Question 711 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 7

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them peace. If the land does not actually belong to him, this conduct is illegitimate and the money he obtains is unlawful gain. Yes, if a group lives in a particular area and a person from outside their area, a company, or the government-other than the government of the just Imam-comes and intends to establish a public or private project, that group may object, stop the project, or demand compensation for the harm that will befall them because of it if they reasonably expect the project to harm them. For example, if the government-other than the government of the just Imam-or a particular company intends to drill an oil well, excavate a quarry or mine, build a factory, or build a bridge in their area, and they expect that this project will cause environmental pollution, cut off a particular road, cause congestion, cause noise harmful to them, displace some wild animals, or cause any reasonable harm, they have the right to object and prevent it, or to demand compensation for the harm that will befall them or their area.