PROFAUNA Goes to Pesantren

Protection of Forest & Fauna (PROFAUNA) Indonesia has been working on a program called PROFAUNA Goes to Pesantren, taking "Islam Cares for Animals" as a theme. One of the 'pesantren's (Islamic boarding schools) visited was Pondok Pesantren Sabilurrosyadm Gasek, Karangbesuki, Malang (9/3/2015). The visit was attended by approximately 60 students, from elementary school up to university students.

The program was began with a film entitled "Alam Indonesia di Ambang Kepunahan" ("Indonesia's Nature on the Brink of Extinction"). The film talks about the declining forests of Indonesia, as an impact of palm oil expansion. This then lead into bigger catasthrope like landslides and floods. 

The film also tells about the rampant orangutan poaching, which drives the population to a rapid decline. Today, it is very difficult to find wild orangutans in their natural habitats.

There are still many people who are not concerned towards the state of other creatures. Greed has driven them to reap as much as can be taken, without a care of the destruction they cause. They forget that each animal serve their purpose in the ecosystem, and is created for the well being of mankind; also that we are responsible in preserving them.

PROFAUNA believes that religious approach should be taken as one of the efforts to raise public awareness towards nature conservation, especially Islam as it is the largest religion in Indonesia. Therefore, PROFAUNA has been collaborating with islamic institutions like pesantrens to educate the general public.

Islam, in the holy Quran and hadith (record of the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), mentions the importance of animals as depicted in the stories of 'Prophet Solomon and the Ants' or 'Prophet Noah and the Great Flood'. Arif Mustakim, the speaker of the occasion, said that the stories of the prophet teach us to love animals, so we should practice it in our daily life.

Written by: Muhhamad N Hassan, PROFAUNA's supporter in Malang