WASHINGTON — Inhabitants of the oil-exporting sheikhdoms and emirates of the Persian Gulf wolf down an average 3,700 calories a day —leading to the highest rates of obesity on Earth — even as at least 805 million people, one-ninth of the world’s population, go hungry.

Such huge disparities will ultimately lead to widespread unrest, warns Deborah Wheeler, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy who specializes in Middle East politics.

Wheeler (pictured below while on research in Kuwait) was one of a dozen experts meeting Oct. 16 at Virginia’s George Mason University, just outside Washington, for a summit on global food security and health.

“The United Nations says we will add two billion people by 2050 and an additional one billion by 2100, for a total world population of around 10 billion,” said GMU public policy professor Kenneth A. Reinert, a frequent consultant for the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and the U.S. Department of Commerce. “Approximately one billion of these additional individuals will reside in Africa, and another one billion in Asia. Both Africa and South Asia are currently basic goods-deprived environments.

Even worse, he said, “the majority of countries whose population growth is expected to be fastest in the future are precisely those showing inadequate food consumption and high levels of undernourishment.”

At the other extreme are a handful of small Arab states in the Persian Gulf that owe their mind-blowing wealth entirely to oil and gas. Qatar’s annual per-capita income exceeds $100,000, making that country’s 2.1 million inhabitants among the world’s wealthiest. Excluding migrant workers who form the vast majority of Qatar’s population, per-capita GDP jumps to nearly $690,000.

Oil rich but very food insecure

Yet Deborah Wheeler, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, sees dark clouds on the horizon.

“These countries depend more than 90 percent on the global food market to eat and drink,” she said. “Kuwait imports 98 percent of what it eats and drinks. It makes sense for them to import. But relying on that global market is becoming increasingly problematic.”

Wheeler, whose presentation at GMU was titled “Food Security and Gluttony in a Water Scarce Region: Lessons in Sustainability from the Arabian Gulf,” showed her audience a photo of the glitzy new Dean & DeLuca gourmet food emporium in Kuwait City. At 21,500 square feet, it’s the largest Dean & DeLuca franchise in the Middle East.

Another image was of the new Cheesecake Factory outlet at a Kuwait City mall.

“We’ve sent all our worst habits to the Gulf, and they are very happy to have them,” she said. “The Gulf countries are a perfect lab for studying non-communicable diseases. Diabetes is growing faster here than anywhere else on the planet, yet they’re in a water-scarce region — and it’s oil wealth that allows them to mask this problem.”

Wheeler, a political scientist, has done research in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. She specializes in information technology diffusion and its impact on the Arab world, as well as gender issues and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. She said that in Kuwait, 70 percent of the adult population, and 48 percent of all adolescents, are either overweight or obese.

Food insecurity could lead to radicalization

“As we know, as GDP goes up, consumption is transformed. These are rich countries and they eat like rich countries. The problem is, they don’t produce anything they eat,” she warned. “In spite of having all that oil wealth, which allows them to live way beyond their ecological footprints, we’re starting to see cracks. How did the Tunisian revolution start? A vegetable seller set himself on fire. That led to a transition.”

Wheeler added: “These countries are so fragile. As soon as they collapse, we’re going to see massive Islamization.”

RELATED: Gulf States land grab for food production in Africa

In fact, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rank in the bottom 10 percent of the world’s sustainable nations. All of these countries have seen population growth exceeding three times the global average, yet during the same time there’s been a rapid decline in the amount of available fresh water.

These countries are also among the biggest food wasters in the world, producing 150 million tons of municipal garbage a year. In addition, they release more carbon into the atmosphere on a per-capita basis than anyone else. Yet they don’t produce anything, which is why the Gulf Cooperation Council’s food import bill has jumped by 105 percent since 2010; experts estimate that the six GCC nations will spend a combined $53 billion a year on food by 2020.

“These people lead highly consumptive lifestyles that are ultimately dangerous to public health,” Wheeler said.

It’s no wonder diabetes is through the roof in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE; citizens of the GCC nations consume an average 3,700 calories a day. They also have the world’s highest per-capita water consumption, even though their countries are among the driest on the planet.

“People are aware of the fact the cost of living is increasing rapidly. And what are their governments doing? They’re cutting subsidies. This leads to public protests in places where we don’t expect it,” she said, adding this is why Washington needs to be concerned. “Last summer while I was in Kuwait, there were public demonstrations in support of Islamic State. They’re upset with their government, and any movement that looks like it might sweep that existing government out of the way will get their support.”

Image of  Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Almaktoum from 965malls; top image of kabsa mandi from Saudi Arabia from UCAELI

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In no particular order:

1. Senad Hadzic. The Bosnian man (above) who walked 3,600 miles and crossed six borders over 314 days to get to Mekkah in time for Hajj. Putting aside the agonising blisters, seriously cold European weather and having to slum it for almost a year, this actually sounds like a lot of fun… wait a minute. Yep, you got to hand it to Senad Hadzic for the dedication.

2. Water Portraits by photographer Peter Holmes in which he basically dumps the amount of water a person uses in an hour on them based on the national rates of water use. And all in the name of water conservation too. The Moroccan guy above got splashed with 4.5 litres which is actually nothing compared to the literally eye-watering 32 litres the average person from California uses. There were however no second takes which I am sure the subjects appreciated!

3. Rafea – Solar Mama.  An award-winning documentary has being made about the inspiring  woman from Jordan who travelled to India to learn to become a solar engineer. Back in 2011, I spoke to Rafea Abdul Hamid who is the focus of the film, so you may recall that she is in fact still struggling to establish solar power in her village. But you can help by donating via the Barefoot College website. Seriously, you have to consider it for an Xmas present or an new year’s gift (‘cos they really do exist), or maybe for someone’s  birthday…

4. Easkey Britton, a surfing champion and passionate environmentalist, became the first women to surf the Iranian waves. That’s all you need to know.

5. Muslim Beekeepers Start Project in London Mosque. When Kingston mosque in London introduced between 10,000 and 15,000 bees onto its premises last summer, the congregation was naturally quite concerned. Would it be safe? Would bee swarms gather at the mosque? Would it be dangerous for children? However, once local beekeeper Munir Ravalia explained that the beehive wouldn’t be a health and safety risk on the roof, they were pretty eager to find out more…

My top five shout out also goes to some truly inspiring people including: Mario Cucinella and all those working on Gaza’s green schools, the newly formed Arab Youth Climate Movement, the award-winning Iraqi mud architect Selma Samar Damluji, the Jordanian campaigners who worked to stop nuclear power and also Comet-ME for all their hard work under very difficult circumstances. Keep your heads held high.

The post 5 Inspiring Green Prophet Stories and People Of 2012 appeared first on Green Prophet.

What can Islam do for the environment? That’s a question I have been asking myself for some years now and, in all honestly, I am nowhere near answering it fully. I have definitely enjoyed looking into the green ethics of Islam in a bid to help Muslims worldwide take up the environmentally-friendly path, but I still have lots of questions.

Like how can we get Muslims to embrace the greener side of Islam?
How do we translate belief into action? How do green Muslims, who are coming at the climate change issue from a different perspective, link up with more mainstream and non-faith green organisations?

Embracing geo-engineering as ‘Plan B’ is not only dangerous as the outcomes of planetary-scale experiments are highly uncertain; it is undemocratic, irresponsible and ignores the fact that we have a perfectly good ‘Plan A’ – to cut our emissions.

We just need better ways of convincing people to do that. One area that is commonly overlooked when exploring ways to encourage greater climate awareness and action is faith and religion. Islam, in particularly, which is perceived as the faith of oil-rich sheikhs is sidelined with sparse academic research highlighting the insights Islam has to offer an environmentally vulnerable planet.

The primary source of all Islamic thought and practice, the Holy Qur’an, is full of exhalation of nature, its beauty and the need to protect it. Nature is portrayed as God’s glory, a gift of sustenance and humanity is divinely ordained responsibilities to care for the natural world and keep the harmony and balance placed within it.[1]

In the Qur’an there are “ample instructions as well as warnings to the faithful not to abuse their power in dealing with the environment. Distortion of the natural order and ill-treatment of God’s creatures, whatever they are, are considered as sins that lead to punishment.”[2] Wastefulness is discouraged and excessive consumption or greed is actively prohibited. Indeed, the Prophet Muhammed warned his followers to not waste precious resources such as water and encouraged them to protect land and improve its fertility.

With this in mind, it is not hard to make the link between Islamic ethics and the need to curb our excessive use of non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels which are poisoning the air and land. As such, Islam has “the capability of helping to solve one of the greatest problems of our time, namely that of ‘the environment’.

Islam need not be a hindrance, but could be a great help, in educating the faithful about good environmental conduct.”[3] Cairo, the Islamic capital with one thousand minarets, is one of the most polluted cities in the world and Bangladesh and the Maldives – which are both Muslim nations – will be the worst affected countries when climate change hits due to flooding and droughts. [4] Indeed, environmental problems plague many Muslims countries whether it be deforestation in Indonesia, desertification and over-development in the Middle East or drought in North Africa.

These nations and many others have everything to gain by tackling climate change and environmental pollution by embracing the green ethics of Islam. Today, the Muslim faith commands influence (to varying degrees) of 18% of the world’s population and covers a very large area where some of the greatest environmental problems exist. [5] As such, highlighting the green tenants of the Islamic faith is hugely beneficial to tackling climate change and may become increasing useful with the predicted doubling of the Muslim population by 2030 to 26.4%.[6]

If Muslims across the world garner greater awareness of their Islamic duties to the environment, it also perceivable that they would be able to pressure their governments into making the right ‘green’ decisions when it comes to water, food, recycling and energy use. It would also mean that rich Gulf Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain wouldn’t be as obstructive at important climate summits if their populations could rally for the environment based on Islamic tenants. [7]

[1]   Murad M. Islamic Environmental Stewardship: Nature and Science in the Light of Islamic Philosophy in Union Seminary Quarterly Review, (2011) Vol. 63: pg147-8
[2]   Kula, E. (March 2001) Islam and environmental conservation. Environmental Conservation: Vol. 28 (Issue 1), p4.
[3] Kula, E. (March 2001) Islam and environmental conservation. Environmental Conservation: Vol. 28 (Issue 1), p7.
[4] N. Ammar, Islam and Deep Ecology, in D. Landis and R. Gottlieb, Eds., Deep Ecology and World Religions: New Essays on Sacred Grounds (State University of New York Press, 2001), p193.
[5] Ibid, p2.
[6] Jones, H. (January 27 2011) 2.2 Billion: World’s Muslim Population Doubles. TIME. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/27/2-2-billion-worlds-muslim-population-doubles/
[7] Sanchez, R. (November 11 2011) US ‘blocking’ climate change fund ahead of Durban conference. The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/8914511/US-blocking-climate-change-fund-ahead-of-Durban-conference.html

Image of sitting bedouin and donkey from Shutterstock.com

For more on Islam and climate change:

Green Iftar Guide – Breaking the Ramadan Fast Sustainably

How Islam Could Help Fight Water Scarcity

Islam’s Environmentally Friendly Architecture – Where Did It Go?

The post What Can Islam Do For The Environment? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Ibrahim Abdul-Matin is a man of many talents. As well as working as a regular sports commentator and youth organiser, he is a policy adviser for NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s office of sustainability and author of ‘Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet‘. He has been making waves on the US green scene for a decade now and his latest book, which connects his Muslim faith with his love of nature hopes to spark greater environmental awareness amongst the Muslim community. I caught up with him to speak about the influence of his father on his green ethic, what the life of an Eco-Muslim would look like, ideas for a green hajj and why Muslims need to become ambassadors for clean water.

GP: Tell us a bit about yourself. When and where were you born and how did you become more aware of environmental issues?
Ibrahim: I was born in the middle of a blizzard in Manhattan, New York on January, 1977. My mother and father were recent converts to mainstream Islam and lived in Queens. We eventually moved to Brooklyn and I remember thinking the entire world was a sea of concrete buildings. My father took my brother and I when we were little kids to hike on Bear Mountain – which is just an hour north of NYC- that day, we saw the beauty of nature, and my love of the environment has only grown ever since.

What inspired you to write the book and what has the process of putting together all that knowledge been like?
In 2008, I went to a conference called “The Dream Reborn,” in Memphis, Tennessee. This conference was a gathering of environmental justice activists. It was a beautiful group of very dedicated and inspiring people. But I was curious – what was the ordinary resident of Memphis thinking? So I ventured into the downtown area away from the conference, and met an old woman at a diner. I asked her, “what do you think of climate change?” She said, “I think it’s something democrats want me to be afraid of. Just like republicans want me to be afraid of terrorists.”

In that moment I knew that unless environmentalists found a deeper, divine, more spiritual reason for folks to become involved in the movement – they would simply see it as propaganda. Since I’m Muslim, I decided to look to my own Deen of Islam to learn more about its connection to the planet – and then tell Muslims all about it!

What response have you had about your book from the Muslim and wider community?
Overall, very positive. I think people are intrigued about mixing the two issues – Islam and the environment. And a quick glance at the book’s introduction shows people that these two issues are in fact, very connected. I’ve heard a lot from young people who felt innately connected to the environment and knew deep down inside that Islam was a Green Deen. These young folks were very happy to see their thoughts in writing.

The negative stuff has been from the typical Islam/Muslim hater who thinks “the Earth is a Mosque” is Muslims’ attempt to turn the whole world into a mosque. It’s a ridiculous notion and frankly, it’s ignorant. Islam has beautiful teachings about harnessing the power of the sun, about treating animals well, about eating food with care, and about not wasting in general. That’s what “The Earth is a mosque,” means. It means to treat the whole world as sacred.

What core teachings does Islam offer us in terms of better caring for the environment?
First I need to give a serious shout out to my dear brother Faraz Khan in New Jersey. Faraz is a true scholar and far more capable of writing a book than I am. Faraz has been studying what Islamic scholars say about the environment for some time. It’s his work that leads to the 6 principles [Tawhid (oneness), Ayats (signs of God, Khalifah (being a steward of the Earth), Amana (our sacred trust with God), Adl (justice) and Mizan (maintaining the natural world’s delicate balance)] of a Green Deen in Islam that I cite in the book.

Why do you believe that Muslims have an important role to play in combating climate change?
Because it’s our God given duty. Allah has entrusted human beings with the planet and all that’s in it. Creation is not ours – it’s Allah’s and He has made us responsible, as the best of Creation, to take care of it. Allah has generously given us these things and that we cannot forget to be grateful. We also must serve with justice and not destroy, pillage, or hurt any of the things He has provided.

What one person or group or way of thought has inspired your Green Deen?
Definitely my father. He grew up on a farm in southern Virginia and has deep connections to the land. He’s spent the last 15 years in upstate New York and frequently takes trips into the woods, the mountains, to simply exist among Allah’s creations and praise Him. My father prays outside a lot – he says that it’s good to be reminded of what we’re a part of and who to be thankful to.

What do you think is holding back Muslims from doing more for the planet (particularly in the Muslim world)? And what can be done to tackle these constraints?
I think it’s the same reason as the old woman in Memphis. Muslims need to feel compelled spiritually to make dramatic changes in their lives. They need to feel like Allah has commanded them to do something – that’s what “Green Deen” is about. I argue that Allah has told us that protecting the planet is a major priority in our practice of Islam.

If you could get Muslims to do one thing for the environment, what would it be?
Become advocates for worldwide clean water. Muslims need to pay attention to and get involved in issues that don’t just affect them – but affect everyone. We are stewards of the Earth. Not just stewards of Muslims. Water is every creature’s most basic need for survival. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us to not waste water while making wudu, even if we live next to a flowing river. Our Holy City of Mecca exists because of the Well of Zamzam.

Nearly one billion people on Earth do not have access to clean water! Every 20 seconds a child dies from a water-related disease. Bottled water companies are on a mission to privatize water – tragedy if this happens!- and even more people would be left without drinking water if a cost becomes attached to it. From now on, whenever someone asks you, a Muslim, why you follow Islam or asks you about terrorism, start talking about water. Join clean water campaigns. Pressure the UN, the WHO, and other international organizations to make this a REAL priority.

Do you think it is fair to say that all the major faiths are just discovering the green roots in their religions and the need to take environmental action?
I wouldn’t say they are “just” discovering this – I think Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, everyone has known for quite some time that humans have a responsibility to take care of the Earth. It’s just that now, today, the crisis is becoming more and more apparent. People world wide are “Going Green” so faith communities are feeling the pressure – rightly so – to get involved.

There are certain environmental activists who argue that the practice of Hajj (air travel) and the Muslim world’s dependence on oil is incompatible with green principles. Would you agree?
I think the environmental challenges created by Hajj are the same as most big cities face every day. The carbon emissions from the traffic is huge. The waste left behind from food packaging is huge. But guess what – there’s hope. The Saudi government is building a train that will transport passengers during hajj rituals. They are also considering a ban on plastic water bottles. Every person that goes to Hajj gets a Qur’an when leaving, how about everyone gets a reusable water bottle when arriving? I think that would be amazing.

What would the daily life of a green Muslim be like? How would they live, socialize, travel, etc?
It would be 50% looking back and 50% looking forward. What I mean is that our Prophet (peace be upon him) and his sahaba (companions of the Prophet) led a very Green existence. They knew how to live off the land, they ate little meat which they sacrificed themselves and never depended on a factory farming system. They lived minimally, not defining themselves based on their material possessions, but rather on their closeness to Allah.

By looking forward I mean by becoming involved in environmental innovation. Finding the new, clean energy technology that will be usable by the entire world. Choosing to use “Energy from Heaven” such as wind over “Energy from Hell” such as oil and coal. This would mean demanding that our elected officials begin focusing on harnessing the power of the sun and the wind and not allowing coal mining companies to ruin entire communities and eco-systems just to get the coal that powers our homes.

And pray. Green Muslims need to pray. Our five times a day are in synch with the rhythm of the Earth. The more we pray, the more in tune we are with the planet.

Update 2023: Green Prophet is sorry to hear about the untimely passing of Ibrahim Abdul-Matin whose death was announced in June, 2023 at age 46.

For more on Green Muslims see:

Interview with Naqa’a: Saudi Women Fighting For The Environment
From Rockstars to Recycling: Interview with Kristiane Backer – An Eco-Muslimah

Meet the Green Sheikh

The post Interview With Green Deen Muslim- Ibrahim Abdul Matin appeared first on Green Prophet.

Similar to the anti-spirit of Christmas shoppers (but more sinister, perhaps) who start spending themselves into a frenzy as soon as the Halloween candy is put to rest, some Egyptians who celebrate Eid Al-Adha have turned the sharia practice of sacrificing an animal to Allah into a callous, thoughtless, bloodletting.

Not only are skilled and unskilled butchers using methods that are considered Haram, but the bloodbath is also a public health hazard; thousands of sheep, camel and other animals are butchered on the side of a road south of Cairo, their spilled blood running down the street.

According to the Daily News Egypt, the Basateen slaughterhouse south of Cairo is a bustling hive of violence. “Herds” of animals stand in line, waiting to be slaughtered.

A practice that should entail lying an animal on its side (away from other animals so the latter will not be unduly disturbed) and then a swift slice from ear to ear has evolved into a mechanized stabbing fest, with butchers “jabbing” necks of hundreds of animals.

“Reda El-Feqy, a butcher, has been working in the slaughterhouse for 20 years. While he acknowledges that this method is “haram” — religiously forbidden — he says that sometimes they have no other choice,” according to the paper.

“Some hangars aren’t properly equipped and the animals are in a rage and can’t be controlled leaving the butcher no other choice,” Mr. El-Feqy added.

But another butcher is not at all at odds with the practice, and claims that “even in Saudi Arabia” animals are sacrificed in this way.

Activists are enraged. One in particular, Amina Abaza (below), head of the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt (SPARE), openly condemns the practice.

“Unfortunately many people’s understanding of Islam is superficial so they buy more than one sheep and slaughter them creating a massive bloodshed; although, this money could be redirected to other more useful things,” she told the paper.

“Some people treat the animals terribly and attempt to slaughter them by themselves, although they can’t, as a way to show off in front of others, thinking that they are implementing the sharia — Islamic law — while what they are doing is forbidden,” she added.

Sheikh Saber Taalab, a former member of the Islamic Research Center claims that certain mechanisms are in place precisely to avoid this kind of wanton behavior.

“Islam has put regulations for the slaughtering process ensuring that the animal is well treated before, during and after slaughtering and those who defy these rules are punished,” said Sheikh Saber Taalab, former member of the Islamic Research Center.

Meanwhile, Australia has banned sheep from being exported to Egypt during Eid festivities, in order to prevent their widespread abuse.

“The purpose of the whole process is shedding blood as a sacrifice to Allah and being merciful to animals is an integral part because the animal will testify on those who maltreated it defying Allah’s orders,” Taalab told the paper.

:: image and story via The Daily News Egypt

More Eid News From the Middle East:

Eid Al-Adha: Getting close to your meat

How To: Upcycle Eid Greeting Cards

Eid Al-Adha: The Muslim Festival of Meat?

The post Egyptian Activists Claim Eid Animal Slaughter Is Haram appeared first on Green Prophet.