Muslim leaders should rule that smoking is prohibited under Islamic law to encourage more believers to quit the habit, a group of British Muslim doctors have said.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, the doctors said smoking rates are unacceptably high among Muslim communities throughout the world.

They said even among Muslims living in Europe, smoking prevalence remains too high.

In the UK, smoking-related diseases are estimated to cost the NHS £1.7bn a year, according to government figures.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh analysed data on smoking prevalence for the 30 countries with the highest proportion of Muslims.

The highest recorded rates among men are in Indonesia and Yemen, where over two thirds smoke. Yemen also has the highest prevalence of smoking among women, where almost a third smoke.

Only Iran and Syria have a complete ban on smoking in public places, although Indonesia is considering such a ban.

Furthermore, only 14 of the countries studied have signed up to the World Health Organisation’s antismoking treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Numerous religious scholars and institutions in Middle Eastern and North African countries have recently declared smoking to be haram (prohibited). However, the general view from the Indian subcontinent is that smoking is mukrooh (lawful though discouraged).

South Asian religious authorities need to follow the leadership shown by their Arab speaking counterparts, say the doctors. But, despite calls for British Muslim leaders to clarify the religious unacceptability of smoking, no such position statement has emerged, they added.

The doctors believe that it is only a matter of time before South Asian scholars rule that smoking is prohibited and these rulings percolate through South Asian Muslim communities globally.

These rulings need to be backed up by advertising bans and support to stop smoking if they are to have much effect on smoking rates, they conclude.