A question that many people have been wondering is whether Islam should be allowed to forbid smoking, or whether it goes against the rights of individuals.
Of course, this question brings with it a whole host of issues. Number one among these is the fact that one person’s religious or theological opinions may differ considerably from the next, whether or not they follow the same basic religion. This of course begs the question whether it is right to impose the thoughts and ideals of one individual on another just because the aforementioned thinks that their ideals are correct.
It also brings up the question as to whether a single religious body should be allowed to govern the laws of others because it is the majority or has some other high degree of influence - indeed this may become the case in many instances, whether it is right or not.
It is obvious that there is no reason why a group of people with one belief should be allowed to impose their beliefs on others who do not share in their ideals. However, this argument can only stand for as long as neither of the two groups exercises their beliefs in such a way that they infringe upon the rights or the beliefs of others. In this case, it then becomes allowable for one group to set boundaries that the other should not cross.
If we take the question at hand, this means that if Islam says that smoking is forbidden, then they should be allowed to forbid it to anyone who intends to smoke while occupying the same space as a Muslim. It still remains to be asked whether or not these laws would hold for electronic cigarettes, since with many religious laws; there can be a variety of factors that play a part in the prohibition.
