Indonesia’s Islamic Clerical Body Issues Fatwa to Protect Wildlife

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 World Wide Fund for Nature (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 Mr 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."

Source: Straits Times