By Michael Graham Richard, Source: Treehugger

Here’s a first for Indonesia, a country of around 240 million people with big environmental issues. The Ulema council, a group of religious scholars and leaders, has declared a ‘fatwa’ (opinion on muslim law) against the killing of endangered species. It declares that illegal hunting and wildlife trading is “unethical, immoral and sinful”.

“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 Asrorun Ni’am Sholeh, secretary of the council’s commission on fatwas.

Not that anything other than secular morals and logic were required to know that protecting threatened species is a good idea, but this can’t hurt, especially in a relatively religious country.

Read the full story at: Treehugger