"MUI, based on its serious observation, has issued an edict because it is concerned to see damaged conditions of the environment," MUI chairman for fatwa affairs, Ma`ruf Amin said here on Wednesday.
He said that in Islam damage was divided into two, namely morality and material damages. Damage to nature is attributable to damage to morality so that morality should be improved.
In its edict, the MUI said natural resources could be mined as far as it was aimed for the people`s prosperity, but in doing that it should not cause damage to the environment.
"Based on the MUI observation, our environment has been seriously damaged. Religion teaches us to prevent damage," he said.
In principle, Islam recommends the development of people`s prosperity and the prevention of damage or at least the efforts should be aimed at optimizing benefits and minimizing damage, he said.
"We see that natural resource exploitation has been so excessive that it has also caused damage. Even, there is possibility that our natural resources have been tapped for certain parties not for the prosperity of the people," he said.
Ilyas Asaad, a deputy for environment communication and people`s empowerment at the office of the environment minister, said that MUI and the ministry of environment has signed an MoU on December 15, 2010.
"The MoU, however, was yet to decide what fatwa the MUI was going to produce. So, over the past six months we have intensive discussions until the formulation of a fatwa was finished on July 5, 2011," he said.
He said that the MUI fatwa was expected to serve as a basis for the regional government and businesses in the management of the environment.
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
