Muslim

Muslim-American Views on Climate Change: A National Survey

Picture courtesy of advocacy.isna.net

The Muslim-American Views on Climate Change: A National Survey is a survey conducted by the Islamic Society of North America, in coordination with ecoAmerica. It is meant to measure the attitudes of Muslim-American communities about climate change and its causes, impacts, and responses.  A clear message from the Qur’an states that unhealthy and unsustainable lifestyle will disrupt the balance that God created on planet earth and the negative repercussions are detrimental to all of creation. From the 30th chapter of the Qur’an:

”Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they may turn back” (30:41).

To read more on the Muslim-America views on climate change, click here.

Teachers Guide Book for Islamic Environmental Education

Picture courtesy of ifees.org.uk

“Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong.They are the ones who have success” Al Qur’an 3:104

This guidebook is part of the Misali Ethics Pilot Project under the Misali Conservation Project. The basis of Muslim social interaction is to establish good action and prohibit the bad. They believe that teaching others about the natural world and how to behave in it are important parts of this responsibility. This resource was designed to help teachers communicate this message and to cultivate respect for the environment. To read the entire guidebook, click here.

Environment and Islam

Picture courtesy of whyislam.org

Climate Change: A Call for Personal Changes is an article about the Islamic faith and the environment. The author, Imam Shabir Ally, discusses conservation, the sanctity of planting trees, the equilibrium of all life, man’s purpose, and a call for change. He pulls quotes directly from the Quran and explains their relationship to creation. To read the entire article, click here.

Engaged Organizations: Green Muslims

Picture courtesy of greenmuslims.org

Green Muslims is a resource for the Muslim community to help promote spiritually-inspired environmental education, reflection, and action. They offer programs to help share knowledge, different community actions, and leadership development. Their website includes tool kits that they develop to teach practical tips on protecting the environment and volunteer opportunities for youth. Green Muslims has also put together a project called Green Scripture, which is a resource that includes verses from the Qur’an and sayings of the prophet Muhammad relevant to aspects of nature and environmental stewardship. To learn more visit their website by clicking here.

Islamic Practices and Sustainability

Mr. Iskandar Waworuntu is working with Islamic faiths in Indonesia to incorporate sustainability with forgiveness. Much of the Muslim traditions have to do with purification. Waworuntu is hoping to incorporate these two ideas with each other, linking sustainability as a form of purification. To read all about this, click here. A video that explains Mr. Waworuntu’s views can be seen below.

Video Credit: https://vimeo.com/102535122

Muslim Leaders on Endangered Species

Photo Credit: http://www.scmp.com/news /asia/article/1441747/fatwa-issued-against-hunting-endangered-wildlife-indonesia

Indonesian religious leaders have released a statement confirming that killing endangered species is no allowed in their faith. Most people have already agreed to this concept, but this push from religious leaders will have an effect on farmers and fishermen who don’t always care about whether or not they kill endangered species. To see the effectiveness of the decree of these Muslim leaders in their community, read the full story here.

 

Bicycle Pilgrims

Photo Credit: http://www.aljazeera.com /indepth/spotlight/hajj2010/2010/10/ 201010993257862785.html

Two South African men, Haron and Cairncross, went on a typical pilgrimage in an untypical way. These young Muslim men road bicycles all the way from South Africa to the holy city Mecca. Not only was this physically invigorating, but it was spiritually rewarding as well. This was also an extremely sustainable way to travel. To read about their incredible journey and sheer determination, check out the whole story here.

Muslims and Water Conservation

World Water Day is March 22, according to the United Nations. With water becoming scarcer and scarcer, it is essential that it is not wasted. The Muslim community is taking this message to heart with discussions of water conservation. Citing the Qur’an, it is easy to see how and why the Muslim community values water to such a high degree. There are many times in the Qur’an when it is told specifically not to waste water. To get a more in depth look at this, and why the Muslim community is getting so involved with World Water Day, read the full article here.

Photo Credit: http://www.muslimcharity.org.uk/news/world-water-day-2014-be-part-of-the-cycle-of-change/

Green Deem: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet

Photo Credit: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Deen-Teaches-Protecting-Planet/dp/1605094641

Written by Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, this book goes into the Islamic Faith’s connection with the environment. It discusses Islamic followers’ responsibility to the earth as stewards, as well as some of the ways that Muslim communities are taking action. For a brief summary of this book, follow this link. It is available for purchase on Amazon here.