The media often reports on the US citizens who refuse to wear masks when in public places. There are often large crowds of people, but most of them are without masks. When the anti-Covid-19 vaccine began to be given to the public, some Americans also refused to be vaccinated, citing on individual freedom and religious reasons.
They argue, faith in God will be able to protect against any disease. Conservative religious groups in the US are the community groups that have the highest resistance to the use of masks and vaccines.
The President of the United States in the previous period, Donald Trump, was a figure who actively voiced his resistance to the implementation of health protocols. His rhetoric was accepted and trusted by most of his supporters. In these rejections, there are intertwined aspects of religion, culture, and politics.
In Indonesia, there are a number of people who refuse to wear masks. When the anti-Covid-19 vaccine began to be distributed, a number of residents refused to be vaccinated for a number of reasons. Some believe that the vaccines given contain elements that are considered non-halal, so they are not fit to be inserted into the human body.
Some think that the vaccines given are part of a conspiracy by countries and vaccine-producing companies that will take advantage of this situation to their advantage. Some also refused vaccines, because from the start they had low trust in the government and the COVID-19 handling strategy that had been implemented by the government. In essence, there are various reasons put forward by Indonesians who reject the anti-COVID-19 vaccine, including religion, health, ideology, and culture.
Universitas Indonesia, as an institution that has sensitivity to social phenomena in Indonesian society, feels compelled to provide enlightenment in this debate. One of them is to organize a webinar entitled “The Anti-Vaccine Movement in Health, Religion, and Culture Perspectives: Comparative Studies of the United States and Indonesia” which was held virtually by the Center for American Studies, School of Strategic and Global Studies, on Saturday, March 12, 2022. This webinar aims to analyze analytically, comprehensively, and critically the factors that trigger the emergence of public resistance in the US and Indonesia to the use of masks, the application of health protocols, and the vaccination.
The three speakers in this webinar are Prof. Dr. dr. Rachmadi Purwana, S.K.M., Professor of the Universitas Indonesia School of Environmental Sciences; Peter Suwarno, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Arizona State University; and Dr. Phil. Suratno, lecturer and Chair of The Lead Institute, Paramadina University and PBNU Lakpesdam Management, with moderator Amelita Lusia, Head of Public Relations and KIP Bureau, lecturer of the Vocational Education Program, and alumni of American Regional Studies.
Prof. Rachmadhi explained the history of viral mutations associated with COVID-19, namely SARS, MERS, and the COVID-19 virus. The refusal to vaccinate has also been a part of human history, apart from the history of the spread of the deadly virus. He emphasized the importance of herd immunity, which is capable of causing the death of the COVID-19 virus when the spread of the virus falls below the critical threshold.
Currently, according to Prof. Rachmadhi, there are three things that threaten humanity, namely climate change, systemic inequality (especially in Indonesia), and the COVID-19 pandemic, which we must face strategically. He emphasized the importance of science, fair treatment of science for humanity (not used as a political tool), social unity, community participation in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, and national leadership
Peter Suwarno, Ph.D. emphasizes the role of science in dealing with health problems in the United States, and not politics or religion. He highlighted the longstanding conflict between science and religion in the US, which led to a clash between liberals and conservatives. Supporters of the anti-vaccine movement generally belong to the conservative group. The more fundamental a person is, the more persistent he is against implementing health protocols and vaccinations.
Uniquely, there is no theological justification for the rejection of vaccines, and it is precisely in the US that people who are known as religious leaders are often victims of the COVID-19 virus. An interesting fact that he revealed is that in the context of Indonesia, people’s religiosity is at 96%, but resistance to science is actually very minimal. This is something to be grateful for from the situation in Indonesia.
Dr. Phil. Suratno stated that in Indonesian history, vaccine rejection has been going on since the colonial era, the Old Order era, the New Order era, and continued in the Reformation Era. He highlighted the strategies that have been implemented in Indonesia in raising public awareness about the need for vaccination, namely by disclosing scientific facts, statements from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) that support vaccination by the Government, as well as giving vaccinations to public figures that are widely publicized.
He emphasized that in Islam immunization and vaccination are basically permissible or permissible (mbah), and if there are some people who believe that faith believes they will be able to cure physical ailments, this is a part of spiritual imagination that has no justification.
