Vasectomies are not yet considered accepted under Islamic law,” Sugiri said on the sidelines of a week-long seminar on population control and family planning organized by the BKKBN and the US-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and USAID.

Sugiri added that the BKKBN had found it difficult to encourage Indonesian men think about contraception without religious edicts.

There has been no major increase in the number of men participating in family-planning programs to date, according to the BKKBN.

Participation would likely remain low unless the ulema issued a fatwa declaring vasectomy as halal or legal under Islamic law.

According to BKKBN data, the number of Indonesian men using condoms or undergoing vasectomies accounted for only 1.3 percent of the total number of birth control participants. As of 2011, the number of men that underwent vasectomies reached 24,144, up from 21,048 in 2010.

The number of men with vasectomies is projected to reach 28,000 people in 2012.

Without the fatwas, Sugiri said, it would be more difficult for the agency to encourage males to actively participate in family planning and contraceptive use.

“We should keep in mind that most Indonesian people are Muslim. So, they will consistently pay attention to whether or not something is acceptable under Islamic law. When the ulema say ‘no’ on male contraceptive use, then I’m sure people will also say ‘no’ about it,” he said, adding that the MUI would hopefully issue a fatwa concerning male participation on long-term contraceptive use later this year.

The USAID-funded seminar brings senior women editors, reporters, and producers from influential media organizations in developing countries to examine and report on pressing issues affecting women’s health and status.

Indonesia is the fourth country chosen to be the host of the seminar, following the United States, Ethiopia, and Senegal.

Thirteen journalists from 11 countries are participating in this year’s seminar.

They include India, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the United States, Uganda and Zambia.