OneWorld.net (U.S.)

WASHINGTON, Apr 16 (OneWorld.net) - Muslim preachers in Malaysia are using teachings from the Koran to raise awareness and help preserve endangered species, many of which reside in the Southeast Asian island nation.

• The tiger is one of many endangered species found in Malaysia. © Tambako the Jaguar (flickr)"There are several passages within the Koran which talk about the responsibility of humans in protecting our environment and wildlife," said Umi A' Zuhrah from the Tiger Conservation Program at the nature conservation organization WWF-Malaysia. "Religious leaders are very influential and greatly respected in this community, so they are the best people to carry this message across."

• Malaysia is one of 12 mega-diversity countries, meaning many of its species exist in unusually high densities, but 14 percent of the nation's mammals are listed by the World Conservation Union as endangered. Moreover, Malaysia is a major source for international demand of illegally-traded wildlife. Click here to learn how WWF-Malaysia works with its partners, including local communities, to protect the country's diverse wildlife from extinction.

Eco-Islam: Malaysia's Imams to preach against poaching

From: WWF

14 Apr 2009

Malaysia's Muslim preachers have been enlisted in the fight for wildlife conservation, using passages from the Koran to raise awareness and help protect some of the world's most endangered species.

After a successful campaign last year, when more than 400 mosques in the state of  Terengganu held sermons focusing on turtle conservation issues, WWF decided to extend the project to support efforts to tackle poaching.

The conservation group is running workshops for local imams, explaining the importance of wildlife protection.

“There are several passages within the Koran which talk about the responsibility of humans in protecting our environment and wildlife,” said Umi A’ Zuhrah from the Tiger Conservation Programme at WWF-Malaysia.

“Religious leaders are very influential and greatly respected in this community, so they are the best people to carry this message across.”

The Malaysian peninsula is home to some of the world's most amazing and threatened wildlife including the Sumatran rhinos, Malayan tigers and Asian elephants. But these, and many other species in the region, are under increasing threat due to poaching and the demand for their body parts in the illegal wildlife trade.

All created by God

Poaching is arguably the biggest threat to tigers in Malaysia, with the current population estimated at about 500, down from 3,000 almost 50 years ago. Tigers are poached for their parts, which often end up in traditional chinese medicine shops and exotic meat restaurants in Malaysia and other neighbouring countries.

The newly modified sermons will be read at 21 mosques in the district of  Jeli, Kelantan, in June this year and will talk about the need to stop illegal hunting and reduce human-wildlife conflict using specific passages from the Koran

“We hope that religious-based initiatives such as these will complement our monitoring and anti-poaching efforts to conserve Malaysia’s endangered wildlife,” Umi A’Zuhrah said.

Questionnaire surveys developed by WWF-Malaysia for those who heard the previous sermons indicated an increase in their levels of concern for turtle conservation.

“In Islam, the conservation of the environment is based on the principle that all individual components of the environment were created by God, and that all living things were created by the Almighty Creator,” Mawil Y. Izzi Deen says in an essay called ‘Islamic Environmental Ethics, Law and Society’.

“In fact, we are encouraged not to exploit the non-human world (natural environment and animals).” 

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