GREEN KHUTBAH CAMPAIGN
about
The Green Khutbah Campaign aims to mobilize Muslims to become responsible stewards of the environment by caring for all of God’s creations. On Friday, June 9, 2023, Muslims will be encouraged by their religious leaders to look to the Islamic principles to ‘Green their Deen’ and promote greater environmental awareness.
Join the growing worldwide movement of Muslims who are returning to a simpler lifestyle.
The idea and goal
The goal of the Green Khutbah Campaign is to raise awareness in the Muslim community about global environmental issues and to help create a roadmap that they can adopt to become more environmentally active and develop more sustainable lifestyles.
It grew out of a larger initiative called Khaleafa, which is the Arabic term for steward, and represents the sacred responsibility of the environment that has been bestowed upon us by God. The concept of stewardship is the inspiration of this project and has formed the foundation for discussion of the environmental ideals already present within the Islam.
objectives
On Friday June 9, 2023, Imams are being requested to deliver a Khutbah (sermon) on an environmental topic to raise awareness on the challenges facing humanity. The focus of the campaign is threefold:
To raise awareness about the current state of the environment today.
To highlight the contributions Islam can bring towards the environmental movement.
To provide proactive tools that the Muslim community can adopt into their daily lives.
Last year the theme of the Green Khutbah Campaign was changing hearts and minds through action. Stay tuned for more on this year’s theme.
Background
As Canadians we are intrinsically connected with the environment. The Canadian wilderness conjures up images of pristine lakes, vast tracts of forests and endless coastlines. However, Canada is also a country that is disproportionately affected by climate change due its amplified effects at higher latitudes. Thawing permafrost, sea ice loss and coastal erosion are already witnessed in the Arctic and extreme weather events across the country from droughts in Western Canada to flooding across the Prairies have had severe environmental implications. Ecological disturbances such as the northward spread of plant species and changes in migratory patterns have also had a detrimental effect to native flora and fauna.
Globally, sea levels continue to rise, deserts continue to expand and the climate has become more unpredictable. Governments are realizing the cost of doing nothing is not an option and recent talks at COP26 in Glasgow demonstrate that the tide of public opinion has shifted towards creating a more sustainable future.
However, what can we do as individuals to reduce our carbon footprint and what role can our faith play in guiding our decisions?