The Indonesian equivalent of Singapore's MUIS (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) has issued an edict (fatwa) that defines forest and land burning as morally forbidden (haram).

This comes just as the Indonesian government had spent years trying to quell the ever-recurring forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, but to no avail. This has led to tension with its neighbours, even escalating to a war of angry words.

According to Channel News Asia, the Environment and Forestry Ministry requested the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue this religious ruling in January 2016.

According to the chairperson of fatwa in the MUI, the act of burning forest land causes "damage, environmental pollution, economic losses, affect health, and other negative impacts".

Many farmers depend on the traditional method of slashing and burning forests vegetation as a cheap method to clear land for plantations. While this saves them money, the rest of the region suffers when the resultant smoke drifts to other countries, including Singapore.

With this edict, companies who employ such slash and burn practices face not only formal punishment from the authorities, but also moral punishment if found guilty.

It must be noted that a fatwa is not legally binding in an Islamic court. It only acts as an advisory for Muslims to lead better lives according to Islam.

While the regulatory measures by the Indonesian seem to be bordering ineffectiveness, let's hope this edict can do more to prevent the next instance of #SGHaze.

More on the SGHaze:

The return of #SGHaze is such a huge event that it’s an international story

Relationship advice: 5 things Indonesia has said about the haze & what they actually means

Here’s a playlist to chronicle your sad journey with SGHaze

Top photo adapted from here

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