Halal fishing methods and the environment

Speaking of Islam and the environment, here’s an example of progressive religious leadership at the grassroots in Africa.

African fishermen find way of conservation in the Koran | csmonitor.com

For years, Salim Haji was told by government officials and international groups that his methods of fishing were destroying the coral and weren’t sustainable. But few fishermen on this small island off Tanzania’s coast paid much heed.

Then, the local imam told him that using dragnets to fish and spears to catch octopuses was wrong.

As a devout Muslim, he listened.

“I’ve learned that the way I fished was destructive to the environment,” says Mr. Haji, “This side of conservation isn’t from the mzungu,” he says, using the Swahili word for white man, “it’s from the Koran.”

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