Google – AFP, 5 March 2014
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Indonesian
policemen show off the remains of preserved Sumatran tigers (L and R)
and other
animals after seizing them in Takengon Central Aceh, in Banda Aceh
on January
27, 2014 (AFP/File, Chaideer Mahyuddin)
|
Jakarta —
Indonesia's top Islamic clerical body has issued a religious fatwa against the
illegal hunting and trade in endangered animals in the country, which the WWF
hailed on Wednesday as the world's first.
The fatwa
by the Indonesian Ulema Council declares such activities "unethical,
immoral and sinful", council official Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh told AFP.
"All
activities resulting in wildlife extinction without justifiable religious
grounds or legal provisions are haram (forbidden). These include illegal hunting
and trading of endangered animals," said Sholeh, secretary of the
council's commission on fatwas.
"Whoever
takes away a life, kills a generation. This is not restricted to humans, but
also includes God's other living creatures, especially if they die in
vain."
The country
of 250 million people is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but it
remained unclear whether the fatwa would have any practical impact.
Indonesia's
vast and unique array of wildlife is under increasing pressure from
development, logging and agricultural expansion.
The
government does not typically react to fatwas by implementing specific policy
changes.
However, a
Forestry Ministry official who asked to remain anonymous told AFP the ministry
and the religious council would make a joint announcement regarding the fatwa
on March 12, without elaborating on its content.
The WWF
called the fatwa the first of its kind in the world, and said the use of
religion for wildlife protection "is a positive step forward."
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A baby
pangolin is released into the wild by government wildlife and conservation
officers in North Sumatra province on July 31, 2012 after Indonesian police
intercepted 85 endangered pangolins stuffed into sacks by smugglers (AFP/File)
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"It
provides a spiritual aspect and raises moral awareness which will help us in
our work to protect and save the remaining wildlife in the country such as the
critically endangered tigers and rhinos," WWF Indonesia communications
director Nyoman Iswara Yoga said.
The fatwa
was the result of months of dialogue between government officials,
conservationists and other stakeholders, said Sholeh, the fatwa commission
official.
Acknowledging
it was not legally binding, Sholeh said in English: "It's a divine
binding."
He said the
fatwa was effective from January 22. It was only made public late Tuesday.
The fatwa
urges the government to effectively monitor ecological protection, review
permits issued to companies accused of harming the environment, and bring
illegal loggers and wildlife traffickers to justice.
The
clearing, often illegally, of Indonesia's once-rich forests for timber
extraction or to make way for oil palm or other plantations poses a severe
threat to critically endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger, orangutan,
and Sumatran elephant.
Poachers
also target wild elephants for their ivory tusks, for use in traditional
Chinese medicines.
Under
Indonesian law, trafficking in protected animals can result in a maximum of
five years in jail and 100 million rupiah ($8,700) fine.
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