Tribal People In Indonesia Lose Their Forests, Some Turn To Islam Out Of Desperation

     Recently there was a story regarding a tribe in Indonesia where the tribal people have lost their ancestral forests. The forests where they hunted and were sustained have been lost to palm plantations. Now the tribe people live in desperate poverty and hunger. There was a picture of some of the tribesmen hunting in a palm plantation area. For anyone that has been in a palm plantation, there is not much there in the way of wild animals except perhaps some rats.

     Millions of tribespeople in Indonesia have lost their forest homelands. This has not only been devastating for them, it is also devastating for the environment. The Indonesian government has failed to protect forests and native people. Mining, palm plantations, and logging are destroying the  natural wealth, health and biodiversity of Indonesia. Each forest destroyed means poverty for the forest people and is a blow to biodiversity and environmental health.

     Some of the tribespeople, in desperation to escape poverty and hunger now that their forests are lost, are turning to Islam. Others in the tribe are resisting this conversion, which would mean the complete loss of their culture and religion.

     Indonesia must protect the rights of its native people, their forests and biodiversity. So far it has failed to do so. It must reverse this shameful legacy.

     Conversion out of desperation to any religion in and of itself is disgraceful. Give the people a way towards a sustainable future. The world does not need more mindless religious robots. The world does need biological diversity, healthy rainforests, and diverse cultures and religions.