TRENGGALEK/YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization faces a growing backlash following a decision to enter the coal mining industry, with more than 1,000 young Islamic activists from a mining district the latest to campaign against the move. “Extractive mining causes massive global climate change, environmental damage, declining water quality, and triggers various forms of social conflicts for communities in mining areas,” the declaration by Muhammadiyah youth activists in the Java district of Trenggalek stated. Two Muhammadiyah student organizations in Trenggalek and the young women’s wing of the organization, Nasyiatul Aisiyah, were among five signatories to the declaration on Aug. 4 calling on the leadership of Muhammadiyah to reverse its decision to operate mines. Muhammadiyah has branches in the hundreds of districts across Indonesia, but the declaration by the youth wings in Trenggalek has garnered attention because they originate from an area set to undergo extensive land-use change due to gold mining. In 2019, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources authorized an operating permit for a 12,803–hectare (31,637-acre) exploration area in Trenggalek, overlapping with protected forests and water catchment areas. The declaration by the activists in Trenggalek was released a day after Mongabay confirmed the suspension of a copper mine just 100 kilometers (60 miles) away in Pacitan district, where scores of farmers have endured economic ruin after mining waste flooded down-valley rice fields. In October 2021, Trenggalek residents blocked a main road to protest a scheduled meeting between the local government and the permit holder, Australian-owned mining company…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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