The orange economy is an evolving concept based on the contribution and potential of creative assets to contribute to economic growth and development.

The creative economy is about translating the inspiration of culture and ideas into high-value businesses and enterprises.  For billions of people around the world their faith is a big source of inspiration and creativity. Artificial intelligence will be a major disruptor of our economy. It will also allow many people to join the ranks of the creative economy like never before. In essence, faith has a role to play in the unfurling of the next chapter in humanity’s economic story.

Indeed, prior to the contemporary era most acts of human creativity, we celebrate today were directly related to divine inspiration. This includes ancient artifacts like the bust of Nefertiti and the Pyramids to Renaissance objects like Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” a fresco which forms part of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican City.

Related: There are more pilgrims to Dubai mall than to Mecca and the Vatican

The recently concluded 4th World Conference on Creative Economy in Tashkent did not deal directly with faith, but attracted diverse individuals from around the globe from supermodel Naomi Campbell who took the stage to a priest who sat in the audience. Faith was even more present in part because the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, who organized the event in partnership with United Nations Trade and Development and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, is involved in restoration works around the country.

Religion in many countries is a strategic reserve for what’s called the “Creative Economy.” For example, tourists around the globe include sightseeing to mosques, churches and temples in their itineraries. Similarly, history would suggest the pop stars of tomorrow are today members of youth choirs or similar groups.

“From a historic perspective the creative economy began with religious inspiration in many places. You can see that in very diverse areas from painting and music for example around the world. In a Muslim country [like Indonesia]… we embrace differences and members of other religions bring their own ideas to the development of the creative economy,” said Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia’s then Minister of Tourism.

Orange is a color often associated with the Protestant faith and in Asia with Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. It is also the color associated with the creative economy to differentiate — it from other macroeconomy buzzwords like the green economy and blue economy.

“This summit is about encouraging the talented people here  not to leave the country. Instead of seeking high-paying positions abroad, we want to attract those jobs to Uzbekistan,” said Uzbekistan Minister of Digital Technologies, Sherzod Shermatov. “Digital platforms can help achieve millions of views globally, enabling monetization and additional income. We aim to create local role models and success stories, and by combining digital tools with creative talent, we can open new doors for our youth.”

The growth and development of the Orange Economy offers a growing and important sector — especially because polls show that from fashion to video games these are sectors in the economy which a growing number of youths see as important to their futures. There are other ways in which the creative economy growth goes hand in hand with the development of faith

“By focusing on creating an ecosystem where creatives can thrive within their home countries—leveraging technology, financial management, and global platforms—[countries] can better capitalize on … cultural wealth and retain talent that might otherwise seek opportunities abroad,” said Felipe Buitrago, Colombia’s former Minister of Culture.

In the past, Buitrago also stressed that the Orange Economy can help build peace and reconciliation between diverse groups. In the past, he has pointed to the example from his own tenure as minister and the example of the Comuna 13 area of Medellín. Here, two rival gangs faced off together with little chance of reconciliation. What ultimately brought these two together was a joint music festival in which the two groups battled it out over competing forms of music (such as rap and reggaeton) in these days.

“Faith is a key element of the creative economy. Because freedom of expression and belief are necessary conditions for creativity,”  Buitrago  said, “You cannot not be creative and non-inclusive at the same time. … Of course faith is a delicate issue and you can’t force people to have certain beliefs but, overall religion has played a major role in fostering creativity. As reinforcing and building identity…which often allows people to cooperate in harmonious ways.”

Looking toward the future faith, creativity and technology will often intersect. The pathway from “prophet” to “profit” will not always be clear. However, creativity, at times fueled by faith, will help spur greater creativity where-in new technologies will allow the visionaries of the future to unlock new possibilities for collaboration, innovation, and mutual understanding more quickly than ever.

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Joseph Hammond is a former Fulbright fellow in Malawi and a journalist who has reported extensively from Africa, Eurasia and the Middle East. Hammond is also an Idove fellow at the African Union. He speaks enough Spanish and Arabic to discuss boxing, a sport he treasures. 

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The new Al Mizan offers Quranic context to ecological concerns and questions

Similar to Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si’ published in 2015, Al-Mizan is an Islamic-inspired global call to head the cries of the people and the earth seeking to inspire billions of people from all religions in all parts of the world to tend to our one planet, our home.

The Muslim-based Covenant ushers in a movement for comprehensive action and concerted efforts to achieve, collectively, sustainable lifestyles. Some of the topics inside include the prohibition of killing birds for sport, protecting nature and plants, and the discussion on genetic engineering, if it’s satanic or sent from God? In this case, only questions are asked? 

We quote from the guide: “Genetic engineering brings with it a host of ethical and practical problems. Is genetic manipulation to be prohibited absolutely as the satanic “changing of God’s creation,” which may lead to environmental catastrophe? Or does it offer legitimate means to cure genetic illnesses and to stave off starvation by enhancing the drought resistance and disease resistance of our crops?

“We might bear in mind that justifications are offered for most evils on the basis of the benefits they bring, whereas if, like intoxicants and gambling, the harm in them is greater than the good, the sharī‘ah requires their prohibition. If, on the other hand, genetic engineering is permissible within limits, how are these limits to be defined?”

“Al-Mizan,” or “balance” in English, gives a Muslim perspective on how faith can inform and inspire action in the face of current global ecological challenges. It calls on Muslims and the broader global community to unite to restore ecological balance and preserve the Earth for future generations.

“The word ‘Al-Mizan,’ the title of our treatise, means equilibrium and reciprocity. The Quran describes all beings as balanced and integrated in interconnected and interdependent equilibrium,” said Othman Llewellyn, one of its lead authors. According to the scholar, God had unfolded all things in a balance with one another, and all things need, support and benefit the other.

“Nothing is created wantonly or in vain. All are created in truth and for right, and each has rights on us: that we care for it,” said Llewellyn, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Commission on Protected Areas and World Commission on Environmental Law.

Christian leaders said the document struck a balance between the Islamic worldview and the Christian perspective, particularly that of the Catholic Church.

“In many ways, ‘Al-Mizan’ is the Islamic equivalent to Laudato Si’, the encyclical of Pope Francis, and more recently, the ‘Laudate Deum,’ a follow-up document,” said Catholic Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, the apostolic nuncio in Kenya and South Sudan: “‘Al-Mizan,’ although building entirely on its own profound Islamic tradition, resonates in many ways the teachings of ‘Laudato Si’.’

“In fact, I would like to invite all of you to read them in tandem, as they raise together a harmonious song of praise, who is the creator of the universe,” said van Megen.

Rabbis in Israel have come up with a Jewish version of this theology and have called it the Eco Bible.

Who is part of the covenant? The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, The Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Üsküdar University, The Qur’anic Botanic Garden, The College of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, and UNEP Faith for Earth.

Al-Mizan draws from the Holy Quran, practices of Prophet Mohammad, and the teachings of Islam urging humanity to value and protect nature. 

In October 2019, at the 8th Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers (ICEM) held in Rabat, Ministers approved a strategy of “enhancing the role of cultural and religious factors in protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development in the Islamic World”, building upon the foundations laid since the first ICEM held in Jeddah in 2002.  

Following this, there was a sense that a global platform linking environmental issues to Islamic teachings and incubating Islamic perspectives on nature was missing, yet urgently needed.

This would serve to demonstrate how Islam can be a driving force towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, leveraging cultural practices and traditional knowledge in driving behavioral changes required alongside science and policy.

To this end, the Covenant drew a team of renowned Islamic-environmental scholars and leading institutions comprising of diverse religious and geographic backgrounds to mobilize the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims towards a stronger environmental ethic and routine. You don’t need to be a Muslim to be inspired by the philosophy. 

Read related: The Eco Bible for the Woke Generation

Titled Al-Mizan, derived from the opening of Surat Al-Rahman, the Core and Drafting Team present a Covenant for the Earth.

Want to know more? You can download the covenant here.

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Normally, I am upbeat about all this environmental stuff, but today, I feel glum. Maybe I am hung-over from the session of wine and talk with my friend, last night. We were up until all-hours discussing the abruptness of climate change, biosphere collapse, and the near total absence of transition to a sustainable global economy. 

Fortunately, I know this glumness will soon pass because I have a powerful antidote to the sadness that comes from being awake to the reality of the Anthropocene. 

You see, I am Vitan which means that I follow Vita Sapien Organization (VISO) that advances Vita Worldview, Lifewise Philosophy, and Vita Religion.

Vita is very different from the normal sort of religion we are familiar with as it doesn’t hold a position on the existence of God/s or an eternal soul. Instead, it is a nature-based religion devoted to our Living Planet.

Vita Religion teaches all life on Earth – plus the ocean, atmosphere, and soil – form part of a single living being called Vitae-planeta, of which we humans are part. Some readers will recognize this concept by other names such as Gaia, Mother Nature, Pachamama and so one. It’s the idea that the biosphere is a single living entity

Vita Religion teaches that all the living things on Earth – including we humans – are cells in the body of Vitae-planeta and that she maintains the temperature and chemistry of the ocean and atmosphere to foster an abundance of life on Earth. She has been doing this successfully for billions of years. 

When Vitae-planeta is in good health, Planet Earth is an abundant home for humans providing everything that we need to live healthy, happy, and productive lives.

Vita Religion does not regard Vitae-planeta as a God, or a deity. Vitae-planeta is not conscious or self-aware. Vitae-planeta didn’t create the Universe, and Vitae-planeta doesn’t observe you or make judgements about your behavior. 

Instead, Vitae-planeta is an emergent property of the natural laws of the Universe playing out through the tapestry of life on Earth. Vitae-planeta is Planet Earth’s version of Pananima, and there are probably trillions of Pananimas throughout the Universe on planets that are in the Habitable Zone of their star where liquid water exists.

Vita Religion details how you can live a meaningful life, a happy, contented life. Which brings me back to my gloomy disposition, today.

As a follower of Vita Religion, I choose not to close my eyes to what we humans are doing to Living Planet, of which I am a part. 

Fortunately, Vita’s philosophical foundation offers enlightenment on these matters. 

To be enlightened is to understand how things really are, and Vita is a unique religion in that its teachings are grounded in environmental science and framed by ecological spirituality. 

Furthermore, unlike most religions that have a fixed texts, Vita Religion’s texts are continually being written in scientific research institutes around the world. In addition, the core texts are planned to drift overtime to keep in synch with the cultural zeitgeist of the time.

This is important as the adherence to science allows Vita Religion to offer an evidence-based pathway for humans and the other species of Earth to co-exist deep into the Long Future.

The concept of the Long Future says that our planet will be habitable for life for several billions of years if it is not destroyed by human agency, first. 

If we humans can radically change our ways, it is conceivable that our race could exist for millions more years on this Earth. 

However, for this to happen we need to learn how to become wise stewards of the whole Earth system. 

Can we do this? I believe we can. 

Will we do this? I’m listening to the oil men plotting our future at COP28. It’s not looking good, right now.

If you read the science of climate, Planetary Boundaries, and the Anthropocene, you will understand that we humans have triggered a perfect storm that may yet be fatal. We may have already passed major climactic tipping points that will set our biosphere on the path towards a rerun of the Permian Extinction – the Great Dying – that killed-off more than 80 percent of all living things on Earth, some 253 million years ago. 

While this may be the case, it also may not. So, while we are still breathing, we should make haste to implement the antidote for these human-caused woes. The antidote is action, and lots of it.

If enough people believe, know and practice accordingly, we may be able to avert this looming extinction and instead live to enjoy the Verdant Age, the time when humans and the Living Planet thrive in synergy.

It is believed that there are around 53 million people who would adopt Vita Worldview, Lifewise Philosophy, and maybe even Vita Religion once the idea is put before them in a compelling manner. One aspect of this enrolment is fostering rapid, mass-ecophany.

Ecophany is the idea of a spiritual, intellectual, or emotional awaking to the wonder of our Living Planet and the dread of what will befall us if we let her remain in ill health. 

Vita Sapien Organisation is developing Ecophany Programs to help millions of people wake and stand up for the Living Planet. 

53 million people is a lot of people. That’s 8% of the Western Adults. To put this number into context, Extinction Rebellion literature suggests that no non-violent rebellion has failed with 3.5% of the public were actively involved. 

Vita Sapien Organization believes that only a spiritual awakening to nature in tens of millions of people can prevent the heat death of the human race. Vita Worldview, Lifewise Philosophy and Vita Religion can help make this happen. 

::Vita Sapien

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A pair of Jewish rabbis who call themselves “eco-rabbis” have taken the Bible, also known as the Torah in Hebrew, and found hundreds of passages in it relating to ecology, animal rights, regenerative agriculture, the 3Rs and more, and have found a way to make old ideas relevant to us all in modern times. They live in Jerusalem, the Holy City and are calling it the Eco Bible. 

You can buy it here.

The Eco Bible is a green compass helping us navigate some of the ethical challenges that align with environmentalism. 

Since converting to Judaism I always found it eerie how similar modern law practiced in Canada where I am from (but also the US and Europe) is very similar to ancient Talmudic Law. A pair of American lawyers compared the systems here in this PDF.

Ancient Jewish scholars in the Sanhedrin would define ethics from Biblical sources and form judgements in their courts of law. I find the whole process of ancient problems and how to solve them both fascinating and exhilarating because most of them are the same problems we have today 2000 years later.

This is the basis of being human and one of our “defects” or gifts is that we have to see the world as being built for us. We need to discover things as though we are pioneers. So I guess we have to make mistakes and if you look at the planet we have some major mistakes to fix. 

I often look to examples of stories I see in the Talmud (the Jewish oral laws and stories written down) to how I relate to myself and the world around me. Why invent the wheel when people before us had the same questions and possibly came up with creative and successful solutions long before us? 

Yonatan Neril and Leo Dee his partner have done just that in their new book – find it on Amazon. They have collected wisdom from dozens of scholars and hundreds of sources to stitch them together to make an Eco Bible.  This I can only guess is to inspire and illuminate the path forward out of climate change –- using faith as our guide. The Eco Bible book can be appreciated by everyone of any faith, I can imagine.

Covid-19 has created a spiritual awakening in us all and this new book might help you justify and share the challenges of being ecologically awoke. Buddhism is great for helping us feel the here and now, but an Eco Bible could help us in Phase II – springing into action.  

“Applying Hebrew Bible teachings to stewardship of our global environment is not just an idea for today—but essential for a future in which we achieve a balanced, worldwide ecosystem and thrive on a planet viable for all life,” says co-author Rabbi Yonatan Neril, coauthor and founding director of the international Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD), which is publishing the book.

“At a time of both ecological and spiritual crisis, understanding the Hebrew Bible can have profound impact on human behavior towards God’s creation, since billions of people worldwide consider it a holy book.”

Indeed if you read a bit of the Bible here and there you will find extremely important teachings that can help guide your eco-ethical compass. There are passages about how to set up cities and factories around the perimeter so that “emissions” don’t pollute the residents, there are extensive laws and thoughts on the public versus private space, and there are very clear examples of damages –- and how people should be compensated when harm is done to them. 

Recently there is a big debate as to whether or not a former American Ambassador house built in Israel near the sea with a pool now on public land should be put back in the hands of the public. (The house was recently sold to billionaire Sheldon Adelson). I have visited the house and it is spectacular with the best part of it being the cliff-view (public space) fenced off from the public for security concerns to the ambassador. Can the public reclaim this land set aside for diplomatic purposes which are now over? I’d ask the eco rabbis and the Eco Bible about that. 

Currently it seems like the world is mostly “winging” it or looking to other faiths for guidance when clear ecological ethics is spelled out in the Bible and is quite applicable to modern times and to all of the three monotheistic faiths that are based on the Biblical laws: Judaism, Christians and Muslims. 

The book connects the Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch), and Jewish rabbis’ biblical teachings past and present, with contemporary scientists’ understanding of human health, biodiversity, and environmental protection of air, land and water. 

Bill Brown, Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Georgia, calls Eco Bible, “a rich repository of insights . . . for people of faith to move forward with wisdom, inspiration, and hope, all for the sake of God’s good creation.”

I haven’t read an advance copy it but I have known Rabbi Neril for about 10 years since he started his center for faith-based education in Jerusalem. He is a humble man who walks the walk -–– on a journey of finding God along the path of environmentalism. 

Raised in California, Neril has a BA and MA from Stanford with a focus on global environmental issues. He lives with his wife, Shana and their two children in Jerusalem. Neril’s center publishes materials on religion and ecology, including Eco Bible and Report on Faith and Ecology in North American Seminaries, and organizes interfaith environmental conferences.

::Eco Bible

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The ‘Tour de Salah’ challenge, organized by MADE in Europe, forms part of a wider campaign called ‘Green Up My Community’ supported by the City Bridge Trust and aimed at increasing awareness of environmental issues, as well as sustainable practice within the Muslim community.

MADE is a grassroots organisation serving to empower young Muslims to make change within their communities, through campaigns and education.

The Green Up Campaign is targeted towards Mosques, promoting awareness of climate change and its effects, as well as working with the Mosques to become beacons of environmental justice through efficient waste management and water and energy consumption.

One of the Mosques looking to take an active role on the issue is the London Central Mosque in Regents Park, which co-hosted the first Muslim-led Eco Fair with MADE.

As the third ‘Salah’ stop on the map, this was an opportunity for people of all ages, family and friends, Muslims and non- Muslims, to gather for a day of fun and activities, and learn something new about the environment that we all share.

With Mosques like Harrow Central, Kingston Muslim Association and the Palmers Green Mosque taking an active part in the cycling challenge, the future looks promising as more follow suit.

Environmental sustainability has become a topic of great urgency in the last few decades, and was cited as ‘one of the most serious threats we face’ by UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron.

In the latest report by the UN, the effects of global warming were dubbed to be “severe, pervasive and irreversible”. UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon has called world leaders to mobilise on September 23rd to discuss their commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

UK Muslims will march for the climate

On September 21st, people from different walks of life all over the world, including London, will be taking part in a ‘Climate March’ to demonstrate to their respective governments just how seriously they want their leadership to respond to this imminent threat.

Skirting responsibility, “To some extent, it is understandable that the Muslim community is not leading the Environmental movement simply because the Muslim world in the modern era wasn’t at the forefront of damaging it,” comments prominent Muslim theologian, Sheikh Shams.

He doesn’t mention the Muslim world connection to oil, ironically.

“However, now that we are aware of the issue, given what our deen (religion) teaches us, given the teachings of our Prophet, we need to quickly catch up and get to the forefront because our rightful position is to be leading on all issues of preserving the environment,” he adds.

The UK’s Muslim Eco Fair boasted a range of activities and businesses, ranging from the pedal-your-own-smoothie bike, to organic and eco-friendly soaps and cosmetics, to Fairtrade cakes, solar-powered phone chargers, and upcycling workshops.

The Imam of the Mosque, along with Sheikh Shams who was also cycling the whole leg, both stressed the importance of environmental activism.

“I think this is a much needed event in the Muslim community, because environment and sustainability are among the key principles in Islam yet the average Muslim probably doesn’t think too much about it,“ remarks Mikhail, a Science teacher from Leicester.

“I never realized how much of a contribution bottled water actually has on the environment. Since coming here, I’ve just been thinking that we need to make a change,” commented David Tsan, one of the cyclists upon arriving at the Fair.

“If there is one thing that we all have in common, it is the custodianship of this planet,” remarked Sarah Javaid, co-founder and acting director of MADE. “In Islam, we believe that we have been given the responsibility of caretaking the Earth as Allah’s vicegerents, and so we see no better cause to unite over.

“It is great to be working with Mosques, and to see them leading the way on such initiatives. We hope to continue our work with Mosques and really watch them pioneer sustainable change“

As the threat of global warming increases by the day, such initiatives are a welcome effort and a call for further action from both the faith and non-faith communities to stand united in preserving our planet.

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Religious organisations are working with conservation groups to help end the consumer demand for products supplied by the illegal wildlife trade

A major initiative linking religions and conservation groups in opposing the illegal wildlife trade, which is annihilating the world’s rare and endangered species, has been launched. Leaders of 34 religious traditions presented the Alliance of Religions and Conservation founder Prince Philip with statements of their support. (This news comes as Jerusalem starts its First Annual faith-based Green Pilgrimage).

Illegal wildlife trade is the fifth largest illicit transnational activity worldwide after counterfeiting and the illegal trades in drugs, people and oil. The religious leaders called on their followers to do all they can to end the illegal trade and to ensure that they don’t support the industry in any way. Although the intiative is focused in key countries in Asia and Africa which are affected by the trade, the Middle East is one region where wildlife had been smuggled in – with cheetahs being kept as pets in Dubai and animals held at airports where they were being trafficked in.

The statements of support came from various religious leaders across the world incuding the Muslim communities in Bangladesh, the Muslim women’s communities of Uganda and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims.

“We ask all the faithful to protect those species in our own lands that are most threatened, such as the elephant, tiger, primates, pangolins and many others, and to assist in the prevention of poaching and the illegal wildlife trade in order that on the Dreadful Day of Judgement, when the community of creatures stand before Allah, we will not be condemned by their words. The richness of this world is a gift and a blessing from Allah. May we in turn be a blessing to all that Allah has made and given to our care.”

– from the statement made by the Indonesian Council of Ulema (Muslims)

At time when the Muslim world and the Middle East in particular are regularly criticised for their poor animal rights record (read this story on animal abuse in Jordan), it’s good to see religious leaders taking a clear stance and encouraging their followers to do the same.

ARC is a secular international organisation founded by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 1995 to help faith groups develop conservation programmes based on their own beliefs, teachings and practices. It also helps the religions link up with key environmental organisations, creating powerful alliances between faith communities and conservation groups. It now works with 11 major faiths through the key traditions within each faith.

Crucially, the wildlife partnership focuses on undermining consumer demand in China and other Asian countries for medical ingredients or luxury items made from rare and endangered species.

ARC Secretary-General Martin Palmer said: “All faiths believe that our place in nature is to protect as much as it is to use the gifts that have been given us. This is why 34 major religious traditions from around the world, each driven by their own spiritual understanding of our responsibility to the rest of nature, have joined together to combat this most pressing of assaults on the diversity of nature – the illegal wildlife trade.

“This ranges from the Daoists of China working to change the mindset of those who buy traditional Chinese medicine using ingredients from threatened species, to the Muslims of Indonesia calling on the faithful to safeguard over-exploited animals such as pangolins, primates and tigers, to faith leaders in Africa speaking out against poaching. For all of them this is a moral and spiritual issue.

“This marks a new and potentially highly significant development in the struggle to preserve the great species of our planet, or, as many of the faith would put it, those creatures that most need the protection of God.”

For more on animal rights and wildlife trafficking see:

Act Now to Help Jordan Learn To Befriend Man’s Best Friend 

269life Activists Etch and Burn White Calf Branding Into Skin

Interview: Illegal Wildlife Trafficking with Karl Ammann

Image of a street juggler entertaining people on the occasion of Eid in Pakistan via Naiyyer / Shutterstock.com

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In a previous post, I raised concerns over what an Islamic worldview can realistically offer those looking for a new sustainability model. After reading Odeh Al Jayoussi’s book on the topic, I felt that there were a lot more lingering questions than answers. Would Islamic sustainability really be considered an option outside the Middle East? What about those wary of any religious-based doctrine? Also after years following the ‘Western model of sustainability’, did we really want to be promoting another universal model? I caught up with Al Jayoussi,  the current vice president of Jordan’s Royal Scientific Society, and put these very questions to him. Read on for his responses.

Tell us a little about yourself, and how your work informed this book?

Well, this journey started almost thirty years ago when the United Nations University were embarking on a project on water and Islam for which I drafted two chapters on this topics as well as international law and shared water resources. This included notions such as equity, Ihsan and this evolved into a new framework of sustainability. At the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) this developed further when I visited Yemen in 2004 and I was exposed to interesting notions of local knowledge and the early heritage in Yemen. I was fascinated with the contrast of the old and the new. That you could envisage the notion of unity within diversity. Also, the eight years I was privileged to work at ICUN I visited many parts of the world including India, Pakistan, Costa Rica, Europe, the Gulf States and Mexico.

So I got to see different parts of the world and I was trying to reflect on the notion of sustainability and all of this went into the book. My work at ICUN was aimed at developing a new notion of sustainability based on local culture. I have some critique of the current, dominant model of sustainability which talks about the three pillars – the social, economic and ecological. I felt that the model lacked an embedded local culture and also a spiritual dimension. I was also looking for a topic which would help create a dialogue between East and West and I thought that the environment and ecosystems would be a great vehicle to communicate harmony and interconnectedness between these two.

You bring Islam to the centre of the debate on sustainability – was it difficult to make that connection?

Well, for me it wasn’t difficult at all. It’s all about how you view the world and I don’t see Islam as purely a religion but also as a worldview and a way of life. In that sense the aim of the book is to influence policy and enable scholars to talk to people and broaden their perspective from one which sees Islam just as a local religion to one which recognises that it is a worldview. It’s about looking at sustainability in a broader sense.

Do you see the model that you have put forward as a universal model or something that is particularly suited to the Middle East- North Africa region?

The intent is to present and articulate a universal discourse so that humanity can utilize Islam not only for harmony and tranquility but also for a dialogue to talk with others. We believe that Islam is mercy for the whole of humankind and is also a continuum of other religions and part of the human journey of knowing his destiny and having a sense of purpose and meaning.

I can see that there will be a real difficulty in applying this model in the West where Islam is seen only as a religion. Do you agree?

You are absolutely right. There is a difficulty in the West as there was a historical separation between church and state, man and woman etc. So this type of fragmentation was part of the Western journey in terms of knowledge. In this book, I was trying to look for unity or tawheed rather than separation and also looking at ways of overcoming this fragmentation. This includes the unity of disciplines, the unity of the now and hereafter, the unity between art and science – I was looking for synergies and complementary relationships rather than looking at things in pieces.

There is a growing recognition in the West that the current development models are not fit for purpose and that the growth economy is destructive. Do you think that now is a good time to be promoting new models and frameworks?

I think part of the challenge between East and West in terms of epistemology is two things – one is biology and the other is economic. In terms of biology we don’t agree with the West about evolution – we believe in creation and that man is dignified. The other dimension is money – the value of money and how it is generated in terms of interest. We believe that part of the ecological crisis stems from the fact that the current economic model doesn’t tells us the ecological truth as the metrics is based on GDP which as you know doesn’t reflect the wealth and health of nations or happiness. So we need to develop new metrics for sustainability or what I call the good life and so in order to define sustainability we need to define what a good life is. That’s why the notion sustainability needs to look at the notion of life generally to life with dignity, peace and harmony.

Do you get a sense that this is already a shift occurring in the West? For example, you hear a lot about the Happiness index and the Green GDP as there is a greater recognition of the flaws of the GDP.

Yes. I think it’s becoming increasingly clear that there is a need for a paradigm shift as the current economic model has a lot of flaws and defaults.

During this interview and also in your book, you talk about the importance of a local connection yet you also want this model to be universal. Are you hoping that if nations looks to apply this model in say Latin America that they would bring their own, local culture and interpretation into it?

Yes. In terms of the model and its universal applicability, it is all about unity within diversity. Part of that is talking to each other as we share the same destiny and there is a clear statement in the Qur’an which says that we are all created from nations and tribes so that we may get to know each other. So there is a universal message in the Qur’an which says that the prophet was sent as a mercy to the whole of mankind – not to Arabs or Muslims but to the whole humanity. However due to the degradation of civilisation we lost thing kind of universal message and we now it is time to revive a new discourse of universality and sustainability could the right medium through which we communicate this message.

What would be the benefits for the MENA region if they adopt this model?

I think that part of the challenge is that this part of this world was influenced by colonialism and after all these decades we are still affected by that way of thinking. Development in the South is mimicking and following the West in terms of consumerism and there is an disillusion in the Middle East that the Western model is the best model. This is a root cause of all sorts of social and ecological degradation and a general lack of human dignity. You cannot detach the issue of the environment from other issues such as poverty and social problems. So definitely this part of the world has been negatively impacted by following in the footsteps of the Western economic model and in a sense this part of the world lost its identity and has no pride or confidence in its local values. That’s why it has failed to have an ecological model that has local roots.

Is that the reason between the gap between the principles and practice in reality?

Absolutely, the Newtonian model looks at nature and plants as machines and part of the colonialism was that the region borrowing that type of thinking which brought with a whole host of problems. Now we need to revisit and rethink our whole social DNA and have our local roots in our local soil.

What have the reactions to the book been like?

I have had a lot of positive feedback from many scholars and people from the region and in Europe. Like you they were concerned with issues of relevancy, applicability and scalability. I think when we talk to people on a local level and with community organisations, there is real resonance and people appreciate notions such as Ihsan which is about inner beauty and unless we have that, we can reflect that onto the rest of the world. We can’t communicate harmony with the rest of the world if we don’t have an inner harmony. So having the right terminology is important and when I used the word hyat tayyebah which means a good life, it has more resonance within a local context. I think the real challenge is how we bring confidence and pride and a sense of appreciation of our local knowledge and I think in that area, a lot still needs to be done.

For more on Islamic perspectives on sustainability see:

Islam and Sustainable Development, A Book Covering These New Worldviews
Sharing Eden – Green Teachings from Jews, Christians and Muslims
London Mosques Start Beekeeping Trend – Interview
The Eco-Mosque Checklist – 7 Steps to a Greener Mosque
Consumerism, Ecology and the Sabbath

:: Photo of young South Asian women praying via Shutterstock.com

The post The Big Ask – Is Islamic Sustainability The Answer To Our Green Prayers? 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.

Like the Gregorian year, the Islamic calendar is made up of 12 months, each around 29 to 31 days. Unlike the solar year which follows the sun, the Islamic year is a lunar one (and no we are not talking about moon dwellings!), following the moon in its orbit and creating a more fluctuating time. In this sense a lunar year is more in tune with the natural order of the planet.

Months are not linked to seasons but the value of passing life.

Lunar Vs Solar Calendar in Islam

For our astronomical readers, it is the Earth’s axial tilt that marks the seasons and hours of daylight.  The word “month” itself is derived from “moon,” essentially measuring one lunar cycle: the roughly 28.5 days it takes the moon to circle the earth.

Because each day the Earth is in a different position in relation to the moon, the lunar year feels shorter, shifting by about 10 days so that the seasons are never in the same quarter for more than 5 years.

Muslims have a scientific history of environmental pioneers who were resourceful and adept craftsmen. Astronomy was a key area which Greeks and the later Arab Muslims excelled in to measure space, distance and time. Exquisite mechanical clocks were carved to beautify the measuring of time, an area that 1001 Inventions from Islamic history is exhibiting worldwide.

With this need for efficiency and accuracy, the Saudi government is pushing for a standardised Islamic calendar, beginning with its unsightly clock tower. And we also see the never-ending debates over moon sightings to begin the next month.

In 2002 Hajj pilgrimage was performed in March during a warmer climate in Saudi Arabia. Ten years on and it has shifted ‘backwards’ to the beginning of November and come 2020, Hajj will hit during peak heat season in August. The keyword for that year – sunscreen (you can make your own organic sunscreen here).

The Hijri Calendar of Islam

Ten points for guessing when the Islamic calendar began… A clue is in the title!

But what you might not have known is that it wasn’t the demise of the Prophet Muhammad, nor his birth, that was commemorated as Year Number 1.

It was the migration (hijrah) of the first Muslims from Makkah to Medina to begin new life and establish the first Islamic state, which worked alongside Jewish and Christian communities in Madina, 622CE. And it was the convert Muslim Umar, (Omar) who went about to create the dating system some 16 years later (638CE), Wikipedia explains.

Islam, Environment and Hijrah – Then and Now

From the first Islamic state 1433 years ago in Madina to 2011, Muslim communities have proactively demonstrated that the ground upon which Islamic seeds have grown, is ecological. After all, as Green Deen author Ibrahim Abdul Matin believes, “the whole earth is a mosque”.

• ECO MOSQUES

The first mosque (Arabic, masjid), today more noticeable as the gleaming white Masjid al-Quba in Madina, was made from dry stones and built by the hands of Prophet Muhammad and his companions. As a place of cleanliness, Muslims were encouraged to wash at home, walk to the mosque to avoid (animal) congestion and pray on a dust-swept floor. This etiquette continues today while Quba mosque is surrounded by palm groves to remind worshippers of the grand pillar’s greener roots.

Further awarded eco-mosques have risen across the globe from Cambridge’s community garden mosque, the first eco-mosque in Europe, to a mud brick mosque in Mali, and the more recent plans for Qatar’s eco-mosques, fully installed with water savers and solar panelling.

But on the other hand, lavish buildings of worship have overshadowed Islamic sites like the Kabah in Makkah with nothing less than an industrial ugliness. So we have to ask, what happened to Islam’s environmentally friendly architecture?

• WASTE AND FAITH

Islam connected its teachings to controlled consumption and minimal waste. Islam has a relationship with water that outright exclaims if you’re using too much, you’re doing it wrong.

Men who ate too much were told to cut back and restore the hunger equilibrium. Women who threw out food were told to share meals with neighbours. When the ruling for the hijab (headscarf) came into action, poor women resorted to tearing extra fabric from their dresses to makeshift headscarves.

In 2010, an estimated 500 tons of food was wasted during Ramadan. Something’s got to give.

• HIJAB HEADS

When Islam unfolded its message, its laws were passed in stages. The first Muslims prayed facing Jerusalem, they did not wear the hijab and alcohol hadn’t been completely forbidden until the 5 daily prayers were set.

Muslims believe God was telling people to not jump into a renewable lifestyle with eyes shut. Islam wanted to take things the natural human way, sustainable and less fussy.
Fashionable hijabs are all the rage for contemporary Muslim women while the more fashion conscious experiment with eco-hijabs. Again, the message is to simplify and reduce waste.

• TERRORISM

Not always an easy subject to discuss but a real one nonetheless. Eco-terrorism and environmental sabotage has leaked its ways into many religious domains, with most of its media coverage falling on terrorist acts from Muslims. The European campaign Inspired by Muhammad was lead by eco-Muslim Kristiane Backer to expose and deal with this misperception, showing the mainstream and moderate environmental Muslims in action.

What Would Muhammad Do? Build a Green Bank Balance

Celebrations are a Muslim’s weakness. We like to party, we really want to “let our hijabs down” with our girlfriends (and we do), but apart from a sustainable Eid festival, and the remembered anniversary, Muslims do little to green up the new year.

So the Islamic new year is not so much a bang as it is a mellow hurray. We reflect, we pray and the Eco-Muslims amongst us recycle resolutions and plant trees.

There is more of an acknowledgement of the passing of time. We take the time to assess our annual actions as a kind of ‘green bank balance’. Did we meet our resolution(s), did we fund water pumps for third world countries, did we plant those trees as promised?

A quotable quote from the Quran sums up the Islamic new year in an allegory, “A good word is like a good tree, with firmly fixed roots and branches high in the sky” (14:24). So we may not have lived up the prophetic ideal of mud, rocks and astronomical genius, but like the seed that grows with patience and nurturing, Muslims have new time to go back to green.

Clever info:
CE = Common Era, or Christian Era, measuring time since the traditional birth of Christ.
AH = (AH = Anno Hegirae = year of the Hijra).
The Islamic year ended 26th November 2011, with the 27th November being the 1st of Muharram, 1433, the first Islamic month.

*Peace be upon him, a Muslim phrase used to bless historic prophets and figures. In Arabic: `alayhi salaam.

Image:: Thefacebeauty.co.uk

More on celebrating green faith:
Saudi Arabia Goes “Green” To Celebrate National Day
Sukkot, the Jewish Environment Holiday
7 Tips for a Sustainable Eid-ul-Adha Festival
Haifa Christmas Tree Made From Over 5,000 Recycled Plastic Bottles

The post About Hijri, the Islamic New Year appeared first on Green Prophet.

The hideous Mekkah Clocktower may have been the final straw – officials now state that any additions will be more in tune with traditional architecture

It seems that the powers that be in Mekkah (Mecca) are finally listening. After widespread complaints that Mekkah was beginning to resemble Las Vegas with its preference for gargantuan and gimmicky buildings, luxury hotels and tacky malls, it has announced that in the future any additions will be ‘of reasonable height’ and will be more in tune with the traditional architecture of the region. Hopefully that will rule out anything similar to the Mekkah Clocktower which is one of the tallest buildings in the world and stood out like a sore thumb with its decidedly European influences (London’s Big Ben?) in the middle of Saudi Arabian desert.

At the very heart of the Hajj pilgrimage which takes place in Mekkah every year is its egalitarian spirit. All the pilgrims must wear the same clothes, there should be no indicators of class and wealth and all the pilgrims must endure the same heat, the same rush and the same struggle.

However, Mekkah is not immune to the temptations of modern comforts and over the years, there has been a creeping sense of inequality as luxury and commercial enterprises boomed in the city. Some pilgrims can now stay in luxury hotels; they can eat at the finest restaurant and shop at designer malls. Nothing demonstrated this rising inequality like the 1,970ft tall ‘Mekkah Clocktower’ which boasts a massive shopping mall and an 800-room hotel.

Now, officials have said that any future development will be more in tune with the heritage of Mekkah. Mayor Osama Al-Bar told Reuters that future projects “will be far from the Grand Mosque by 300 meters … The buildings will have reasonable heights between 8 to 10 floors and will have the Makkah style.”  When asked about the clocktower, he replied “The building regulations in the city take into consideration the width of the streets, central locations and do not allow the building of skyscrapers…what was built was that.” Clearly, this was a mistake that shouldn’t have been allowed to happen.

Speaking to Reuters, Sami Angawi, founder of Haj Research Center and an expert on Mekkah said that he felt that development had moved too fast in the holy city and he wanted decisions to be made more carefully and to be more in tune with the local heritage. “We want to evolve Makkah, not change it… I love Makkah and cannot see the beloved (sanctuary) of the Prophet being handled this way,” he added.

Over the next six years, Mekkah will continue to change. The Government wants to replace congested narrow roads, install footbridges for pedestrians and expand the Mekkah Metro.  Whether these changes happen through a slower process of evolution which reflects Mekkah (like the officials now promise) or whether development continues at a break-neck pace is hard to guess. Only time will tell now.

: Reuters

For more on Hajj and architecture see:

Luxury Architecture: Has Hajj Lost Its Egalitarian Spirit?

Four Steps To A Greener Hajj

Interview with Green Hajj Expert Dr. Husna Ahmed

The post Mekkah Signals Move Away From Las Vegas-Style Architecture appeared first on Green Prophet.