MALAYSIAN SCHOLARS DENOUNCE BEAUTY DRUG

National Fatwa Council, comprising Islamic scholars nominated by Malaysia’s Sultans – the constitutional monarchs of nine Malay states – banned the use of BOTOX injections for beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery. Botox is used for smoothening facial wrinkles. Mufti Muhammad Tamyes Abdul Wahad said the Council of Islamic leaders had issued a fatwah, or religious edict, stating Botox treatments were haram (forbidden) to Muslims. The case was brought to the notice of the Islamic tribunal after the wife of a leading parliamentarian was hospitalised after she suffered an adverse reaction to the injections. Botox is derived from a type of bacteria that causes botulism food poisoning. In minuscule doses, its paralytic qualities can smooth facial wrinkles and treat disorders such as cerebral palsy. The Council has already banned cosmetic surgery and is scrutinising the procedure to see if it could be distinguished from plastic surgery.