MUI Urges Law Enforcement to Act Against Forest and Land Arsonists Without Discrimination

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has urged law enforcement agencies to take decisive action against individuals and corporations responsible for forest and land fires that result in environmental disasters.

"MUI demands that law enforcement act firmly, fairly, and without discrimination against both individuals and corporations that deliberately set fire to forests and land for business interests," wrote MUI Secretary-General Amirsyah Tambunan in MUI Circular No. Kep-112/DP-MUI/X/2026 issued on Sunday (18/10/2026).

MUI's request comes in response to the recognition that forest and land fires pose significant threats to human survival (mafsadah) and contradict fundamental Islamic legal principles.

In addition to calling for robust law enforcement, MUI also advised President Prabowo Subianto to pay greater attention to handling the forest fire emergency.

"Given that the situation has reached an emergency level, we urge the esteemed President to give this matter increased priority until the forest fire issues are thoroughly addressed," Amirsyah stated.

Furthermore, MUI encouraged all levels of government, the military, police, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and volunteers to work together and mobilize resources to expedite firefighting efforts.

MUI also called upon community members in affected areas to heighten their vigilance, protect their health and that of their families, for instance, by wearing masks when outdoors, and to avoid high-risk areas.

"MUI invites the community to foster a spirit of mutual assistance (ta'awun) by helping those affected by smoke haze, anticipating the potential emergence of new fire hotspots in their surroundings, and refraining from burning waste or land indiscriminately," said Amirsyah.

As a note, Indonesia has been grappling with forest fire disasters over the past three months.

This disaster has resulted in various impacts on health, aviation, and economic losses.

According to Kompas.com, the forest fires caused 283,270 cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in affected areas from August 18 to October 13, 2026.

The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at the International Islamic University of Indonesia (UIII) estimates the economic losses from these forest fires at Rp 167 trillion.

“This estimate is based on a study using data and methodologies from the World Bank, and not an official loss figure published by the government,” said Teguh Yudo Wicaksono on Friday (16/10/2026).

Based on these calculations, the loss of Rp 167 trillion is equivalent to approximately 0.65 percent of Indonesia's nominal GDP in 2026.

Forest fires have also impacted 2,458 domestic scheduled flights from August 11 to October 17, 2026.