I have no intention of being vaccinated against COVID-19. I’ve been asked about it a number of times and it’s not a simple, straightforward answer. I thought this would be the best format to present my thoughts on why vaccination may not be in our collective best interest.
A few things by way of qualification or perhaps disqualification. I am not an epidemiologist. I’m not a physician. I’m not an expert on immunology. I am a registered nurse. I’ve been practicing since 1996. And it’s widely acknowledged, of course, that nurses are the worst possible patients. So do keep that in mind.
I am not conspiracy minded. My rejection of the vaccine has nothing to do with microchipping, has nothing to do with lizard people, has nothing to do with the New World Order or QAnon or any of these kinds of things.
I do trust the science, by and large. I don’t have any fears around the science being rushed, or the studies being invalid, or the conclusions drawn being inaccurate. I don’t personally anticipate any negative consequences of the vaccine, I don’t believe it’s going to kill me. I don’t believe it’s going to cause me any kind of immediate harm.
I do, however, doubt the intention. I don’t think that vaccination is, in truth, about saving lives. Vaccination is about maintaining the status quo.
I’m going to give you some numbers here, and these numbers are foundational for my arguments. Speaking about the United States (although I do invite people from other parts of the world to do their own assessment of their country’s budget), the National Institute of Health here in America has an annual budget of approximately $41.7 billion dollars. That’s a fair chunk of change set aside for research that will benefit the health of Americans.
In contrast, the Department of Defense has a budget of $740.5 billion dollars, $700 billion dollars more than what is allotted to the National Institute of Health.
Our government, and I would propose those people in power throughout the world, are far more invested in protecting that power than serving the health needs of the population. These same governments spend exponentially more dollars in the service of killing fellow human beings. The numbers bear that out elegantly enough that I don’t think I have to spend any more time discussing that reality.
You see, people in power do not care about our health beyond supporting our position as reliable contributors to a militarized socioeconomic power structure that benefits only the very few at the expense of most. People dying is not the concern. Pandemics are historically wildly destabilizing, and we’re going to come back to the destabilizing effects of a pandemic momentarily.
But before we do that, let’s just engage in a thought exercise. What does a pandemic unchecked looked like?
Well, you’re going to have large numbers of dead, there’s no doubt about that, although this is recognized as essential in most areas of biological life as necessary to preserve the genetic quality of any given species. So this idea of culling is what maintains the balance between numbers within a species and the environments wherein that species resides. Whether we’re talking about herds of cattle, whether we’re talking about managing the deer population, whether we’re talking about the introduction of invasive species into native biomes- the process of culling, of intentionally removing members of the herd, members of the species in order to preserve the health of the remaining members, is a well-established biological principle.
We are herd animals. We are subject to the deleterious genetic effects of maintaining weakened populations. There is no reason we should give ourselves a pass from the strengthening effects of a cull. And we have been blessed to actually witness in real time the benefits of this culling in the clearing of the Venetian canals, in the brightening of our skies, in the reduction of carbon emissions.
In looking back at the aftermath of the Bubonic Plague, researchers noted a massive, spontaneous reforestation, which some researchers suspect is in response to radical population decline. The trees that grew out of that soaked up all of the excess carbon dioxide and may have actually triggered what was known as a Little Ice Age throughout Europe. For 300 years, the temperature in Europe dropped subsequent to the Plague.
But it was not only the restoration of the environment that came out of the Plague. Getting back to the destabilizing influence of a pandemic, economics were rebalanced with markedly improved wages for laborers. Old money that had been locked up in family dynasties was redistributed through inheritances after key people had died. Political power structures were dismantled by a far younger, much more creative, able bodied, energetic population. Among many scholars is the idea that the European Renaissance was inspired, at least in part, by the Plague which moved people into a period of reflection and spiritual contemplation as the ephemeral nature of life was made plain.
And there was a dark side to the aftermath of the Plague as well. Xenophobia was just as real then as it is now and certain communities were persecuted as perhaps having been the cause of the plague, the Jews in particular. And we have to look out for that xenophobic rhetoric in our description of the coronavirus as having originated in China.
We can learn these lessons, the value of culling, the value of reestablishing environmental equilibrium, the value of destabilizing political structures that serve only a few at the expense of the many. All of that is embedded in the embrace of a pandemic.
In our rush to become vaccinated, in our rush to preserve the status quo, we are sacrificing the benefit of our future generations. And that short term thinking is exactly why I will choose to refuse the vaccine. I will not be a party to that limited mindset which restricts benefit only to those who exist in the here and now.
The pandemic will run its course. They all do. It’s not in the virus’ best interest to keep on killing. A virus needs hosts to replicate and, without a host, the virus disappears. And so we hear a lot about mutations and these mutations are spun by the media in such a way as to inspire fear and that rush to vaccination and eradication.
It makes Darwinian sense, however, that the virus will mutate in the direction of being, yes, increasingly transmissible, but also considerably less harmful, for example, like the common cold. Very easy to catch, the common cold, also a coronavirus, perhaps at a later stage of its evolution. That’s a process that takes time. And we need to allow for that time.
I am frankly inspired by the nature of COVID-19 and how it primarily kills those with severe underlying conditions. This is a classic cull. It’s not indiscriminate. It removes the weakest from our population. And while painful and personally tragic, this leaves us with a much more robust gene pool.
And this bodes very well for subsequent generations. And that’s where our focus needs to be. Maintaining the status quo is to protect only the interests of the day. Maintaining the status quo is how we got into our climate situation. It’s how we got into our economic and racial disparities. It’s how we became so susceptible to the virus in the first place.
I have mild allergies. My immune system, designed to protect me from harmful pathogens, is overly sensitive. My body reacts to benign pollens and to dust and to cat dander. A vaccine, by design, triggers a systemic immune response. If a vaccine is successful, the immune response will last a lifetime and one will remain protected until the end of days.
And here again, I have to admit and reiterate my immunological ignorance, but also my intuitive suspicions.
We have children dying from eating nuts and bread and we have people dying from bee stings and penicillin. And this can only happen with immune systems that are either radically oversensitized or else abysmally weak.
And so it’s a reasonable question to ask to what extent do these vaccines, which can confer life-lasting effects, to what extent do they hypersensitize our immune system? And is that effect cumulative? We’re being offered multiple vaccines over the course of our lives. And to what extent has our desperate desire to eradicate infection, to stop the cull through the excessive use of antibiotics, to what extent has this compromised our immune system?
At nearly 500,000 deaths in the United States alone, COVID-19 will take many people with it. Perhaps me, perhaps my parents, even my children.
But life was never meant to be about just hanging around and taking up space, burning through resources. It’s about learning. It’s about sharing and it’s about moving on.
So keep your distance. Wash your hands, wear a mask, and by all means, say your prayers.
And whether or not you get the vaccine, sooner or later I’ll be seeing you on the other side.
Leave a comment below for posterity or join us in the D&T Chautaqua Discord to discuss this post with other adventurous spirits from around the world.
Ya know Brother (in many senses) I’m 100 percent with you on this vaccine issue. I’m a very rough and tough guy in many ways and aspects of life. I grew up as a punk rocker, not much into music however like one would think, I had a 12 inch mohawk, wore Doc Marten boots, holes in my jeans and tried very hard on a daily basis to wear the most offensive shirt I could find to let the general public understand how I felt in my heart! Ironically enough, I went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps ( a whole other story in itself) hence rough and tough, drove Peterbilt’s cross country, traveled the world working on machinery, etc. I latter came to recognize all of these things and how they all came back to my punk rock roots, even becoming Muslim is in effect, part of that punk rock heart, to not be part of the status que , to be different and not give a hoot about what people think and to just be yourself and be the most opened minded person I could be. This scam demic has really shown me the real hearts and faith of society especially those whom I thought had more faith and resilience than I have, many people around me, Muslims for that matter seem to have flown away from their faith in Allah( immune system, scared to die, abandoning your brother, thinking your going to get covid just from texting and staying in touch ect) I have been in the real world of seeing how much money goes where and for what, Heck!, I work the the richest man in the world, Mr. Elon Musk, you wanna talk about a scam, ( caring about the environment?) yeah right, that’s all marketing! This guy could give every person in the world a million dollars, or heck, pay off everyone’s dept. or heck, end world starvation and poverty, Allah knows what could be done with all the money that is spent for crazy things like trying to live on a planet like mars that cant even sustain life let alone a planet like earth that has everything we need, all we need to do is come together and fix ourselves!
Anyways, I have got to be honest with you, I have always since I heard of you, talked to you and read your blogs and stories not been your biggest fan, please don’t take that in any bad way, I love you for the sake of Allah and admire what you do, God knows these Muslims are some of the weakest people I have ever run across in my life, Umar and Abu Bkr and the rest of the Sahabah , May Allah be pleased with them all and grant them the highest rank s in Jennah I feel would be sickened at the lack of fight and heart in todays Ummah. You however, I feel you deserve a great reward for what you do in the community, teaching and getting Some Muslims out and seeing nature and the great creation our lord has granted us.
Again and Anyways, this vaccine I feel is all about money and power. Make money , gain power over control of fear, by the way makes you sick and weak. Quick question, what happened to the flu? Hmm, anyways, I see and can feel that you receive quit a bit of grief from other people, I read your logs and see other people based upon your reads and your reactions, don’t let anyone bother you, keep doing what you are doing, and heck, I say if some of these people don’t like what you do or complain about this and that, tell them not to read your stuff or unsubscribe! I don’t know, I don’t know why I am righting this, I guess I’ve lost just about about all my Muslim brothers due to this Virus, I never lost any brothers during the H1N1 virus which in my opinion was way crazier and deadlier than this virus, I do not see Eye to eye with many people, maybe because my eyes see more than they do! All these brothers I know that are so smart and have these crazy degrees seem to be the weakest most naïve I’ve ever encountered! When I mean lost, I mean friendship by the way. It seems the only thru friend I have is first Allah, then my wife and than my Sheikh. Well, I don’t want to bore you or take up anymore of your time, have a good day and may Allah SWT reward you and continue to guide you. Asalamo Alaikum Wa Ramultullahi Wa Barakatu
Salam Proud Muslim!
All of this feedback is much appreciated and excellent food for thought. As brothers in faith, it’s never an expectation that we should agree on all things at all times. What is important is to maintain respect and fraternal concern for one another. I feel you have always shown me that, and I hope you feel that from me.
Life is short, pandemic or not. The love we have for one another as believers is a kind of protection, in this world and the next. That’s we’re I’m going to put my energy: building and maintaining that fraternal love.
May God bless you and your family. I look forward to our next meeting, God willing.
I personally don’t think this is a good take.
I know you said you’re not conspiracy minded, but this just plays into the hands of conspiracies.
It’s no doubt that the pandemic has disrupted the status quo, but to act like the vaccine is meant to be something that will hush us and put us back in our places assumes that people are actually taking this pandemic seriously (which would mean that there is some kind of “normal” life to “go back to”). Which at least in the US, people aren’t, and they’ve already been trying to act as normally as they have before the pandemic (business being open, work, recreation, etc..). So despite vaccines, it already seems that much of society and government has already brought back the status quo. But you might still add that vaccination is meant to *completely* return the status quo. I do not think elongating the pandemic will do us any better than staying in a status quo that got us into these problems to begin with. If anything, it does us worse.
I don’t think big time government is our friend of course. There’s an irony and evil behind the militarization of the US for example, and the budgets for health vs defense.
The process of culling is a well-established biological principle. But I think there is reason to give ourselves a “pass” from the effects. Mainly the obligation on us from God to preserve human life. But besides religious, there’s morality (which is religious, but I guess I’m bringing it up as a separate point). The pandemic willll run it’s course, yes. It will run it’s course and bring about death and pain and a lot more. I don’t think that’s something that should go unchecked. It’s more fascinating to me to see how disregarding of life some people can get when they find out that the pandemic is justttt hitting those with underlying conditions. To throw people with disabilities and underlying conditions aside for the sake of a more robust gene pool is cruel and disregards their worth as a person, their right to life, and I suppose more importantly to us as Muslims, as a believer.
To take the vaccine, or basically to treat this pandemic, isn’t just thinking in the moment, short term, or thinking selfishly only about our living generations. We are not sacrificing benefit to those in the future by surviving. If anything, our survival, advancements in medicine and vaccines (and more) benefits the future. And to brush this vaccination aside in the mindset of survival of the fittest and how it makes our gene pool more robust may as well also mean brushing aside any medicine, vaccine, treatment, technology, or any advancements in general that benefit human life. Yes, I agree that maintaining the status quo is what got us here and made us so susceptible in the first place. It’s what got our climate problems, our economic and social problems. But in returning us (completely) to the status quo, vaccines don’t stop us from breaking the status quo and actually trying to find solutions to all these problems. An unchecked pandemic is not what will prevent any of those issues, that’s why I said it would do us worse. The key to fighting the pandemic before it becomes a pandemic is about taking action for the climate, against deforestation and animal/human disease transfer, and creating the actual professional preventative teams to this stuff, not letting a pandemic do it’s thing; fighting all these disparities in those ways is breaking the status quo. Like u basically said, which I agree! But how in the world does vaccination hold that progress back? The pandemic is what is holding us back from actually breaking the status quo we apparently hate.
There were a lot of great environmental success stories as a result of the pandemic. But that’s all gone now. Not only are more people dying than before, but we’re gaining none of those early benefits. Our pollution is back up and consumption grows. Cheers to those early wins, even though a few months after it all started, Earth reached it’s overshoot day for 2020 in August. So the pandemic didn’t break that specific status quo or solve those issues. Unlike great reforestations of the past, the effects of the pandemic’s environmental benefits haven’t been as significant.
Sorry for the huge response. I respect you a lot, and it just didn’t sit right with me when I read this, so I felt like I had to respond with something. I’m not super learned in science or religion or whatever, so I hope I don’t come across as if I know better about any of that. Of course, I’ve still got a lot to learn. May Allah bless you immensely with good.
A friend sent me this link about the permissibility of taking the vaccine. I’m really not one to talk about what’s halal/haram, and that is not what I want to bring up. I just want to point out why vaccination would be the more Islamically sound response over doing nothing, since at the end of the day everything comes back to Allah:
“It is known that the pandemic has, so far, affected over seventy million people worldwide and caused the deaths of more than one and half million of them. There is no way to stop this pandemic except by reaching herd immunity, which requires that around 70% of the people have immunity. This can be achieved through one of two ways:
1. Allowing the infection to spread among the people without curtailing it
2. Vaccinating people against the virus
The first way does not conform with the Sharia, because it risks the lives of people, particularly the weak, which is in direct conflict with the intent of the legislator with regard to preserving all human lives.”
https://www.amjaonline.org/fatwa/en/87763/the-ruling-on-getting-the-covid-19-coronavirus-vaccine
Salam Anas!
I am not an Islamic jurist, but this is a plainly false dichotomy:
1. Allowing the infection to spread among the people without curtailing it
2. Vaccinating people against the virus
It’s shocking that this would even pass muster among so enlightened a group of people.
I am absolutely an advocate of curtailing it. Handwashing, masking, social distancing, quarantine, investigating less obvious routes of transmission and mitigating them, travel restrictions- all of these are means of curtailing the spread of a pandemic and I wholeheartedly support them
The dichotomy presented suggests that the ONLY method of curtailing the pandemic is through vaccination. So yes- given this false choice (do nothing or vaccinate), clearly the conclusion would be in the direction of mitigating harm.
But that’s not reality. Vaccines have only ever arrived at the tail-end of pandemics and are not at all to be credited with stopping anything. What they may do is prevent recurrence. But at what cost?
A hypersensitized or debilitated immune system that leaves us increasingly susceptible to illness? If true (and I cannot say with certainty that it is, but I am suspicious!), what a silly, vicious cycle!
And I should have been more clear about what I meant by the status quo. I mean EVERYTHING. I don’t mean only the maintenance of certain power structures, but also our dominant cultural choices: globalization, industrialization, fast-fashion, consumerism, the rise of corporate power, Big Pharma, the ascendancy of social media, evaporating privacy, genetic engineering, and massively irresponsible agricultural practices- these are just a few of the things that we should be paying attention to and addressing as our response to the pandemic. A moratorium on the self!
The choice to vaccinate is so predictably human. A supposedly simple solution to a VERY complex set of circumstances.
And the loss of life IS tragic. But before we lay the blame on people who choose not to vaccinate, wouldn’t we all be better served to question how we are, EACH OF US, building a world that is increasingly inhospitable to ALL?
I have nothing but love for you or anybody else who chooses to vaccinate. I understand your intentions. I understand your desire to protect yourself, your family, and your community. And I will join you in prayer around those intentions.
But not in vaccination 🙂
Wa’alaikum salam; my apologies, I should have started with that.
The two options are not to say those are the only two things we can do at all or that vaccination is the only thing we can do. Yes, all the ways you mentioned are ways of curtailing the pandemic, but the two options are given as the more general solution to bringing us closer to a more permanent end to this actually being a pandemic. It’s just more simply put. Things like wearing a mask, handwashing, social distancing, restrictions are smaller more temporary preventative actions. Obviously the authors didn’t forget about all those. (I know vaccination is like a simple solution to a complex problem, but it’s supposed to be part of the larger solution, and at least a big part of the push to stop this). But that’s not exactly the main point I was getting at, it was mostly to explain the preservation of human life, no matter how weak. Doing nothing besides the things you mentioned to curtail the pandemic still puts people at risk since that’s not looking towards a more permanent end, or actual solution to the problem. It still puts them in harms way (which, what I was getting at with the quote, doesn’t conform w/ islam)
And at what cost- as far as you and I know, we can’t say for certain that there is some negative cost. Though we can say that people are growing in knowledge about their health and life expectancies are increasing. I don’t think it’s fair to make out the vaccine as hypersensitive-inducing or debilitating without sure knowledge. It’s more clear that covid itself is worse, at least in the short term in actually being hypersensitive and debilitating, and we’re still learning more about the virus’ long-term bad effects. The vaccine seems to be the opposite. And if true, yes, what a vicious cycle…But I don’t know how grounded that is.
And I 100% agree about what u said about the status quo. Yes, we should be paying attention to that and addressing every bit. And we should really work to break from this stuff that got us here in the first place.
The choice to vaccinate is human, just like getting involved with any tech advancement.
And we should all definitely reflect on that, and actually work on our hospitability. Although I think that doesn’t come separate from vaccinating.
Jazakallah khair, I understand where you’re coming from as well, and thanks for reading my response and understanding and taking the time to respond. I appreciate reading through this and having this conversation, thank you. Ameen to your prayers, whatever you choose to do. May Allah protect us all!
Anas, Mashallah you bring excellent points. However, I truly believe that COVID is not slowing us down or holding us back, rather allowing us to pause and revaluate. It’s caused us to see the fragile infrastructure of our relationships and where we sought security. I do believe there has been some progression in a different direction. Although I am on the fence about the vaccination, I do reflect on the emphasis to reserve of human life in our faith beginning with ourselves. A verse from the Quran resonated with me when I listened to the podcast:” And spend in the cause of Allâh and do not cast yourselves into ruin with your own hands, and do good to others, and verily Allâh loves the doers of good to others.” Surah Al Baqarah- ayah 195
Salam, that’s a better way of putting it, that covid is allowing us to pause and reevaluate. I definitely agree, it has really shown us so many things to be grateful for, exposed evils that were prominent yet hidden, and so on. It has definitely come with it’s own blessings, so alhamdulillah always. I was mistaken to write that the pandemic is holding us back from breaking the status quo, but I mean that it is no doubt a hinderance, and that getting out of the pandemic can put us in better positions physically to fight evils of the status quo. It would be especially helpful once we have the pandemic’s experience behind us, because it left such a deep impression and we can point out all those disparities we saw exposed during covid, and we can act on all we’re grateful for, without barrier.
And mashallah, that’s an incredibly beautiful verse, thank you for sharing it.
Salam wa rahmatullah – I was drawn to your site, by the wonderful message of worship through experiencing Allah SWT’s creation. Every week I travel to SB for work and look forward to praying Asr and Maghreb on the sand of East Beach. It’s not days spent in the wilderness, but these moments of worship breathing in the ocean air, and feeling Allah SWT in the sand between my fingertips and the vast ocean before me coming up from Sajdah are moments of Sakeena and Khushua. I came to this site seeking camaraderie around this experiential form of Ibaadah.
This series of posts however dissuaded me from delving further into joining your ranks. I was saddened to see the featured message of avoiding vaccination, and promoting that message in the midst of a pandemic. Having intubated patients dying from COVID19, and watching people die from this disease, I believe that some of you are misguided on the wisdom and nobility of avoiding vaccination. This tradition beckons us to seek Allah SWT through nature and science. I believe having anti-vaccine advocacy is not only inconsistent with the ethos of our tradition, it is nothing short of reckless. I mean no insult by my words. Our Prophet sws taught us to “Prevent harm, even if it is removing a sharp stone from the road.” The anti-Vaccine mentality is more than a sharp stone, in my view, it is a roadside bomb., as it harms not just one person- it harms many!
I hope that the founders of dustandtribe consider removing this discussion, and keeping the focus to its founding principles. Wa Allahu Aalim. May Allah SWT guide us to what is best. Your brother in Islam, Rushdi.
Salam,
No insult taken, Rushdi. Your contribution to the conversation is valuable and welcome.
A casual perusal of the comments will demonstrate that you are not alone in taking issue with the views espoused in this blog post. We have no interest in shutting down conversation. Much to the contrary- our mandate is to allow for respectful disagreement as a lesson to larger society: as a people with a shared ethical foundation, we can come together around the things we collectively hold dear while allowing space for each of us to navigate points of disagreement on our own or in other communities where we feel supported.
In the interest of clarification (and as the author of the aforementioned post), I am not anti-vaccine. I’m a registered nurse and I am currently vaccinated in keeping with all professional protocols (tetanus, varicella, hepatitis). Further, I am the father of four daughters, three of whom have elected to receive the COVID vaccine (my youngest is not eligible to receive it).
Rather, I am deeply skeptical of THIS vaccine for all of the reasons mentioned in the post.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and insights.
Tawfiq was-salam,
Ahmed
Thank you for your gracious answer and clarification brother Ahmed. May Allah SWT increase you and those in your collective.
Maybe someone can give me an answer – ‘If there is a greater spiritual being that controls everything, then why is there so much suffering and pain on this earth?’
If by answer you mean a universally acceptable and empirically verifiable response, we can’t do that.
We can, however, give you our best understanding informed as it is by our beliefs and experiences in creation.
Thoughts like these are often rooted in a short-sighted and overly aesthetic appreciation of “good” and “bad.” Good are all of the things that we enjoy and that feel nice, and bad is everything else.
Let’s take this into the wild. A mother sparrow leaves her nest to find food for her hatchlings. She returns to find that her brood has been devoured by a snake. There is pain and suffering in this scenario, but we can also appreciate the delicate, dispassionate balance at play. Putting good and bad aside, what happened between the snake and the bird was inescapably necessary, both in terms of the snake’s survival and perhaps even in the management of the sparrow population.
These are the same dynamics at play among people. However, if we make a decision that we are somehow not a part of the natural world and its selection pressures, we are likely to miss or ignore those dynamics.
But we are a part of the world. We do not live outside of its rules. And we are also subject to the pain and suffering that attends the keeping of balance.
We are on track toward irreversible climate disaster and societal collapse driven in large part by our desire to feel “good.” We want meat on the table, a room temperature of no more than 75 degrees Fahrenheit, a closet full of clothes, and a car in the garage. All of this comes at an enormous environmental cost, the settling of which is coming due.
Meanwhile, the impoverished rural peoples of the world languish naked in their mud huts, never knowing when (or if) their next meal is coming. They do not corrupt the environment, but they suffer terribly.
So what is good? Living comfortably and destroying the environment? Or suffering with food insecurity in the middle of a thriving ecosystem?
In both cases, there is an opportunity for balance. If we as a species are not creative and proactive enough to voluntarily prioritize that balance, it will happen anyway. And that recalibration can be devastating.
Plagues, global warming, economic disparities, revolutions- these are all means of achieving equilibrium. Some of us will suffer through these, others will benefit. It’s the way of things.
The belief that God operates on the same short-sighted aesthetic considerations that we do is a diminishing of His Majesty and a misunderstanding of creation. We exist to know Him. There is no better teacher than experience, and from life’s difficulties come our greatest lessons.
There is tremendous value in pain and suffering. We start to ask big questions. We start to wonder how we can play a role in alleviating the pain and suffering of others. We learn for ourselves how to avoid pain and suffering in the future. Pain and suffering has the potential to strengthen us both individually and communally.
Yes. There will be tragedy in the process. Those little birds were eaten alive.
That loss should resonate within the softness of our heart, for our grief is rooted in our connection to the All-Merciful.
And we must also recognize in their destruction the terrifying grandeur of the All-Mighty.
God is all of these things and so much more.