MUI and the Issues of Sustainability: Challenge and Opportunity for

Green Diplomacy

Liana Nurul Qowiyyu

and Kusmana

UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia

Keywords: MUI, Green Diplomacy, Islamic Ecotheology, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Abstract: This study presents the role of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) to face the development of current

environmental issues and methods. The main issue raised was the contribution of the MUI in providing

solutions to the problems of sustainable development. This study uses an inclusive approach through the

“Lembaga Pemuliaan Lingkungan Hidup dan Sumber Daya Alam (LPLH-SDA)” MUI as an object. The use

of the Triple Bottom Lines as a method in this study explains the relationship between profit, planet and

people. This use has a positive influence on the establishment of good governance. The framework produces

Islamic ecotheology which is a relatively new offer in sustainable development. This argument is identified

with the finding that Islamic values are in line with the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs). Second, Islamic ecotheology principles can be applied not only to domestic but also global programs

through green diplomacy. This research emphasizes ethics as a key to the success of green civilization and

sustainable development.

1 INTRODUCTION

Sustainable development requires a harmonious

relationship between the government, the private

sector and the community. Indonesia's 2025 national

vision design an agenda of implementation of foreign

policy to build a civilization and sustainability based

environmental (Elisabeth, 2016). Foreign Policy is

carried out cannot be separated from the role of

stakeholders. The establishment of the Lembaga

Pemuliaan Lingkungan Hidup dan Sumber Daya

Alam (LPLH-SDA) MUI reflects the importance of

non-government organizations contributing to

environmental conservation. The purpose of the

establishment of the LPLH-SDA MUI is to increase

the awareness of Muslims on the importance of

protecting and managing the environment and natural

resources in accordance with Islamic values

(https://mui-lplhsda.org/latar-belakang/). The pattern

of environmental protection and management is

currently based on economic factors. However, other

factors such as norms and ethics have not become a

special concern that has space in environmental

problems.

Indonesia is among the top 10 countries with

the most population in the world. However, the level

of environmental pollution in Indonesia is very

alarming. The list of environmental problems in

Indonesia such as garbage, floods, river pollution,

global warming, air pollution, damage to marine

ecosystems, the difficulty of clean water, forest

destruction, abrasion and soil pollution percentage

continues to increase every year

(https://nasional.sindonews.com/). Based on data

from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry,

Indonesia produced up to 65 million tons of waste in

2016, while this number increased by 1 million tons

from the previous year (http://www.menlhk.go.id/).

In addition, the Oceanographic Research

Center LIPI shows that around 35.15% of coral reefs

in Indonesia are in poor condition; 25.06% in

sufficient condition; 23.4% in good condition; and

only 6.39% in very good condition

(http://www.oseanografi.lipi.go.id/). Meanwhile,

increasing threats and damage to Indonesia's natural

forests continue to increase. At least 1.1 million

hectares or 2% of Indonesia's forests shrink every

year, around 130 million hectares of forest are left in

Indonesia, 42 million hectares of which have already

been cut down (https://www.wwf.or.id/). The greatest

damage is caused by illegal logging, conversion of

forests to plantations, forest fires and unsustainable

forest exploitation both for settlements, industries,

and due to encroachment. Forest damage causes

Nurul Qowiyyu, L. and Kusmana, .

MUI and the Issues of Sustainability: Challenge and Opportunity for Green Diplomacy.

DOI: 10.5220/0009918908590868

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Recent Innovations (ICRI 2018), pages 859-868

ISBN: 978-989-758-458-9

859

disruption of the balance of the forest ecosystem and

the surrounding environment.

Environmental issues not only develop in

domestic social and political conflicts, but cross the

territory between domestic politics and international

politics (Hurrell, 1995). Environmental issues are

discussed at the United Nations (UN) conference as

an international issue since the meeting at Stockholm

(1972), Rio de Janeiro (1992), Rio + 5 (New York,

1997) and Johannesburg (2002). This fact shows that

the environment is a major issue of international

concern (Hurrell, 1995; S. Ioan, 2012). The

importance of this issue is one of the factors to assess

the sustainability of human life in the future. Thomas

Homer-Dixon argued that the scarcity of the

environment leads to low intensity, sustainable

conflict, which can weaken the government (H.-D. T.

F, 1995).

Conflict of environmental scarcity can have

implications for the turmoil that developed from

domestic conflict to international conflict. Departing

from the fundamental thinking about humans as

creatures that continually adapt to their environment,

Henriques built an argument that the changes that

occur in the environment because industrial activity

will affect humans living in this environment

(Henriques, 2010). Meanwhile, Jackson and Sorensen

view environmental degradation as making a special

"threat", which is not only a threat to the country but

to humans as a whole (Jackson and Sorensen, 1999).

This view assesses the need for global community

cooperation in order to deal with these threats.

Meanwhile, the global role requires overall awareness

of all levels of society.

This study identifies MUI as an agent in

applying the concept of green growth. The MUI

framework is viewed from the role of the LPLH-SDA

of MUI in issuing policies that reflect on sustainable

civilization based on environment. The MUI

framework is viewed from the role of the LPLH-SDA

MUI in issuing policies that reflect on sustainable

civilization based on environment. This framework

uses the Elkington model that looks at the relationship

between profit, planet and people (Elkington, 1998).

This concept is also complemented by the thoughts of

Wu and Zhi that assess the impact of the shared

economy from a social, economic and environmental

perspective (Wu and Zhi, 2016). The focus of the

research is more on the social aspects of society,

because the MUI as a national institution prioritizes

its attention to the social problems of Muslims in the

midst of the conditions of the global community.

2 METHODOLOGY

Adam Smith in his book The Wealth of Nation has

mentioned the possible dangers posed by

industrialization (Smith, 2007). A few centuries later,

a debate emerged between the pressure group and the

government regarding the potential damage that

companies could cause in carrying out their business

activities (Freeman, 2010; Laszlo, 2005; Philips,

2003). This was confirmed by Elkington by building

a framework on the relationship of social equity,

economic growth and environmental protection.

Elkington assessed that if all three were applied it

would provide benefits (profit), have a concern for the

environment (planet) and contribute to the welfare of

the people (people) (Elkington, 1998).

Figure 1: Triple Bottom Lines according to Elkington

The paradigm shift of the company arises due

to the necessity to prevent the occurrence of social

and environmental disasters. They realize that the

company is a part of the environment that needs to be

treated well to be able to live together sustainably.

The participation of the business community in

sustainable development is by developing a program

of corporate concern to the surrounding community

called corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR is

an effort to create business continuity in creating and

maintaining a balance between profitability and

social functions (tripple bottom line).

CSR in the World Bank version "CSR is the

commitment of business to contribute to sustainable

economic development working with employees and

their representatives, the local community and society

at large to improve quality of life, in booths that are

good for business and good for development" While

the World Council for Sustainable Development

refers to CSR as a continuing commitment by

business to behave ethically and contribute to

economic development while improving the quality

of life of the workforce and their families as well as

of the local community and society large.

The practice of the business world in the past

tended to have a negative impact, opening up the

discourse of corporate social responsibility, better

Profit

PlanetPeople

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known as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility),

becoming a necessity to change the image of an

environmentally friendly business world. According

to Edward Freeman, in his book A Stakeholder

Approach (1984), in the last era, the understanding of

strategic management began to develop, not only in

controlling the market, but also in controlling

stakeholders (stakeholders) that determined the

survival of the company. That opinion was supported

by Ann Svendsen in his book The Stakeholder

Strategy (1998). However, the concept of

stakeholders themselves has expanded to include

employees, trade unions, the general public and

special interest groups. Therefore, with more

stakeholders involved, the greater the disagreement

that arises. Chris Laszlo (2003) and Robert Philips

(2003) argue that the company's paradigm shift

coincides with the desire to prevent social and

environmental disasters. As a company, they realize

that it is part of the environment that needs to be cared

for properly to be able to live together in a sustainable

manner.

Sustainable development requires community

empowerment in carrying out its functions.

Community development (Comdev) is essentially

how individuals, groups or communities try to control

their own lives and try to shape the future according

to their wishes (Shardlow, 1998). Comdev has a focus

on efforts to help community members who have

similar interests to work together, by identifying

shared needs and then carrying out joint activities to

meet those needs. Comdev is often implemented in

the form of (a) development projects that allow

community members to gain support in meeting their

needs or through (b) campaigns and social actions

that enable those needs to be met by other responsible

parties (Payne, 1995). The comdev concept consists

of two things, namely "development" and

"community". In short, development or development

is a joint and planned effort to improve the quality of

human life. The fields of development usually cover

3 (three) main sectors, namely economic, social

(including: education, health and socio-cultural

fields), and the environment (Mayo, 1998).

Meanwhile, Perbawati considered the concept

of sustainable development to experience

development and began to focus on interregion. The

interregion in question is when discussing about the

pillars of sustainability, then the thinking about the

environment, socio-culture, and economics must be

in the form of a circle that cannot be cut off in the

development of the country (Perbawani, 2012). This

view is also in line with Wu and Zhi that connects

social, economic and environmental perspectives in

sustainable development (Wu and Zhi, 2016). In

addition, there are three main actors who have roles

in each pillar, namely the state, private, and society.

Figure 2: Relationship between Sustainability and Actors

From this illustration, if one of the pillars

ignores the concept of sustainability but uses power

to erode profit, then if that power is no longer owned,

there will be an imbalance in one of these pillars. That

is why maintaining a harmonious relationship

between the three pillars is something that must be

done in order to remain in control of the sustainability

of development (Perbawani, 2012). However, the

phenomenon that is developing at this time demands

changes in the new life order (good governance). This

tendency becomes a change agenda for the

community and raises various opinions in the social

system. Expectations for a fairer life and

opportunities to realize shared prosperity are opinions

that often arise in the community.

One pillar that has not yet appeared in the

concept is the role of institutions that have influence

and authority in people's lives. In Indonesia, this role

is owned by the MUI as a non-governmental

organization recognized by the state and Muslim

community especially. MUI focus on environmental

and sustainable issues is shown by the establishment

of the LPLH-SDA based on the VII National

Assembly of the Indonesian Ulema Council on July

26-28, 2010. This institution officially functions

through the Decree of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia

Leadership Council Number: Kep-485/MUI/IX/2010

on September 23, 2010. The main purpose of the

establishment of this institution is to increase the

awareness of Muslims on the importance of

protecting and managing the environment and natural

resources in accordance with Islamic teachings

(https://mui-lplhsda.org/).

Practical and technical actions on

environmental protection and management are still

based on economic factors. Although with the help of

science and technology, it is still considered lacking.

Environment

Socio‐cultureEconomics

State

Society

Privat

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Islam is believed to have a clear concept of the

environment because humans as caliphs on earth are

instructed to prevent deviant behavior (nahi munkar)

and conduct good behavior (amr ma'ruf) (Al-Baqarah

[2]: 30). Recognizing the importance of building a

sustainable and environmentally based civilization,

LPLH-SDA MUI raises the concept of "Islamic

Ecotheology" as a contemporary view of

environmental and sustainable issues.

Islamic ecotheology is a holistic scientific

unification between religious law (shariah qauliyyah)

and contemporary science governance of the

environment and natural resources (sharia kauniyah).

Religious law (sharia qauliyyah) is applied in the

form of the formation of environmental Jurisprudence

(Fiqh Al-Bi'ah). This concept is intended to obtain

governance knowledge on the protection and

management of ethical environmental and natural

resources. Islamic ecotheology is done by ‘dakwah

bil lisan’ (oral approach) and ‘dakwah bil hal’ (action

approach) through eco-mosque and eco-pesantren

programs (https://mui-lplhsda.org/latar-belakang). In

addition, Islamic ecotheology is the basis for issuing

fatwas concerning environmental preservation and

sustainability. Some of the fatwas include:

1. Fatwa MUI No. 22, 2011 on Environmentally

Friendly Mining.

2. Fatwa MUI No. 43, 2012 on Misuse of Formalin

and Other Hazardous Materials in Fish Handling

and Processing.

3. Fatwa MUI No. 4, 2014 on Endangered Animal

Preservation To Maintain Ecosystem Balance.

4. Fatwa MUI No. 47, 2014 on Waste

Management To Prevent Environmental

Damage.

5. Fatwa MUI No. 001/MUNAS-IX/MUI/2015,

on Utilization of Zakat, Infaq, Alms &

Endowments for Development of Clean Water

and Sanitation Facilities for the Community.

6. Fatwa MUI No. 30, 2016 on Law on Forest

Burning and Its Control and Land.

The fatwa issued aims to provide an

understanding that Islam teaches the importance of

preservation and protection of environmental

sustainability in order to maintain the balance of

ecosystem. This is to build awareness that the

productivity and activities of a living system on earth

depend heavily on Biodiversity and Ecosystem

Services. Its function is to provide goods and services

needed by all living things on earth (Prabowo, 2018).

The environmental crisis is basically not only a

domestic crisis, but a global crisis faced by all

humans. An inclusive approach provides awareness

of changes in development policies to improve the

welfare of the world community. This is marked by

public concern for industrial activities that trigger

global warming. The high level of use of carbon

energy sources, deforestation, and the release of

hazardous substances as industrial residues to nature

and indirectly affect the social conditions of the

community.

This framework reinforces the argument that

"ethics" requires space in the discussion of

sustainability. The gap in the discussion so far still

ignores the importance of building ethics in the

community. Islamic values as outlined in the ethics of

sustainability will more easily influence the views of

Muslim communities in particular. In an international

perspective, this obligation encourages the entire

world community to build green civilization and

environment-based sustainable development.

3 FINDING & DISCUSSION

Environmental problems began to be discussed since

the UN Conference on the Environment in

Stockholm, Sweden, on June 15, 1972. The most

important factor in environmental problems is the size

of the human population (population growth rate).

Rapid population growth poses challenges that are

tried to be overcome by development and

industrialization. But industrialization in addition to

accelerating the supply of all human needs is also a

negative impact on humans due to environmental

pollution.

The new World Bank report launched last

highlighted the policy challenges at the top level that

Indonesia faces in achieving environmental

sustainability, so that it can provide more funds to get

better development outcomes. Country

Environmental Analysis measures the economic costs

of environmental degradation and offers choices

about the best ways to address the priority issues of

environmental governance and climate change

adaptation. This report was prepared through

extensive consultations with the Indonesian

government, non-governmental organizations and

research institutions (http://go.worldbank.org/).

Based on the analysis, the costs of environmental

degradation on the Indonesian economy can be

summarized as follows

(http://www.hpli.org/analisis.php):

 Natural capital reaches about a quarter of

Indonesia's total wealth but shrinks rapidly

and is not balanced with sufficient investment

in human capital or produced.

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 Climate change will create a number of

negative impacts in Indonesia, including

reduced crop production, greater risk of

flooding, and wider spread of vector-borne

diseases, with projections of economic costs

reaching 2.5-7.0 percent of GDP in 2100.

 Poor sanitation is estimated to have caused

significant health, water, tourism costs and

other welfare costs worth more than $ 6 billion

in 2005, or more than 2 percent of that year's

GDP.

 Outdoor and indoor air pollution is estimated

to have a health impact of around $ 5.5 billion

per year or around 1.3 percent of GDP (2007).

 Deforestation since 2001 has reached more

than 1 million hectares per year. This level has

decreased from 2.5 million hectares per year,

but is still very high compared to other tropical

forested countries. Deforestation and

conversion of peat land cause environmental

degradation, health and biodiversity losses,

and greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Joachim von Amsberg, the Head

of the World Bank Representative said that

environmental degradation raises high costs for

Indonesia. However, through the enactment of new

laws on the environment, electricity and solid waste

management, Indonesia is clearly on the path to a

future with a more sustainable environment.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has been identified as one of

the Asian countries most vulnerable to the dangers of

climate change. Droughts, floods, sea level rise, and

landslides are dangers that will affect the poor who

live on the coast and depend on agriculture, fisheries

and forestry as their source of income. However, with

appropriate adaptation measures, the annual benefits

of avoiding damage from climate change are likely to

exceed annual costs without investment adaptation

until 2050 (http://go.worldbank.org/).

The goal of sustainable development or better

known as the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) as a global development commitment agreed

upon by all members of the United Nations is an

improvement over the Millennium Development

Goals whose implementation is over by the end of

2015. Indonesia as one of the UN member states has

a strong commitment in the implementation of SDGs

(Vau, 2018). This commitment was translated by the

Indonesian government with the integration of the

Nawacita program. The issuance of Perpres No. 55 of

2017 concerning Implementation of Achieving

Sustainable Development Goals is a form of

government commitment. The objectives of the SDGs

in the Presidential Regulation include maintaining

sustainable economic prosperity of the community,

maintaining the sustainability of the social life of the

community, maintaining the quality of the

environment and inclusive development and

implementing good governance that is able to

maintain the quality of life from one generation to the

next.

The development that has been running for the

last 30 years in Indonesia is still very minimal

following the principles of sustainable development.

Presidential Regulation No. 61 of 2011 concerning

the National Action Plan for Reducing Greenhouse

Gas Emissions, states that Indonesia is committed to

achieving the target of 2641. This means that the

reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 26% with

its own efforts and 41% with international assistance

is expected to be achieved in 2020. A very

threatening condition is that economic growth still

relies heavily on the extraction of natural resources

and the exploitation of renewable natural resources

(Suphachalasai etc, 2012). Facing the issue of climate

change, especially international pressure, Indonesia

has the opportunity to contribute and provide

anticipatory steps towards global climate change

issues.

The term sustainable development was

proposed by the World Commission of Environment

and Development (WCED) in a report called 'Our

Common Future' (Bruntland, 1987). Bruntland

Commission formulates the concept of sustainable

development as a growth activity that meets current

needs without affecting the ability of future

generations to meet their needs (Krosinsky dan

Robins, 2008). Based on the literature review, this

study discusses what are the challenges and

opportunities of the MUI in dealing with the issue of

sustainable development. Based on the perspective of

international relations, the environmental issues in

environmental development based on the economy in

accordance with the concept of green growth.

3.1 Can Religion Save the

Environment?

Religion as a vehicle for the idea of conservation is

not the first time tried in Indonesia. In 2014, MUI

issued a fatwa that forbade hunting of endangered

species. Since the last few years environmental

organizations, the Islamic Foundation for Ecology

and Environmental Sciences, have also partnered

with a number of pesantren and schools in Indonesia

to campaign for the “School4Trees" program.

Religion once played a role in saving the environment

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863

in other countries. In 2008, secular ideological

conservation groups The Alliance for Religions and

Conservation (ARC) launched an environmental

project by collaborating with local religious leaders to

invite fishermen to stop using explosives to find fish

on the island of Pemba, Tanzania

(https://www.dw.com/).

The case that often arises in Indonesia's

environmental problems is the reduction of forest

land and damage to the ecosystem due to illegal

mining. The bad impact caused by the MUI issuing

Fatwa No. 22 of 2011 and Fatwa No. 30 of 2016. This

fatwa was made after seeing the increasing number of

illegal logging, illegal mining and open land by

burning (Muliji, 2018). This case often develops into

transnational crime because the business is not

intended for domestic sales, but exports to foreign

countries.

One of the cases that occurred was the support

of the South Kalimanan MUI on the Government of

South Kalimantan Province rejecting the Ministry of

Energy and Mineral Resources Decree No. 441.K / 30

/ DJB / 2017 which allows PT Mantimin Coal Mining

(MCM) to conduct coal mining in Tabalong,

Balangan and Hulu Sungai Tengah. This refusal is in

line with the South Kalimantan Provincial

Government's green revolution mission which

contains no issuance of IPPKH (Izin Pinjam Pakai

Kawasan Hutan/Borrowing Permit Using Forest

Areas) for mining, focusing on improving forests and

saving the Meratus Mountains (Naparin, 2018).

Another case also occurred in West

Kalimantan, namely opening land by burning. But

this case actually caused widespread forest fires that

could damage the environment with increasing

hotspots which resulted in the emergence of haze

disasters. Based on Fatwa No. 30 of 2016 burning

land or forest including facilitating, letting, and or

taking advantage of burning forests and illegitimate

land. The fatwa affirms that basically the use of land

or forest is permitted on the condition of obtaining

legal rights and obtaining permission from the

authorities as long as it is intended for benefit and

does not cause damage (Muliji, 2018). The urgency

of the issuance of the fatwa is very large, because the

haze disaster is not only a domestic problem, but also

a threat to other countries such as Malaysia and

Brunei Darussalam. A haze attack could disrupt

Indonesia's diplomatic relations with the country and

cause international conflict.

Islamic ecotheology also engage international

cooperation who carried out between LPLH-SDA

MUI and Greenpeace by holding Eco Ifthar to start

the #PantangPlastik (#NoPlastic) campaign. This

campaign is a follow-up of Greenpeace data which

shows that there are 267 animals that are threatened

with survival due to swallowing or entanglement of

plastic. Therefore based on fatwa no. 47 of 2014

every Muslim is obliged to maintain the cleanliness

of the environment and to avoid the act of tabdzir

(doing in vain) and israf (overdoing)

(https://mui.or.id/berita/mui-dan-greenpeace).

Nowadays it is still very rare for scholars or

religious leaders to preach on environmental issues.

The scarcity of scholars who raise the issue is quite

unfortunate, because environmental preservation is

actually one of the messages in the teachings of Islam.

According to Muharram Atha Rasyadi a moral or

religious based approach is needed in solving

environmental problems, especially related to the

current garbage. The religious approach is expected

to increase public awareness more massively.

Touching public awareness regarding the importance

of reducing waste can not only be done through

seminars, workshops. It also needs to be done through

simple things in various religious activities in

mosques such as breaking fast together, which has

been known to produce a lot of garbage. The use of

plastic has increased 40 percent in Ramadan

compared to usual. Takjil food and also various fast-

breaking events together became one of the sources

of trash contributors that swelled in Ramadan

(http://www.pikiran-rakyat.com/).

In addition to the fatwa issued, LPLH-SDA

MUI also prepares training for environmental care

da'i. This program is made to spread Islamic

ecotheology values with the view that the community

needs a good understanding and solutions in

maintaining and managing the environment to be

productive without having to damage it

(https://mui.or.id/berita/mui-jalin-kerjasama-

pelatihan-dai...). Meanwhile, the role to educate the

public is currently best owned by ulama.

Socialization through environmental care da'i is

considered more easily understood and accepted by

the community.

3.2 Eco-Masjid, Eco-Pesantren and

Green Hajj

The role of LPLH-SDA MUI influences especially

for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in preserving the

environment. Indonesia is seen as advancing with the

eco-masjid campaign, eco-pesantren and green hajj.

Green hajj campaigns are needed to provide

awareness to pilgrims in order to dispose and manage

waste (https://mui.or.id/). Eco-masjid (mosque) and

eco-pesantren (boarding schools) are pilot projects

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for all Islamic boarding schools and mosques in

Indonesia. The mosque that became the eco-mosque

pilot project included Baiturrahman Pondok Pinang

Mosque, Az-Zikra Sentul Mosque and Sempon

Wonogoro AL-Amanah Mosque. As for eco-

pesantren, Bandung's Daarut Tauhid Islamic

Boarding School is an example in pesantren-based

environmental conservation activities. The fatwa

embodied in the form of eco-mosque and eco-

pesantren programs has become a pilot project for a

Muslim-majority country like Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Eco Masjid is a sustainable

mosque management program through activities to

preserve the environment and natural resources. The

purpose of eco mosques is to increase the

effectiveness of oral da'wah and tangible actions as a

manifestation of Islam that brings mercy to the entire

universe. The basic principles of the construction of

the Eco Mosque include (http://www.ecomasjid.id/):

 Preparing the independence of the people in

facing the threat of water and energy scarcity.

 Oriented to aspects of idarah (management),

imarah (prosperity activities), and riayah

(maintenance and procurement of facilities).

 Building synergy with the community and the

government.

 Building an independent and sustainable

mosque management

The program encouraged the prosperity of the

mosque not only with lectures. But also the real action

of managing an independent and sustainable mosque

to contribute to the solution to the environmental

crisis. According to the Chairperson of LPLH-SDA

MUI, Hayu S. Prabowo said that environmental

preservation is an obligation of Muslims. This is in

harmony with the word of Allah SWT in verse Al-

Qashah verse 77 which explains that ”And do not do

damage on the earth. Surely Allah does not like those

who do damage.” The environmental crisis with its

various manifestations, is actually a moral crisis.

Because humans view nature as an object, not a

subject in the life of the universe. Therefore, the

response to this problem must be a moral approach. It

is at this point that religion must play a role. Building

awareness through a moral approach is one of the

simple things like reducing the use of plastic

(http://www.pikiran-rakyat.com/).

3.3 Green Diplomacy: Challenge and

Opportunity

The MUI has the role of helping the government in

doing matters relating to Muslims such as:

determining the truth of a sect in Islam; issue a fatwa

relating to the relationship between adherents of

Islam and their environment; provide solutions to

religious problems in the international community;

and become a liaison between ulama, government and

society (https://mui.or.id/). The role of the MUI

shows how Islamic values are suitable for application

in community life. Even so, the MUI not only focuses

on primary issues regarding diversity, but also on

contemporary issues about environment and

sustainable development.

The MUI fatwa plays a role as a reference in

government policy making in dealing with the life

dynamics of the majority of Indonesian Muslims. The

influence of this fatwa is very large because it can be

delivered directly by the preachers who come into

direct contact with the community. The role of MUI

fatwas can have implications globally and become

part of Indonesian diplomacy. The ultimate goal of

diplomacy is to achieve people welfare. Indonesian

diplomacy should be based on a sustainable

development paradigm accompanied by the

implementation of a green economy (WCED, 1987).

Green economy development is characterized by

three indicators (Lee, 2010):

1) Activities aimed at reducing pollution per

capita;

2) Activities that cause increased environmental

capital (environmental capital);

3) Activities that are realized in new things to do

something because of new ideas, technology,

and knowledge that are able to serve human

needs and at the same time reduce the burden on

the environment.

The issuance of a fatwa by the MUI (Majelis

Ulama Indonesia) received positive appreciation

from the international community. The appreciation

of the international world is logical because so far

Islam has been stereotypically linked to the issue of

terrorism, social and environmental damage. The

religious approach to conservation is a new approach

in the international world, which is called

ecotheology. In the Islamic perspective, human

beings as moral beings must protect their

environment as stated in the Qur'an and Hadiths. So

environmental preservation is one way to improve

human morals. The approach of religion through a

fatwa for conservation is very effective because it

combines reason (aqli) from the scientific and

monotheistic (naqli) side. This approach is very

effective because the fatwa can not only unite the

views of the ulema. But also can understand how the

MUI and the Issues of Sustainability: Challenge and Opportunity for Green Diplomacy

865

context of the importance of environmental

sustainability in a scientific perspective.

An inclusive approach to Indonesian

diplomacy is directed at achieving a comprehensive

understanding of the importance of environmental

conservation to support sustainable development. The

concept of an inclusive green diplomacy means that

the success of development has benefits for

stakeholders and the entire community, especially at

the local level. The implementation of Green

Diplomacy is projected to be able to change national

and global development policies in order to improve

the welfare of the Indonesian people in particular and

the world community in general.

Indonesian diplomacy must be constructed

from two main elements, namely: green element, and

inclusive element. The combination of the two is

believed to give rise to sustainable economic growth,

and is able to create better social conditions (Aziz and

Salim, 2005). Thus, green diplomacy is a series of

strategies to maintain, create and increase the added

value of each resource that is owned sustainably.

Sustainability means that economic, social and

environmental progress runs in a balanced manner

(Elisabeth, 2016). Green and inclusive diplomacy is a

concept offer from Indonesia in the context of dealing

with environmental issues and climate change related

to sustainable development.

The above case confirms that Islamic

ecotheology can be accepted and applied as a

concrete manifestation in the implementation of

green diplomacy. The concept of Islamic ecotheology

proves the importance of religion's role in educating

the public, providing understanding, protecting and

managing the environment and natural resources as a

duty of Muslims. This argument strengthens

sustainable development requires the existence of

social equity, economic growth and environmental

protection in sustainable development (Elkington,

1998; Wu and Zhi, 2016). Meanwhile, without all

three realizing sustainable development will be

difficult because it will cause inequality (Krosinsky

and Robins, 2008; Wu and Zhi, 2016; Perbawani,

2012). Green diplomacy is directed towards

achieving an inclusive understanding of the

importance of environmental conservation. Islamic

ecotheology has become an offer in solving

environmental issues to support the achievement of

green civilization and sustainable development.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The environmental crisis is actually a moral crisis,

because humans view nature as an object to be

drained rather than a subject that needs to be

maintained for the continuity of the life of the

universe. Addressing existing problems must be a

moral approach. It is at this point that religion must

appear to play a role through the form of religious

guidance and realized in a real form in the daily life

of humanity. Human activities that are not

environmentally friendly, have an impact on the

environment and human life itself. Important non-

renewable natural resources, such as water and fossil

energy are drained faster. Scarcity of resources and

energy is a threat to conflict and the existence of

human life.

Indonesia's green and inclusive diplomacy

must be based on productive and quality economic

growth. This achievement requires the incorporation

of technological progress and efficiency gains by

paying attention to the interests of all parties,

including local communities. Economic growth shifts

from exploitation of natural resources to enrichment

or enhancing the added value of the environment

through ideas, science and technology. Based on the

literature review, it is realized that sustainable

development cannot be separated from the economic,

environmental and social. This framework produces

findings that ethics are needed in maintaining

relations between actors in sustainable development.

Meanwhile, the MUI has a role and function

to help the government resolve sustainable issues.

Through LPLH-SDA MUI, global development

commitments are carried out as part of the objectives

of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From

here comes the concept of Islamic ecotheology which

unites the relationship between religious law and

environmental law. This concept is suitable for

application to current environmental conditions and

problems. Subsequent research is expected to analyze

the application of Islamic ecotheology in the

development of the international system.

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