Muhammadiyah and the Problem of Mining by Islamic Organizations in Indonesia

Picture: Bay Ismoyo/AFP

In an article by Fulcrum, Ilm Halimatusa'diyah writes about the moral position taken by Islamic organizations in Indonesia vis-a-vis the issuance of government mining permits.

Muhammadiyah’s recent decision to follow NU’s footsteps is regrettable. First, the acceptance of mining concessions by Muhammadiyah as an organisation was a stab in the back to organs within Muhammadiyah that have long been active in the Green Islam movement and voiced actions and concerns for environmental issues. Muhammadiyah has various institutions and communities that focus on national and local environmental issues, including the Environmental Assembly and the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC). The Muhammadiyah Women’s Wing (Aisyiyah) also has an Environment and Disaster Management Center (LLHPB). Among Muhammadiyah youth, there are Muhammadiyah Green Cadres (KHM/Kader Hijau Muhamamdiyah) and Green Students (Pelajar Hijau) within the Muhammadiyah Student Association (IPM).

Therefore, it is unsurprising that Muhammadiyah’s decision has received mixed responses from within. KHM, for example, shortly after the Muhammadiyah central leadership’s acceptance statement, immediately expressed their criticism and proposed a motion of no-confidence against the Muhammadiyah leadership. KHM posted the hashtag #IslamBerketambangan (“Mining Islam”), a pun on Muhammadiyah’s slogan “Islam Berkemajuan” (Progressive Islam). They also demanded that Muhammadiyah hold a second plenary meeting inviting regional boards throughout Indonesia to discuss the decision. While the meeting was held on 27-28 July, this failed to sway Muhammadiyah’s decision.

In addition, Hening Parlan, a female environmental activist from LLHPB Aisyiyah, criticised this decision and expressed her disappointment that Muhammadiyah, as an organisation, accepted mining concessions. Amien Rais, one of Muhammadiyah’s elite figures and former People’s Consultative Assembly speaker, also strongly criticised this decision. Rais stated unequivocally that mining inevitably destroys the environment and that the mining world was a vicious world in which some players were “bandits without morals”.