Jakarta. Vice President Ma’ruf Amin recently said that he had no problem with religious groups getting to operate coal mines as long as their mining activities do not take a toll on the planet. 

“What matters is to remember that there are things we have to pay attention to when mining. Don’t let your mining activities harm the environment,” Ma’ruf told reporters when riding the Whoosh high-speed train on Thursday.

The government has decided to grant religious groups mining permits. The Islam-based Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah already accepted the offer. The policy sparked criticisms over the organizations’ lack of experience and competence, not to mention the environmental concerns. Ma’ruf said that such criticisms were normal, especially if the groups failed to manage the mining areas sustainably.

“So please, whoever is accepting the [mining permit] offer must implement good mining practices,” Ma’ruf, who is also a Muslim cleric, said. 

He also said that not all mass organizations would get a mining permit, saying that there would not be enough mines to accommodate all groups. Ma’ruf added: “Perhaps there will be priorities [in granting the mining permits] based on certain criteria.”

Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization NU became the first group to accept the government’s offer to manage mines. Fellow Muslim group Muhammadiyah made a similar announcement not long ago. Both will operate sizable coal mines. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, but the offer is also open to other religious groups of different faiths.