Ramaḍān G-uh-REEN part 1: Introduction to Islamic Environmentalism

(*snickers* See What I Did There? KAREEM? G-uh-REEN?)

I'm not one to change much of what I do in Ramaḍān. Save for signature dialogue with my 10-year-old brother--

"Hm. That's quite a bit of food left on your plate," Khayra points out.
"Yeah?" asks Faris, annoyed.
"Well, I mean, at this time of the year, it's helpful to think of all the poor children in the world who suffer from Kwashiorkor--"
"URGH! Khayra! Why do you do that?!"

--and eating habits, I like staying away from flipping my daily schedule. To many, it is a time of empathy, perseverance, and family, regardless of traditions used to represent those principles.

This is where a passion of mine comes in: Islamic environmentalism.
Is it up there on the naïveté scale with ecofeminism and deep ecology? You bet. That is, simply, how I roll. Its tendency of vaguely hovering around Islamic gatherings is apparent to those sensitive to it, especially when it comes to those already gung-ho about animal rights and conservation. Stories of how a woman mistreating her cat goes to hell and a man giving his first serving of water to a dog tend to resonate in kids, even if it isn't applied at all times.

Humble pages on the Internet can be found using the coined word, and it is gaining momentum.

The video is from a site called InspiredByMuhammad.com. It's a cute campaign coming from the UK. It's one of the many low-key "moderate Muslim" proclamations. Why low-key? I don't know. It seems productive educated Muslims have weaker PR than... Other ones (for lack of better term).

Another, what should be huge, campaign is the M7YAP. The Muslim 7-Year Action Plan to protect the natural environment.
It was drawn up by Earth-Mates Dialogue Center at a conference in Istanbul in July 2009. The Muslim Association for Climate Change Action (MACCA) was launched to manage proposals as the umbrella NGO for the plan.

I only found one official copy of the action plan, and it's a draft. I found more information in a summary and Wikipedia.
Get this, proposals include: greening Hajj, having major Muslim cities be exemplary of eco-friendly urban communities, and constructing a green masjid to show best-practice regarding heating, light, etc.. I can not begin to point out how retrograde their progress is if these are their goals. Other than pointing out the monstrosities being erected around the Kaˀbah, I'll leave my hostility for another post.

The concept is there, though, which I can appreciate. Stay tuned for more Ramaḍān-relevant posts to come, as I may have veered a little off topic.

Here's to love, peace, and food.