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This week's episode of Spotlights features Huda Alkaff, an ecologist and environmental educator. She discusses her work as the Founder and Director of Wisconsin Green Muslims, a grassroots group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin formed in 2005 to connect faith, environmental justice, and sustainability through education and service. She talks about ecological values expressed in the Quran and Hadith, the cosmological orientation of Islamic practice, the importance of interfaith collaboration, solar energy development, protecting freshwater resources, and much more. More information about Wisconsin Green Muslims is available here. More resources about the intersection of Islam and ecology are available on the Forum on Religion and Ecology website.
Posted 05/16/2022.

This public lecture broadly examines the so-called “Ecological Question (EQ)” from an Islamic perspective. Without narrowing the EQ down to the exclusive issue of sustainability, this lecture highlights the broader picture by exploring the vast and rich Islamic tradition. Besides addressing the relevant Quranic concepts, the speakers will engage with various scholarly disciplines grounded in the Islamic tradition. Speakers: Naiyerah Kolkailah (University of Oxford, UK); Birgit Krawietz (Freie Universität Berlin, Germany); Munjed Murad (Harvard University, US); Moderator: Mohammed Ghaly (CILE, Hamad Bin Khalifa University)

Muslim Space offers a 4-part Ramadan halaqa titled Human Dignity Series - Affirming and elevating God's honor to humankind. The goal of this episode is to elevate the notion that all creation has been granted dignity from the Divine and it is incumbent on all believers to uphold this dignity, not only to ourselves but to others, specifically focusing on environmental destruction and how it robs current and future generations of dignity.

This 2-day seminar discusses the question of food security with three combined perspectives: the world response to the challenge of sustainable food security, the Islamic perspective in addressing food security concerns, and the most vulnerable groups who face this issue, including women, children, migrants and the displaced.

This Terrence Nichols Memorial Lecture event featured Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who is widely regarded as one of the leading Islamic thinkers in the world, speaking on what religion can offer for resolving the environmental crisis in the world today.

Speakers: Dr. Sarra Tlili, Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Florida - Gainesville; Dr. Anna M. Gade, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison. Dr. Sarra Tlili's topic is “The Ecology of Wonder.” She will explore the ecological dimensions of three Qur’anic motifs: divine oaths, creation’s function as a set of signs, and creation’s inner dimension. Study of these motifs shows that through them the Qur’an fostered feelings of kinship and wonder toward nonhuman creation, thereby creating a favorable ecological impact. Dr. Anna M. Gade's topic is “Understanding Muslim Environmentalisms as Environmental Ethics.” She will present on current trends in global Environmental Ethics, offer perspectives on how Muslims have engaged these commitments in the past and present, as well as what Islamic approaches are now contributing to notions like environmental justice.

Dr. Husna Ahmad presents an ethical review of the global environmental status through the lens of the theological-Islamic perspective on climate change and environment. She discusses recent climate action by Islamic and other faith communities, as well as the linkages between ethics and environment in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Safei-Eldin Hamed discusses Islam and Ecology with Mary Evelyn Tucker. “Islam and Ecology” is part of the larger “Conversations on World Religions and Ecology” project. Watch the whole “Conversations on World Religions and Ecology” series on the Forum on Religion and Ecology YouTube Channel.

Sheikh Muhammed Amara offers an Islamic case for environmental action. He contends that Allah has granted humans an exalted status, yet with that status comes a responsibility to maintain the delicate balance of creation and to respect the rights of other beings. For Sheikh Amara, Muslims have a duty to cooperate with both Muslims and non-Muslims to ensure a safe and flourishing environment for all.