A seminar on Islam and Environmental Stewardship was held on 19 February at Holland Park Mosque. This was an initiative of a small group from the Brisbane Muslim community who felt the need to consider starting a conversation—and potential future action—on the view of our faith on issues of climate change that are impacting our environment and our role as stewards on earth.
The Qur’an’s view on the environment and mankind’s role in protecting the earth is clear and the seminar was an opportunity to understand this link between Islamic teachings and mankind’s duties as khalifat ullah fi al-ard (Allah’s custodian of the Earth).
The scene was set by Dr Daud Batchelor presenting “Climate Change in Context, the Evidence for Human-initiated Climate Change, and the 2015 Islamic Declaration on Climate Change”, followed by a talk on “Islamic Perspectives on Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change”, which was prepared by Imaam Afroz Ali of Al-Ghazzali Centre and streamed to the participants.
The final presentation was on “Overcoming Wasteful Consumerism to Protect the Environment through Self-Improvement (Tazkiyah) and Contentment (Qana’ah)” by Dr Daud and the seminar concluded with a facilitated group activity to identify key needs and initiatives for follow-up actions in Queensland led by Faiza El-Higzi.
Community Seminar on Islam and Environment Change at Holland Park Mosque
