House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie has said that he supports a recommendation for the Indonesian Ulema Council to issue a haram edict, forbidden in Islam, to ban meat, fruit and vegetable imports to help protect local farmers.
"It should be considered haram because it abuses the local farmers," Marzuki said on Friday. "The MUI [Indonesian Ulema Council] or Nahdlatul Ulama [one of the biggest Islamic organizations in Indonesia] should consider issuing a haram fatwa [edict] against imported fruits. We have so many kinds of local fruits which could bring prosperity to our farmers."
A lawmaker from the United Development Party (PPP), Syaifullah Tamliha, previously said that as long as local production was sufficient, importing meat, fruits and vegetables should be considered haram because it could ruin the markets for local farmers.
The lawmaker also demanded the government improve farming management by providing proper training for the farmers to help ensure local production met international standards.
Syaifullah also criticized the current meat import system, adding that the market was inundated with imported meat because local farmers only sold their cattle during special occasions including Idul Adha.
Ichwan Syam, the secretary-general of the MUI, said that the council did not have any plans to issue a haram edict against importing meat, fruits, and vegetables in the near future.
"There are too many different opinions about the issue, and the MUI has never made the analysis to find out whether or not the local production of meat, fruits and vegetables has been sufficient for the domestic needs, and we have never discussed if importing the items would bring us any good," he said on Saturday.
Ichwan said the MUI would undertake a comprehensive analysis by consulting with farming experts and the Ministry of Agriculture officials first.
He added that the MUI did not have the proper knowledge about Indonesia's farming production and would therefore need assistance and guidance from experts before making a decision on whether an edict should be issued.
"We issue a fatwa with a comprehensive consideration and not based on one person's recommendation, we have to listen to all stakeholders, if the haram fatwa is extremely needed of course we would issue it immediately," he said. Ichwan said that even without the haram edict, the public should always prioritize eating local products over imported goods.