When A Muslim Community Handling Smoke For Years

By: Rina Asrina, S.Kom.I

Journalist of Miraj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
Talking about smoking, I do not think about how the development of the tobacco
business in Indonesia, intead the meaning of health for me and other people in
Indonesian community.
Smoking seems to have became an inevitable culture that truly permeates the
lives of the people of Indonesia. Its free circulation and unsupervised make
cigarettes easy consumed by everyone, every-age, everywhere, everytime.
Though its standar says ciggarette should be consumed over 18 years old.
Unfortunately, minors in Indonesian society have also started to smoke, some of
them instead have been addicted. I can say, toddler from Banyuasin district,
Ardi Rizal (4) which the entire world has seen him for being addicted smoking.
Since he was only 2 years old, the boy has already smoking 40 cigarettes a day.
Another toddler, Ilham Hadi from Karawang district has been smoking at his
very young age. Within a day, he can spend two to four packs of cigarettes. His
smoking habit has been lasting since 2008 when he was 4 years old.
There are many similar phenomenon occurred in various regions in Indonesia.
However, a new hope emerged based on public consciousness who has been
silent witnesses of this era. Various communities and movements was born to
address this issue. Even villagers began to do the same thing, to make their
communities free of tobacco smoke so that their children will not suffer of their
parent has.
One of them, I have visited several times a village that was built by a Muslim
community in South Lampung, which has been applying special rules to prohibit
its citizens to smoke cigarettes in the village area. Those one who violates this
policy will be penalized in the form of social work cleaning the village. The most
surprising thing about this policy is that no one has violated this rule.
The Muslim community lies in Muhajiroun Village, Negara Ratu, South Lampung,
Sumatera. The entire village looks clean, beautiful and green. None of its
residents were seen smoking cigarette. Now the village is known as Free Smoke
Village. Based on mutual agreement between Muslim community leaders and
government representatives in the district, villagers have banned smoking
cigarettes.
The special rules been in effect since 2000. For citizens who were caught
smoking cigarettes will first given in the form of a written warning. If still, the
violators will be grounded to clean the whole village.
This smoke-free rules only bind to the residents only. For visitor, the community
will give a reprimand. Stalls in the village is also forbidden to sell cigarettes.

This smoke-free village was born from an idea of local religious leaders. Effort
and sanctions that seriously made smoke-free village can be created. A
manifestation of local wisdom that has virtually been eradicated in this country.
A resident told me that such policy is very beneficial to them. Order and
cleanliness became one of the good effects of the realization of the policy so far,
as smoking is not only harmful to the active one, but also passive smokers too
much at risk for diseases caused by it. Doctor Budhi Antariksa, Pulmonologist
from Taruma Royal Hospital say as many as 25 percent of the harmful substances
contained in cigarettes into the body of smokers, while 75 percent are circulating
in the air that enters the body at risk those around it.
The large concentration of harmful substances in the body of passive smokers
was caused by the toxins they are inhaled was unfiltered rather than active
smokers. In addition, various research results also suggest female smokers at
risk 25 percent higher than male smokers. Women smokers have double the risk
of heart disease and lung cancer when compared with male smokers. The reason
is because women have weight and blood vessels are smaller than men's.