UK Muslim Climate Action Campaign Gains Big Support

With the official launch of its “Islam is Green” climate action campaign, the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) also inaugurated its official website to help Muslims learn more about climate change. The iERA activities were timed to coincide with London’s “Time to Act Climate Change” march, as well, and resulted in huge support from the general public in London, England.
Events on the day of the climate action march included a lecture at a local community center provided by iERA volunteers on the Islamic perspective of caring for the environment. Afterwards, iERA members joined a group of over 5,000 assembled in central London expressing concern about mitigating global warming and requesting global climate action.
Handing out flyers to the public during the “Time to Act Climate Change” march, iERA members reported “overwhelmingly positive” response. The flyers presented information expressing the seriousness with which Muslims regard caring for the Earth, and preserving natural resources. This supportive stance on climate action surprised many demonstrators, initiating discussions and eliciting interest in learning more.
The “Islam is Green” Climate Action Campaign
The “Islam is Green” climate action campaign is centered around the Muslim understanding that humans have been given the role of caretaker of the Earth. We must protect it and maintain it, just as we would our own garden with blossoming fruit trees and vegetable plants. As Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, God’s peace and blessings be upon him, taught:

“If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift (sadaqah) for him.”
[the Prophet Muhammad]

And as God mentions in the Quran:

It is Allah who made for you the earth a place of settlement and the sky a ceiling and formed you and perfected your forms and provided you with good things. That is Allah, your Lord; then blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.
[Quran 40:64]
So remember the favors of God (Allah), and do not act on the Earth as corrupters.
[Quran 7:47]

Embarking on a mission to be ambassadors of change, members of the iERA team behind the “Islam is Green” climate action campaign encourage all of us to be “caretakers of our extended garden.” They state:
“You may hesitate and think that your impact will be insignificant in our big world. But even if your impact is the size of a microscopic pixel in the movement towards a greener healthier world, the fact is that you have chosen to jump on the train to change, and 6 billion pixels will no longer be a pixel. Rather, they will become a picture of a brighter and greener future, God willing.”

Islamic Education and Research Academy
With a focus on informing people about Islam, iERA helps Muslims gain the confidence to share their faith and helps empower new Muslims to implement Islam in their lives. Using a holistic approach to research, iERA notes that it investigates as many areas as possible to improve its methods of conveying the message of Islam. Always looking for more individuals to join them, iERA has a global team of volunteers with a passion for dawah, or faith-based activism.
The activities of the iERA “Islam is Green” climate action campaign, combined with the London climate march proved to be a very successful strategy for iERA. Gaining interest from a number of independent media outlets, iERA gave two broadcast interviews, with Reel News and Nuwave Pictures.
MADE in Europe Joins iERA’s Call For Climate Action
Teaming up with iERA for the day of climate action activities, Muslim Agency for Development Education, or MADE in Europe is a Muslim-led movement of young people who want to help more Muslims lead the fight against global poverty and injustice. “The planet is being destroyed by irresponsible and selfish living,” states UK-based MADE in Europe, “and it’s the world’s poorest who are first to feel the effects of the changing climate.”
Inspiring and enabling a grassroots European Muslim youth movement of “faith in action,” MADE in Europe works on tackling global poverty and injustice through volunteering, campaigning, and education. The enterprising young group states that it also provides capacity building services for Muslim NGOs and support for interfaith initiatives in international development.
“Our individual choices and actions have a huge impact on the lives of people across the world,” notes MADE in Europe. “This challenge will take more than just our money. Our response is rooted in the Islamic traditions of social action, justice and environmental stewardship. It’s about being smart, ethical and green in the way we live.”

Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change themselves.
[Quran 13:11]

A Successful Debut in London
The collaboration between iERA and MADE in Europe was very productive, and iERA reported that feedback from the general public on the day of the London Climate Action march was extremely promising. The “Islam is Green” debut campaign was successfully endorsed by the general public in London, with many encouragements and invitations offered for more Muslims to participle in future environmental events.
Enjoy the following video of the days events with the launch of the iERA climate action campaign “Islam is Green” at the “Time to Act Climate Change” march in London, England:

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This piece was originally published at Eden Keeper.
Aisha Abdelhamid is a native of Long Beach, California, USA and a recently naturalized citizen of Egypt. Born into a devout Irish Catholic family, she converted to Islam at 40, and assumed her husband’s family name upon marriage. Aisha and her husband, Mohamed, enjoy a devout Islamic lifestyle in the rural Nile Delta rooted in practical aspects of conservation and sustainability. They are building their home and animal barns with green features, sustainable and recycled materials, and enjoy organic rooftop gardening. Aisha is an avid writer and photographer, actively sharing her fascinating lifestyle on multiple online platforms.