Believing in the importance of protecting environment in Islam, a Canadian Muslim woman from Calgary has stated a new environmental committee in her local mosque, inviting people to share suggestions for making their mosque eco-friendly.
“Environmental stewardship and conservation is a very big part of our faith,” said Nazish Qureshi, a member of Calgary Islamic Center, Iqra.ca reported.
“It’s not a new concept. Our religion explicitly demands this of us as Muslims, and all of this is embodied in the life of the Prophet (Muhammad) peace be upon him.”
Qureshi started her committee work in March, hosting events to provide education about environmental stewardship based on Islamic principles.
Nazish Qureshi started the environmental committee at Akram Jomaa Islamic Centre. She holds a MSc in Sustainable Energy Development, and a BComm in Energy Management. Photo courtesy of Qureshi.
The committee hosted an event in September to distribute reusable water bottles to reduce one-time plastic use. A community clean-up was also held during the Thanksgiving long weekend in October.
“As we were doing the cleanup, we were also raising awareness about why we’re doing this, and the kind of trash we were finding in and around the area,” she says.
“Our main mission is to raise environmental awareness in our communities, and do various initiatives that promote conservation of the environment.”
Community members who attend the mosque are happy about the efforts.
“Everyone was very, very positive about the work that we were doing,” Qureshi says. “We’re constantly interacting and engaging with our community hoping that we’re able to address more and more of their needs.”
From an Islamic perspective, environmental activism is grounded in honoring the relationship between oneself, Allah, and Allah’s creation.
Allah says in the Qur’an, It is He who has appointed you vicegerent on the Earth … (Qur’an, 6:165)