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Accepted Paper:
The national is halal: human trials and new biomedical nationalism of COVID vaccines Merah Putih and IndoVac in Indonesia
En-Chieh Chao
(National Sun Yat-Sen University)
This paper analyzes the media reports of home-grown COVID vaccines Merah Putih (the national flag) and IndoVac in Indonesia, particularly focusing on the rise of “halal nationalism.”
Long abstract:
This paper examines media reports on Indonesian COVID vaccines Merah Putih and IndoVac, focusing on the emergence of "halal nationalism." It explores the shift from allowing non-halal vaccines based on dire necessity to the increasing demand for halal options, evident in parental preferences and promotion of IndoVac and Merah Putih. Investigating the necessity and appeal of halal vaccines, the paper analyzes social, political, religious, and technological factors driving their rise amid the pandemic. I trace the halalization of vaccines pre-COVID, particularly controversies over ingredients in the manufacturing process of polio and meningitis vaccines in the 2000s and 2010s. Next, I discuss the development of the pentavalent vaccine and its halal status promotion, the discourse of which finally culminated in Merah Putih and IndoVac in 2022 and 2023. Analyzing news reports, this study demonstrates how vaccines have become a focal point reflecting the intersection of Islamic doctrines, biomedical nationalism, and scientific discourse.