Dessy Sagita, Indonesia – In the face of a suggestion by the nation's main Muslim organizations that a fatwa, or religious edict, be placed against the lauded luwak coffee, the Indonesian Ulema Council has given its blessing to the pricey brew, saying that it was halal, or safe for Muslims to consume.

Luwak coffee, also known as civet coffee, is highly prized because the beans come from the ripest fruits picked by civets and excreted whole after passing though their digestive tracts. Famed for its flavor, luwak coffee is known as the world's most expensive variety, commanding more than $600 per kilogram from online shops.

"We have discussed this matter and we have come to a conclusion that luwak coffee is halal, even though it comes from civet droppings," Ma'ruf Amin, the deputy chairman of the council, which is known as MUI, told the Jakarta Globe on Monday.

But Ma'ruf stressed thorough processing of the beans. "The beans have to be washed very clean and must be intact, not smashed, to prevent the feces from entering," he said.

Ma'ruf said MUI would meet with Nahdlatul Ulama, the nation's largest Muslim organization, on Tuesday night to discuss the issue.

NU executives had previously declared the civet coffee as najis, or ritually unclean, meaning that anyone who touched it would have to cleanse his or herself physically and ritually. "Muslims should not feel worried about drinking luwak coffee anymore," he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gave a gift of civet coffee to then Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during a state visit in March 2010. The gift raised some eyebrows in the media at the time, inspiring references to "crapuccino" and "dung diplomacy."