Islamic Relief goes green

ISLAMIC RELIEF UK was “showing the love” on St Valentine’s Day – to highlight things which we love but could be lost as the global climate changes.

The charity’s volunteers took inspiration from the Prophet Muhammad’s hadith, “The Earth is green and beautiful, and God has appointed you his stewards over it.” They set up a stall outside their London office on Lower Marsh and gave gifts to passers-by. They invited the members of the public to tell them what they love about planet Earth.

Islamic Relief UK is one of over 130 members of the Climate Coalition, which is co-ordinating “Show the Love” actions across the UK until 24th February. These will provide opportunities for supporters to discuss how to highlight the issue of climate change and how to protect the planet. The Coalition is also encouraging members of the public to hold their own events to raise awareness, to raise these issues on social media using the hashtags #LoveAllahsCreation and #ShowTheLove, and to ask their MPs to press the Government to take action to protect the Earth.

Maria Zafar, Islamic Relief UK Campaigns Co-ordinator, explained, “From Africa to Asia, we’re supporting communities to become better prepared to live with extreme weather and a changing climate. We often take for granted what we love the most.

“As a Muslim, climate action is a central tenant of my faith. The Holy Quran states that we are stewards of the earth which means that it is our religious obligation to protect and preserve the earth and working at Islamic Relief we are advocating for just that.

“We are asking our supporters to show their love for Allah’s creation by making gradual changes to their lifestyle, such as cutting down on meat, car use or flying, to be more eco-friendly. Together with the Climate Coalition we are also demanding that the Government puts more funding and resource to combat climate change. This will help bring about positive change and, could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives. If we don’t act now, the damage will be irreversible.”

•For more information about the work of Islamic Relief go to:
https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/

•Read more about it:
Islamic Relief and Mosque distribute Qurbani meat
Islamic Relief appeals for help with Bangladesh flood relief