By the ISNA Green Initiative Team

Nov/Dec 2023

The ISNA Green Initiative Team continues to reach out, build relationships, and collaborate to educate everyone about Islam’s environmental justice teachings to address the multi-level climate crisis. Here are some of our recent efforts that promise to move forward, especially toward celebrating our tenth year in service in 2024. 

The team continues partnerships with several organizations, among them Wisconsin Green Muslims (WGM); the Chicago Muslims Green Team (CMGT); Faithfully Sustainable (FS); the Association of Muslim Scientists, Engineers, and Technology Professionals (AMSET); the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA), the Pen and Inkpot Foundation and GreenFaith (GF). We appreciate their collaboration.

Representing at the Parliament of World Religions

The Green Initiative Team represented ISNA at the Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR) — the world’s largest gathering for interfaith leaders — held on Aug. 14-18 in Chicago. Founded in that city during 1893, this event brings together leaders and followers of all faiths to work together toward a common goal.

This year’s theme was “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom and Human Rights,” with a specific focus on fighting authoritarianism. The speakers, panels and programs focused on climate change, human rights, food insecurity, racism, women’s rights and other social justice-related issues.

The ISNA Green Initiative Team participated in several sessions. Huda Alkaff (founder and director, WGM) and Saffet Catovic participated in the “Climate and Environmental Justice” session, which focused on environmental justice as the principle of fairness and equal rights for all people regardless of their differences, specifically with regard to environmental risks and benefits. Although every person has the right to a safe, healthy and sustainable environment, it has been well established for decades that people of color, Indigenous people, and the poor and marginalized are disproportionately affected by environmental dangers, such as toxic pollution and extreme weather. 

“Sacrifice zones” exist where polluting facilities are located and toxins are deposited without protection. Other factors impact health and little or no aid is provided to mitigate the negative consequences. Such environmental injustice is systemic. 

In this program, environmental justice movement leaders presented on current issues, reported on actions being taken, and made proposals for the way forward. The ethics of environmental justice were considered from diverse religious perspectives, and speakers describe what faith communities are doing — and can do — to engage the climate emergency, loss of biodiversity and pollution to achieve a just transition. 

Huda Alkaff, Saffet Catovic and Nana Firman presented in “The Environmental Spirit of Islam: ISNA Green Initiative Team” session. They stressed the Oneness of Allah and His creation, justice, compassionate stewardship, signs of the Creator, trust in the Creator and living in just balance with nature. All of this is led through the optics of faith in action, as manifested by the team’s works and activities that are implementing Islam’s core environmental tenets. They also discussed stewardship as a collective responsibility to care for Earth and each other across all faiths, nationalities, and ethnicities via advocacy, environmental justice, personal lifestyle choices, and consumption.

Huda Alkaff presented in the “Connecting Faith, Environmental Justice, and Solar Power” session. This session dealt with how solar energy’s unifying power can help overcome Islamophobia, sharing her own personal stories and studies in Wisconsin. Exploring faiths united through the Sun’s  power and how it can bring people of faith and goodwill together to address the climate crisis; care for Earth and each other; save money to reinvest in missions of justice; move toward an equitable, efficient and renewable energy future; and how to advance just solar energy distribution through building interfaith relationships.

Huda Alkaff, Saiyid Masroor Shah, Saffet Catovic (ISNA Green Initiative) and Layalee Beirat (CMGT) addressed the “Climate and Environmental Justice: Locally and Globally” session. The session dealt with Islamic values related to working together for justice, equity, dignity, inclusion and addressing the climate crisis and environmental injustice.

Representing in New York 

Huda Alkaff represented the ISNA Green Initiative Team at the “Muslims for Climate Justice Summit: The Earth as our Amaanah,” by Faithfully Sustainable held Sept. 9-10 in New York City in person, and virtually at the “Climate Justice: What Does Islam Say?” session.

The theme was that as Muslims are Earth’s stewards, we must do everything with the best of intentions and, in addition, are responsible for aiding those disproportionately affected by climate change. A sub-session, “Climate Justice in Islam,” explored the intersection of Islamic values and environmental activism, as well as stressed the importance of addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities. 

Nana Firman (senior ambassador, GreenFaith) participated in the “Decoding the Science of Climate Change: Fossil Fuels, Emissions and Carbon Footprints” session, which discussed that paying attention to our planet is a prophetic sunna. Now more than ever, Earth’s climate needs our care and intervention. However, reversing the damage requires that we understand why it is happening.

Members of the ISNA Green Initiative Team participated in the March to End Fossil Fuels, held on Sept. 17 in New York City. This march, part of the Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels, registered 400+ actions, marches, rallies and events worldwide. These mobilizations were coordinated by 780+ endorsing organizations and were expected to draw millions of participants. 

These actions are part of a mass global escalation demanding a rapid end to fossil fuels in a just and equitable manner ahead of the UN Climate Ambition Summit, which was held on Sept. 20 in New York City. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on world leaders to make ambitious commitments to phase out fossil fuels.

The latest data backs up the International Energy Agency’s finding that no new fossil fuel extraction can be developed under a 1.5°C limit. It also shows that over half of the existing fields and mines could be shut down early while protecting workers and communities. This responsibility lies with the leaders of rich nations that have a historical legacy of pollution to deliver a fast and fair phase out of fossil fuels and fund it globally. 

Presenting at the ISNA Convention

ISNA Green Initiative Team also participated in two of the ISNA convention sessions.

During the “Impact of Human-Caused Climate Change on Vulnerable Communities” session, Saiyid Masroor Shah (AMSET) and Marium Husain (IMANA), noted that the global temperature had risen almost 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are increasing. With evident consequences from this summer’s record-breaking heat waves across three continents, record low sea ice in Antarctica, flashing red signs of severe climate impacts and the worldwide grave consequences of climate change on the ecosystem, economy, energy, agriculture, health and the economically disadvantaged. 

The ISNA Green Initiative team is doing its part to educate and participate in activities related to the environment and climate change. Please join hands to make the world a better place. As God ordained us to be the stewards of Earth, let’s fulfill our responsibility.

ISNA Green Initiative Team: Huda Alkaff, Saffet Catovic, Nana Firman, Uzma Mirza and S. Masroor Shah (Chair)

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By Dalia Rakha

Sept/Oct 2023

Environmental sustainability and its execution have been greatly debated across the globe. From discussions on waste management and restoration techniques to health concerns and global disasters, the sustainability movement has attempted to define the ideal relationship between humans and the natural world. Yet, these definitions have only gone as far as physical manifestations, detailing the how but not the why.  More than 1400 years ago, Islam filled the gaps through the revelation of a single verse.

“And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you” (Quran 6:165). 

The God-given responsibility of being His vicegerents on Earth and emulating His Divine traits of mercy, justice, and wisdom is at the core of how Muslims look at their relationship with the natural world. Islam offers a unique perspective on how and why taking care of this planet is important not only for one’s physical well-being, but also to the well-being of the soul and to fulfilling the fundamental purpose of life. Deeply spiritual, God-centric, and ethically founded, the Islamic worldview on environmental sustainability is a rich tradition being actualized through various methods in Islamic organizations across North America.

Zaytuna Modeling Vicegerency 

In the U.S., Zaytuna College is on the front lines of a movement towards self-sustainable agriculture and reconnecting with the natural world. As the first accredited Muslim American college, Zaytuna has used the Islamic lens to not only inform its academic curriculum but also its experiential learning initiatives through the Zaytuna College Center for Ethical Living and Learning (ZCELL). 

“ZCELL is a place to model methods of actualizing Muslims’ vicegerency on Earth,” said Rhamis Kent, a scholar-in-residence and instructor for Zaytuna’s Permaculture Design Certificate Course. “As a modern human society, we have accepted unexamined lives where we no longer take responsibility for our existence. We have outsourced everything that makes our lives possible to someone else, merely consuming what is grown and produced by others and never truly connecting to its origin.”

Kent is also the co-founder of the IGE-PEARL (Islamic Gift Economy — Program for Ethical Appropriate and Regenerative Livelihoods). He believes one of the most important ways of connecting to the Earth, to ourselves, and to God is through the cultivation of land. Kent shared that in the Islamic tradition, what we eat is often tied to our spiritual state. As modernity has deprived us from connecting with the Earth and fulfilling our responsibility to it, he believes that this has also resulted in a disconnection with each other, for the deepest bonds come from struggle and self-sufficiency as a community. His work aims to empower Muslims to retake this essential responsibility, knowing it not only reconnects humans with each other and all of creation, but most importantly with the Creator.  

Muslims and Indigenous Communities in Canada

The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) is a charitable grassroots organization aimed at helping Muslims revitalize their faith to better serve society. It promotes local community building and education through various programs, all within Islamic ethical frameworks. One of MAC’s directors, Memona Hossain, focuses on community-based learning initiatives to help Muslims reconnect with nature through the lens of Islam.  She is also a lecturer at the University of Toronto and a current PhD candidate in Applied Ecopsychology.

Through conversations with Indigenous peoples, Hossain has come to learn that the centralization of God in the way Muslims see the world is what often allows Muslims and Indigenous communities to relate to and connect with each other. She has had opportunities to engage in dialogue with and to learn from Indigenous communities across Canada to understand how this Creator-centric worldview fundamentally changes conversations on environmental sustainability, as well as in the ways justice is addressed and perceived. 

While secular worldviews often face these issues with a sense of despair, Hossain noted that because a Muslim’s understanding of justice and success are not limited to worldly outcomes, it is profoundly hopeful. Muslims believe even the smallest of acts do not go unnoticed by God. It is this hope that distinguishes Islam’s understanding of the world, and according to Hossain is one of the most beautiful gifts Muslims can bring to the sustainability movement.

Environment in the Quran

In both of these examples, it is clear that the most essential part of the Islamic environmental worldview is its connection to God. Throughout the Quran, God mentions the miracles of creation as proofs and reminders of His existence, signs of His perfection and mercy, and expressions of His love and generosity. Verses that describe the life-giving properties of rain (16:65), the marvel of milk (16:66), and the healing of honey (16:69) are all examples. This creates a much deeper relationship with the land, a profoundly spiritual bond. God revealed in the Quran that humans are made from clay (15:26) and water (21:30), a reminder that human beings and the Earth are intimately related. Thus, in understanding the natural world, humanity is better able to understand and connect with ourselves.

Kent emphasized that when Muslims emulate the life of Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), it is at its core “modeling a behavioral pattern that permits us to benefit everyone and everything.” The way Muslims treat all of creation is based upon this lens. This seemingly small shift in worldview fundamentally alters everything. Instead of looking only at preventing harm, Muslims are asked to heal, to mend, and most importantly, to improve conditions. Muslims have been given a rich and deeply rooted tradition in building and maintaining relationships with the Earth and all that is in it. 

The world is in desperate need of alternative methods to connect with each other and all of creation. Islam provides a beautiful example centered around God and His attributes, rooted in ethics and sustained with soul. It is a gift too precious not to be shared. 

Dalia Rakha holds an MS in environmental engineering from UC Davis, is a graduate of Tayseer Seminary, and is pursuing a career in water quality and health within a spiritual framework.

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Sept/Oct 2023

In about mid-July, the major news was not about the war in Ukraine or local politics. Rather, the headlines read, “History-making heat set to spread after weekend of triple-digit temperatures,” and “Heatwaves hit new heights across West and South.”

More than 100 million people, around a third of Americans, were under extreme heat advisories. The Southwest Heat Dome broke all-time records, which is also delaying the Southwest monsoon from getting going by blocking most moisture from pushing into the region from Mexico or the nearby eastern Pacific waters. The National Weather Service warned that a “searing heat wave was set to engulf much of the West Coast, the Great Basin, and the Southwest.” Canadian wildfires also affected the air quality in 11 states affecting nearly 60 million Americans.

Heat waves are not only impacting the U.S. but other parts of the world too. According to the European Space Agency “Temperatures were sizzling across Europe amid an intense and prolonged period of heat. Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Poland are all facing major heat waves with air temperatures expected to climb to 118F on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia with potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe.”

According to an Asian Development Bank blog, South Asia experienced its highest temperatures in the last 122 years, leading to at least 90 heat-related deaths in Pakistan and India. The People’s Republic of China suffered three consecutive heat waves, breaking long-standing records, with temperatures exceeding 107F.

The World Meteorological Organization said that such temperatures are highest since instrumental measures of air temperatures began in the 1850s. On top of these record-breaking temperatures, a growing El Niño event in the Pacific began to make its presence felt across the globe. El Niño is a periodic climatic event that occurs when the circulation of the equatorial Pacific Ocean shifts and its temperature rises, causing knock-on heat impacts around the world.

“We should not be surprised…This is all a stark reminder of what we’ve known for a long time,” said Prof. Richard Betts, climate scientist at the Met Office and University of Dexter, told the BBC. “We will see ever-more extremes until we stop building up more greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.” Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and an unusual band of strong winds that have hovered over the Atlantic have already triggered heatwaves.

As the world continues to use more fossil fuels and produce excess greenhouse gasses there is a continued possibility of climate anomalies as were in June 2023 shown in the map by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Consequences of extreme heat waves

Climate change caused by greenhouse gasses from burning fossil fuels will make heat waves longer, more intense, and more frequent. These heat waves are serious threats to health, agriculture, energy, and infrastructure, especially for the vulnerable population of poor countries. Such heat waves also set off other natural disasters such as drought, bushfires, and forest fires which consequently damage crops and livestock. This can lead to insufficient supply, price hikes and even food insecurity. During a heat wave, energy consumption often skyrockets to cool down the temperature. Air conditioning is constantly used where accessible, leading to power shortages in many places. Increased greenhouse gas emissions cause severe climate change impacts in the long term, triggering more heat waves.

Major causes of extreme heat waves

Most of the greenhouse gasses resulting from human activities include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gasses. Burning fossil fuels is the main culprit of increasing greenhouse gasses. Burning coal and oil produces carbon dioxide by combining oxygen in the air with carbon. Clearing land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities contributes carbon dioxide to a lesser extent than fossil fuels. Human activities often occur in a manner that multiplies negative effects on the atmosphere. The resources used by the larger population often involve burning fossil fuels, while more land may be cleared for agriculture. Carbon sinks, such as forested areas, decline as burning fossil fuels increase. Unless the major users of fossil fuels like the U.S, China, and India change to use renewable energy, the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere will continue to increase.

Need to manage extreme heat waves

The ongoing heat waves around the world need to be managed sooner than later to save lives. Particular attention must be paid to communities that cannot rely on safe and affordable water or air conditioning to cool down. The underlying long-term causes also need to be addressed. If not, the heat waves of the future could be far more intense and disruptive than what we are experiencing today. Governments must invest in better urban planning and infrastructure to adapt to heat waves and reduce the urban heat island effect. This includes transitioning from conventional to cooling material for roofs and pavements that absorb less solar energy and reflect more sunlight and expand green spaces and green corridors.

Our Role as Muslims in reducing the production of greenhouse gasses

God has repeatedly reminded us to take care of the earth as designated caretakers.

“Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of people’s own hands have wrought. So that they may taste something of what they have done; So that hopefully they will turn back.”  (Quran 30:41)

Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “The world is sweet and green with vegetation and verily God has made you stewards in it, and He sees how you acquit yourself (Sahih Muslim).

The Islamic Declaration on Climate Change (Istanbul, August 2015) asks peoples of all nations and their leaders to aim in phasing out greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to stabilize their concentration in the atmosphere and commit to adopting renewable energy sources. It also calls upon all Muslims to tackle the habits, mindset, and root causes of climate change, environmental degradation, and loss of biodiversity in their sphere of influence. The severe heat wave enforces upon all of us the necessity to do our share.

ISNA Green Initiative is your voice for protecting the climate. Contact your representatives in the city, state, and federal governments to take actions necessary to mitigate the effect of climate change and adopt an environmentally friendly way of life.

ISNA Green Initiative Team: Huda Alkaff, Saffet Catovic, Nana Firman, Uzma Mirza, S. Masroor Shah (Chair)

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By The ISNA Green Initiative Team

May/June 2023

We all deserve to breathe clean air, for it’s one of life’s basic needs.

Few things are more frightening than being unable to get enough air. However, because of persistent indoor and outdoor air pollution, people all over the world suffer daily from acute respiratory health problems.

This May, we celebrate Clean Air Month. Clean air is critical to human and ecosystem health. Poor air quality affects people of all ages, especially those who have asthma or heart conditions, work and exercise outdoors, as well as elders and children.

Clean Air Month started as a week-long event in 1972 and evolved into a month-long one in 1994. Its awareness campaigns seek to educate everyone about the impact of air pollutants and encourage people to take steps to improve air quality, both locally and globally.

We can’t always see or smell toxic air pollutants, but their health impacts are very real. Air pollution is responsible for over 100,000 deaths in the U.S. each year and leads to heart disease, lung cancer, asthma, stroke, low birth weight, premature birth and other problems.

The Clean Air Act (CAA), passed in 1970, was the first comprehensive federal law designed to crack down on polluting air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Among other things, it authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and welfare and to regulate other hazardous air pollutants. 

Air Pollution Does Discriminate

According to a 2021 EPA study, people of color are more exposed to harmful particulate air pollution than white people, with racial disparities persisting regardless of income. Much of this is related to where people live and which communities bear the brunt of air pollution. People of color are more likely to live near power plants, major roadways and manufacturing plants and thus face a higher risk of premature death from air pollution.

Truck pollution is another huge problem that harms everyone, especially those who live closes to highways, ports, freight hubs and other high-traffic areas. Toxic diesel truck fumes contribute to lethal particulate and ozone pollution, thereby threatening the health of millions. Heavy-duty vehicles also spew dangerous nitrogen oxides and other pollution, harming respiratory health, especially in marginalized communities located near freight routes. 

Toxic soot hurts millions and puts predominately black and brown communities at a greater health risk than any other population. It’s time to fight back against big polluters who want a free pass to release toxic soot pollution from dirty fossil fuel-fired power plants and other industrial sources. 

• Soot pollution, also known as particulate matter or PM_2.5, poses a special danger for children, seniors and people with chronic illnesses. 

• These particles, about 1/36th the size of a grain of sand, can be inhaled and delivered directly to our bloodstream. Exposure to soot has been linked to asthma, heart disease, COPD, Parkinson’s, dementia, low birth weight, greater risk of preterm birth and higher rates of infant mortality health risks and chronic conditions.

• According to the American Lung Association, 63 million Americans are exposed to repeated short-term spikes in soot pollution each year, and many, including more than 20 million Americans suffer dangerous levels of soot pollution on a year-round basis. 

The current standards for soot pollution, which haven’t been updated since 2012, are insufficient to protect our health or the environment. Stronger updated limits (i.e., no higher than 8 mcg/m³ annual and 25 mcg/m³ daily) can save nearly 20,000 lives each year. An even stronger soot standard is expected in black and brown communities, which are often overburdened by pollution, to at least partially end some of the well-known racial disparities in health outcomes. Finally, tightening soot protections will also reduce other dangerous pollution from these sources. The EPA must take bold action if we are to meet President Biden’s stated commitments to cut dangerous pollution and protect our health and environment.

Biden promised to address the climate crisis by cutting climate pollution in half by 2030 and delivering strong public health protections for all communities. Even with the historic investments in climate and clean energy, the Inflation Reduction Act doesn’t get us all the way to this goal.  

The ISNA Green Initiative Team calls on the Biden administration to carry out its responsibilities under our nation’s bedrock environmental laws, like the Clean Air Act, by advancing protections across federal agencies that will help the president to keep his promise. 

We need him to use every authority he has to meet this commitment. That means that the EPA, the Department of Energy and other federal agencies must set strong standards to clean up power plants, transportation and other sources of pollution. Implementing strong solutions will protect our health and environment, advance environmental justice and promote clean energy sources like wind and solar to power the U.S. into the future. 

These solutions to pollution will help advance the president’s public health and environmental justice goals, accelerate the transition to clean energy and create new economic opportunities for all. That’s why we call out to President Biden and EPA Administrator Michael Regan, “Please don’t leave our communities behind. Let us breathe clean air.”  

The ISNA Green Initiative Team comprises Huda Alkaff, Saffet Catovic, Nana Firman, Uzma Mirza and Saiyid Masroor Shah (chair)

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