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Indonesians planning to make the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this year were warned on Thursday that they would have to get the controversial meningitis vaccination despite fears that it might contain religiously prohibited pig-derived enzymes.

Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni said the vaccination was obligatory and anyone refusing to have the shot could be forced to stand aside for others on the 800,000-pilgrim waiting list.

Since 2006, the Saudi Arabian government has required all pilgrims to be vaccinated for meningitis before entering the holy land. Moreover, Indonesia has agreed to this in a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia.

Maftuh said the Saudi government would not issue visas to pilgrims refusing the vaccination.

“So, for those who are still unsure whether the vaccine contains pork enzymes or not, I welcome them to cancel and enroll for next year’s waiting list, so their seats can be used by others for this year,” he said.

Data from the Ministry of Health showed that 40 Indonesian pilgrims died from meningitis during the 1987 hajj and one died last year.

Because Saudi Arabia has been categorized a meningitis pandemic area, every visitor is required to be vaccinated.

Maftuh reiterated a Ministry of Health claim that the vaccine now in use “is free from pigs, and this same vaccine is also being used by 77 other countries to send their pilgrims, including Malaysia and even Saudi Arabia itself.”

Despite this, the Health Ministry is currently working with a pharmaceutical company and Airlangga University in Surabaya to produce its own meningitis vaccine that is free from animal-derived substances, including porcine enzymes.

Even though assurances were given by manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline that its vaccine was free from animal-derived substances, the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) raised concerns last month that it was haram , or forbidden by Islamic law.

However, MUI chairman Amidhan said that people should separate the council’s ruling from use of the vaccine.

“Where there is no other choice but to use the vaccine, people may still use it,” he said.

“But if people are still unsure, it’s OK. We have 800,000 other people on the waiting list.”

The Health Ministry’s secretary general, Sjafii Ahmad, said he was confident the ministry’s vaccine would be ready soon because Airlangga University had previous experience producing vaccines for avian influenza.

He said the vaccine synthesis used a porcine enzyme to make the master seed, but that the final product was completely free of porcine DNA.

Shots for this year’s hajj pilgrims will start in August.

Aside from the vaccination concerns, both ministries also plan to conduct thorough screenings of all pilgrims. Sjafii said those deemed unfit for travel, including pregnant women and the sick, would be asked to cancel their plans.

The Health Ministry will also distribute face masks and equip accompanying doctors with Tamiflu as preventives. “We don’t want our pilgrims to be infected with any virus, including swine flu,” Sjafii said.

For this year’s pilgrimage, Indonesians will not be expected to pay a premium for flights to Mecca, with fees ranging from $3,243 to $3,575, plus insurance. The religious affairs minister said the cost of flights was cheaper but better accommodations made it more expensive compared with last year.