The Qur’an also recognizes that people are responsible for all forms of human wrongdoing - including that which affects land, sea, and air. In an effort to integrate these values into our own personal lives, more and more Muslims are trying to change their own personal consumption habits to walk more lightly on the Earth. Many of us, for example, are reducing the amount of water we use during our wudu - the ritual cleansing of our face, arms, head, and feet before we pray. The Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, lived in a desert land. He recognized how valuable water is and taught us to use it sparingly. His example takes on new meaning for us today. As a Muslim, I know that while personal behavior change is vital, it is not enough to turn the tide. Governments, financial institutions, and corporations have massive power over the environment, and I am deeply alarmed by the massive gap between what is required to limit catastrophic global temperature rise and actual climate change commitments by governments, financial groups, and multinational companies. For example, even as COVID-19 has cost millions of people their livelihoods, the palm oil industry in Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, successfully lobbied the government 33
against climate and environmental protections, leading to dramatic increases in deforestation. This is plainly incompatible with the teachings of Islam, which, ostensibly, is the code on which the country’s governance is based. In 2016 during COP22 in Marrakech, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) announced its commitment to end investment in fossil fuels and urged its partners to follow suit. Earlier that year, the Ulema Council of Indonesia (MUI) issued a fatwa on burning land and forest, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation. In 2015, I was privileged to be part of a global team of Muslim scholars and leaders who wrote the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change, which calls for all nations with the greatest responsibility and capacity to lead the way in tackling climate change–for Muslim leaders around the world to pay more heed to the social and ecological responsibilities they have. And this year, I participated at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, where GreenFaith organized Faiths for Climate Justice actions with people of different faiths to call upon the end of fossil-fuel usage and the acceleration of a just transition into a clean and renewable energy economy, along with the support of climate finance investments.
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