top Islamic authority in Indonesia warns the country's Muslims to beware of fake holy water being marketed as a miracle cure from an old well in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The water in question is called Zamzam. If authentic, it comes from the well of Zamzam, which is located inside the massive Grand Mosque in Mecca. Devout Muslims believe that it is a divine gift that can cure diseases. Scientists describe brackish water -. Similar to sea water because of its high content of minerals sodium, chloride and magnesium
What does the name mean Zamzam? According to Islamic history, the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham in the Bible, and Avram in the Torah) took his wife and baby son Hajara Ismail at the future site of Mecca when he was still uninhabited desert. God ordered Ibrahim to return home, leaving his wife and his only son with a water goat skin and a few dates. When the water ran out, Hajara could not produce enough milk to feed Ismail, who almost died. Hajara ran around the neighboring hills in search of water, but found none. On the seventh race, an angel appeared useful and some dirt kicking, causing water to spring. It sank so quickly that the angel (or Hajara, as you read the story) pronounced "Zamzam" - which means "slow down". Mecca was later built on the site by small-son Ismail.
These days, the water of Zamzam is pumped to a treatment plant and then routed to the Grand Mosque and provided to Muslims who make the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca. Pilgrims can drink a cup or fill an empty bottle coolers inside the mosque.
For many visitors, this is not enough - they want to bring home some Zamzam as a keepsake to share with family, friends and neighbors. The Saudi government allows airlines to bring back 10 liters per pilgrim departure. The problem for Indonesian pilgrims is that national flag carrier Garuda reduced quota only 5 liters per person -. Ostensibly for reasons of fear safety of older aircraft are overloaded
The water comes in officially allocated mandatory SafeWrap packaging brand, which has the distinctive orange, blue and yellow markings, and Arabic and English lettering.
Commercial export Zamzam is prohibited, but the holy water is offered by many providers in Indonesia, complete with SafeWrap packaging. Much is wrong. Demand increases ahead of the Islamic holiday. Some sellers are haj travel agents. Water can also be purchased online and in Tanah Abang textile district of Central Jakarta market.
Police on April 1 arrested four people in a house Srengseng, West Jakarta, where they were rebranding as Zamzam water Aqua, which was sold in a shop in Tanah Abang.
The water was at a price of Rp.25,000 per liter and Rp.10,000 for a bottle of 300 ml. The same day, Police Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, attacked a factory that produced fake Zamzam and fake olive oil, the latter being regular palm oil. The suspects face up to five years in prison under the laws on consumer protection, health and food.
The President of the Indonesian Ulema Association (MUI), Din Syamsuddin, urged Muslims not to be credulous when they see Zamzam offered for sale in Indonesia. He said that the producers of fake Zamzam would go to hell. There are currently no halal certification for Zamzam.
Legislator Saleh Partaonan Daulay, a member of the Parti Islam-oriented national mandate, said many pilgrims returning from Tanah Abang to buy Zamzam because they feel they have not brought enough home. He said that counterfeiters should be charged under Article 383 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 16 months for deliberately mislead buyers by providing fake products.
Arsenic
Imam chief of the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Ali Mustafa Yaqub, lamented the prevalence of religion-related scams. He said the holy water container can be identified, but not very quickly because it will start to become cloudy after being stored for several years, while real Zamzam must remain clear.
Police in Java last year center broke a major producer of fake Zamzam. Saeb Thalib bin (58) had worked for 36 years in Saudi Arabia, mostly as a cleaner at the airport. After returning to the capital of Central Java Semarang, he created an Zamzam import business but it collapsed in 2009 due to the export ban. Eager to take advantage of the high demand, it creates its own Zamzam water by distilling a craft well.
The operation of a factory disguised in a cattle feedlot, he was able to produce up to 36,000 liters of bottled water per day - mostly 5 bottles a liter, still wrapped in false SafeWrap packaging. He sold water to Rp.14,000 per liter.
Thalib supplied dealers in Jakarta and other major cities, earning Rp.4.3 billion ($ 333,000) in 2012 alone. He was responsible for the implementation of an industrial activity without license, for which he could face five years in prison and a fine Rp.2 billion. Semarang District Court eventually sentenced him to two years and six months. The judges said that they spared the man a heavier punishment white beard because he apologized and was honed during his trial.
Also arrested in Central Java last year was a man named Huda Mohamad Al-Ajam (48), which would have run Zamzam a plant in Batang regency. Police initially accused of diluting a genuine Zamzam with plain water, which was then sold to Rp.140,000 per 10 liter container. Reports said he had a fluid distribution network involving haj office and agents in many cities. But by the time the case reached Huda prosecutors of the state, he was accused only of not having a full commercial license. The police then claimed that he had just bought Zamzam an importer in Jakarta and resold for a profit.
Zamzam can be purchased from several Indonesian sites such as www.tokoherbalmuslim.com, which sells for Rp.125,000 per liter and claims it can be used to help treat the disease. The same site also sells honey Virility Horse Brand as a cure for impotence, and capsules to tighten the vagina.
Another online vendor, www.obat-herbalku.com, Zamzam described as "noble beverage," and the "best water on Earth" because it can cure various diseases "with the blessing of God ". The site also sells ejaculation remedies, penis enlargement oil and soap firming breast. A vendor selling 10-liter containers of Zamzam for Rp.300,000 in East Java claims it is beneficial for babies to be born.
There is no harm in buying and drinking salt water if it is intact and you think it will do you good. The only disadvantage is when people sick or their families insist on using magic potions to deal with a serious illness, rather than seek medical treatment.
The best way to stop the scam fake Zamzam would eliminate the demand by educating people that any clean water is precious, regardless of its source - and spiritual purity that comes from the inside
.