COMMENT | Of late, those who claim to be the champions of Islam have made a push to stamp out "sin" by banning gambling and placing further restrictions on the sale of alcohol.

All this is in the name of protecting the community from social ills, including the non-Muslims who must be "guided" and "protected" for their own good.

Now, if they really do have everyone's interests at heart, these champions of Islam must move to ban another grave social ill that endangers the health of the individual and the community - smoking.

The National Fatwa Council has made it very clear that smoking cigarettes is haram and the same applies to vaping as well.

Yet, Muslims above the age of 18 are free to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco or nicotine-laced products with impunity, even in states with...