Indonesian Council of Ulema Issued a Fatwa Forbidding Wildlife Trade

REPUBLIKA. CO. ID, JAKARTA - Indonesian Council of Ulema (Majelis Ulama Indonesia/MUI) has issued fatwa no. 4 of 2014 concerning Wildlife Conservation to Maintain Ecological Balance. "This is a monumental and strategic highlight. In the midst of global ravage such as ecological loss, this fatwa is a big leap in the efforts of restoring and protecting our nature," claimed Din Syamsudin, Head of MUI, at Schmutzer Media Center, Ragunan, Jakarta (3/12/2014).

perburuan satwa langka hukumnya haramIn the fatwa, MUI explicitly declared the obligation to maintain the ecosystem balance by forbidding any act of wildlife poaching, hurting, torturing, and trafickking.

"Illegally hunting and trading endangered wildlife is forbidden," Din Syamsudin affirmed during the press conference at the launching of this fatwa by the Minister of Forestry, Zulkifli Hasan.

The fatwa also states that all living beings has right to live and be utilized wisely to fulfill human needs.

Treating wildlife properly by protecting and conserving them is our responsibility, to ensure the future of the world's biodiversity

Protecting and conserving wildlife can be done by assuring the availability of their basic needs such as food, habitat, free of abuse, and opportunity to multiply.

Din Syamsudin added that wildlife species which can bring harm to each other should never be put closely. In addition, humans hold the duty to preserve their habitats, forestall illegal poaching and trade, prevent wildlife-human conflicts, and care for their welfare.

The fatwa also mentions that endangered wildlife species can still be utilized to fulfill human needs, in appropriate ways according to the sharia (Islamic) and country law in force.

Making use of the wildlife around us can go hand in hand with the effort to maintain the ecological balance, employing them as a biopesticides, cultivating them for the general good, as well as using them as ecotourism attraction, education, and research.

On the occassion, the MUI also encourage the government and all the people of Indonesia to enforce the laws protecting endangered wildlife species to prevent them from forever vanished from the Earth, and to maintain the ecological balance.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Forestry, Zulkifli Hasan, claimed that Indonesia iss home to approximately 300,000, or 17%, of the world's wildlife species.

However, he added, all of the wildlife species are in critical condition according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.

Among the threats for wildlife are the raging illegal poaching and trade, habitat loss which leads to human-animal conflict,  and in the end the animals always lose the battle. "The Fatwa of MUI is a very strategic social and cultural approach to raise people's awareness, particularly Indonesian Muslims, to pay more attention to wildlife conservation," asserted him.

Formerly, Zulkifli Hasan gave a name for a newborn Sumatran elephant at Ragunan. The baby was born from the couple of Arli (22 years old) and Agustin (15 years old).

"The match resulted in the birth of a male baby elephant. I named him Pangeran. In Lampung language, Pangeran meanss a good man and leader," he concluded.

Source: Republika.co.id (12 March 2014)

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