The urgency of the global environmental crisis can no longer be denied. Climate change, depletion of natural resources, deforestation, desertification and many other ecological problems threaten the quality of life, health and livelihood of all of us. To tackle this multidimensional issue commitment and cooperation at all levels are needed, from the individual to the global. The aim of these efforts is to render the world’s production and consumption patterns ecologically sustainable again, taking into account elements of justice between this generation and the future generations, as well as between rich and poor, between North and South.
In democratic societies, the necessary reforms need the support of the vast majority of the people. They cannot be imposed in an authoritarian way. Citizens have to become convinced themselves that change in lifestyles is necessary. This requires a profound mentality change, and this touches upon the cultural constituents of our societies. For this reason, it is important to investigate which contribution religions, in this case Islam, can make to cultural change in the direction of ecological sustainability.
Islamic religious texts contain various references to the ecological question. It is sometimes amazing how prescient these texts are in light of today’s environmental problems. We also witness today a nascent body of literature on the ecological interpretation of Muslim scriptural sources. However, the relation between Islam and ecological issues is a topic that has not yet received the attention it deserves. We believe that a panel discussion about Muslim perspective(s) on environment could contribute to remedy such negligence.
Date: Monday, 08 November
Venue: European Parliament, Brussels
Subject: Do Muslims have anything to say about Green Politics?
Programme Report
Intercultural Dialogue Platform has organised an international conference in the European Parliament about Muslims and Green Politics with the support of two MEPs, namely Isabelle Durant and Ska Keller.
Host MEPs:
• ISABELLE DURANT (Greens/EFA), Vice-President of the European Parliament
• FRANZISKA KELLER (Greens/EFA), Committee on Development, European Parliament
Panellists:
• Fazlun KHALID, Director, Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, (Birmingham, UK)
• Prof. Ibrahim OZDEMIR, President of Gazikent University (Gaziantep, Turkey)
• Dr. Mawil IZZI DIEN, Lecturer, Trinity Saint David, University of Wales, Cardiff-UK
• Prof. Zafer AYVAZ, Director, Foundation for Environmental Protection and Research (Izmir, Turkey)
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