Suburban mosques in Illinois are preaching carpools, recycling and reduced meat consumption this month as part of a Green Ramadan campaign launched by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. According to the Daily Herald, the Council includes 50 mosques with 40,000 members.
Five mosques have officially signed on, including the first solar mosque in the United States, the Bridgeview Mosque Foundation (left).
From the Herald:
“Ramadan is the month where you change your lifestyle, so it makes a lot of sense to use the month to change our behavior in terms of consumption, environmental consciousness and stewardship,” said Zaher Sahloul, Bridgeview Mosque Foundation president and chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.
Chicago is not the only place where Ramadan is a chance to examine human impact on the earth. We reported yesterday that Amman is subsidizing vegetables in honor of the holiday. You can also see the Green Prophet guide to a green Ramadan here.
The Council Web site brings up a number of passages from the Quran that point to the need for enlightened use of the Earth’s resources:
“Now, behold! Your Lord said to the angels: I am placing upon the earth a human successor to steward it” (2:30)
This week, the Council is pushing recycling, and the focus will shift to other green topics throughout the month.
:: Photo from Chicago Public Radio
Author: Daniella Cheslow
Daniella Cheslow grew up in a car-dependent suburb in New Jersey, where she noticed strip malls and Wal-Marts slowly replacing farmland. Her introduction to nature came through hiking trips in Israel. As a counselor for a freshman backpacking program at Northwestern University, Daniella noticed that Americans outdoors seemed to need to arm themselves with performance clothing, specialized water bottles and sophisticated camping silverware. This made her think about how to interact with and enjoy nature simply. This year, Daniella is getting a Master’s in Geography from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. She also freelance writes, photographs and podcasts. In her free time, she takes day trips in the desert, drops off compost and cooks local foods like stuffed zucchini, kubbeh and majadara. Daniella gets her peak oil anxiety from James Howard Kunstler and her organic food dreams from Michael Pollan. Read more at her blog, TheTruthHerzl.com. Daniella can be reached at daniella (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
It seems that the sermons are approaching some unusual themes this Ramadan. Recycling, carpool and reducing red meat consumption are very eco-friendly themes, never before peached by muslim leaders. I salute the initiative by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater auto in Chicago.
It seems that the sermons are approaching some unusual themes this Ramadan. Recycling, carpool and reducing red meat consumption are very eco-friendly themes, never before peached by muslim leaders. I salute the initiative by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater auto in Chicago.