MUSLIMS IN ACTION
The Case against Fossil
Fuels Investments
Muslims support the UN approach of capping the
global temperature increase at 1.5 degree Celsius
The Interfaith Climate Change Statement to world leaders was officially handed over to
Mogens Lykketoft, President of the United Nations General Assembly
BY SAFFET ABID CATOVIC
M
uslims involved in the
environmental “green”
movement often cite two of
Prophet Muhammad’s (salla
Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) hadiths: “Indeed
the world is green and sweet, and indeed
God has left you to remain to see how you
behave. So beware of the world, beware of
the world” and “People have common share
in three (things): Grass (herbage/vegetation
for humanity and animals), water and fire
(light, heat and power, which includes the
electrical power derived from burning fossil
fuels and other sources of energy).”
Most conflicts throughout history,
regardless of their size, can be tied, in one
way or another, to one side’s access and/
or control over these finite life-sustaining
resources. Currently, these resources are
not being shared equitably, in terms of the
present members of creation and those yet
to come. Just as the global faith communities
and their leaders have declared their intent to
battle climate change by releasing statements
and declarations (e.g., the Papal Encyclical
on the Environment and Climate Change
and Laudato Si), local faith leaders must
continue to mobilize their congregations
to pursue this cause.
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Meeting in Istanbul on Aug. 17-18, 2015,
over 60 Muslim scholars, academics, and
environmental activists from around the
world adopted an Islamic Declaration on
Global Climate Change ((http://islamicclimatedeclaration.org/islamic-declaration-on-global-climate-change/). This bold
grassroots initiative was driven by various
NGOs, including Greenfaith, Islamic Relief
Worldwide, the Islamic Foundation for
Ecology and Environmental Sciences, the
Climate Action Network International, the
OurVoices campaign, and others. It was formally presented to the president of the UN
General Assembly just prior to the signing by
175 parties (174 countries and the European
Union) of the COP 21 Paris Agreement on
April 22, 2016 (Earth Day) in New York.
Specifically, this declaration affirms
the UN position that seeks to limit global
warming to 2, or preferably 1.5, degrees
Celsius by reducing and limiting the pollution caused by burning fossil fuels and the
resultant greenhouse gas emissions. It calls
for the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels and a
switch to 100% renewable energy, as well as
increased support by the major greenhouse
gas emitters, primarily the Global North and
China, for vulnerable communities, located
primarily in the Global South. Wealthy
oil-producing nations, of which the U.S. is
now the leading one, are urged to phase out
these emissions by 2050. All people, leaders and businesses are invited to commit to
100% renewable energy in order to tackle
climate change, reduce poverty and achieve
sustainable development.
As renowned environmental leader Bill
McKibben, founder of 350.org reminds us,
“when environmentalists [traditionally]
talked about climate policy, it was almost
always in terms of reducing demand”:
Change your light bulb (ISNA’s multifaceted Our Masjid is Greening Ramadan
campaign with its theme of “Ramadan:
When Less is More” is a community-level
example of implementing ecological friendly
practices) and put a price on carbon (on the
governmental level). These excellent ideas
are making slow but steady progress. Given
enough time, these practices will lower
carbon emissions gradually but powerfully.
He continued, “Time, however, is precisely
what we don’t have.”
As Quran 10:3 states, time is running
out for humanity to believe and do what
is right. A growing number of respected
environmental scientists and economists
have stated that to stem a global warming
disaster, we must stop burning fossil fuels
and keep at least 75% of all carbon dioxide
in the ground to prevent overwhelming the
planet’s physical systems.
This concept of not disturbing Earth is
in keeping with the Quranic injunction “to
walk softy on the earth” (25:63). Quranic
exegetes explain that the Prophet exemplified this by placing his feet firmly as if he
were always walking downhill, as opposed
to penetrating or disrupting it. Hence a
more “green” reading of this verse is to not
harm Earth, which includes reducing our
carbon footprint. It is also a general Shariah
principal to cause no harm/injury to one
another. The mechanism of harming or violating Earth is fasad (corruption), which
contemporary Muslim scholars like Yusuf
Qaradawi (b. 1926) have interpreted as “pollution.” Quran 30:41 defines this as the result
of what “the hands of man have wrought.”
The divestment “Keep it in the Ground”
campaign asks both institutional and individual investors to consider replacing fossil fuel
stocks with renewable stocks. But how can
Muslims accomplish this goal? Arguments
such as saving the planet for future generations, while correct and generally appealing,
will not by themselves be effective in this
regard. Religious language, however, can be
ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
very persuasive in inspiring Muslim investors who are concerned about ethical halal
investments to join this movement.
Another method could consist of calling
attention to the following facts (abstracted
from http://www.pewforum.org/2013/04/30/
the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-overview/). First, the Shariah influences
the legal code of most Muslim countries.
Second, the Pew Research Center’s 2013
survey findings indicate that most Muslims
believe that it is God’s revealed word, rather
than a body of law developed by men based
upon His word. While many Muslims say it
should be the law in any Muslim-majority
country, there is no consensus on the precise
methods of how to implement it.
Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d. 1350)
states, in part: “The Shariah’s foundation is
wisdom and the safeguarding of people’s
interests in this world and the next. In its
entirety it is justice, mercy and wisdom.
Every rule that transcends justice to tyranny,
mercy to its opposite, the good to the evil, and
wisdom to triviality does not belong to it. The
Shariah is God’s justice and mercy among
His people. Life, nutrition, medicine, light,
recuperation and virtue are made possible by
it. Every good that exists is derived from it,
and every deficiency in being results from its
loss and dissipation, for the Shariah, which
God entrusted His prophet to transmit, is
the pillar of the world and the key to success
and happiness in this world and the next.”
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) lists its
purposes and objectives, also referred to as
the five categories or essentials: the preservation of faith, life, lineage (i.e., posterity and
family), intellect and property (i.e. wealth
and material resources). He states that “these
were to be protected as absolute priorities,
for whatever ensures the safeguard of these
five principles serves public interest and is
desirable, and whatever hurts them is against
public interest and its removal is desirable.”
Developing such investments initially
requires a great deal of scholarly work by
competent and qualified jurists, thinkers and
environmental leaders. Individual scholars
and scholarly institutions/associations, fiqh
councils and national fatwa councils must
come to understand the need to expand the
language of the Shariah’s objectives so that
it can be sensitive to and include current
environmental realities and the damage
being done to all of creation. In reference
to these categories, Mohammed Hashim
Kamili (b. 1944), founding chairman of the
International Institute of Advanced Islamic
Studies in Malaysia, and others have observed
“that Al-Maqasid Al-Sharia is still open for
further development and enhancement. The
nature of this development and enhancement
must reflect the priorities of our age and the
(to them), and that they should not become
like those to whom was given Revelation
aforetime, but long ages passed over them
and their hearts grew hard? For many among
them are rebellious transgressors. Know you
(all) that God gives life to the earth after its
MOST CONFLICTS THROUGHOUT HISTORY,
REGARDLESS OF THEIR SIZE, CAN BE TIED,
IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, TO ONE SIDE’S
ACCESS AND/OR CONTROL OVER THESE
FINITE LIFE-SUSTAINING RESOURCES.
change of circumstances that we encounter
as a result.” In fact this “renewal of mind
and understanding” is vital if we are to deal
effectively with the negative side effects of
modernity, industrialization, over-consumption and environmental degradation.
Once the theological/ideological groundwork has been laid, new Shariah-compliant
financial investment instruments that avoid
all fossil fuel-based stocks should be formulated by Islamic finance/investment professionals for society as a whole. These will
provide alternative halal investments in, for
example, renewable energy and clean energy
projects and stocks.
As McKibben observes, money is a key
part of the “Keep It in the Ground” strategy.
From its humble beginnings, with small institutions like Unity College in Maine selling
the fossil fuel stock in its $13 million portfolio, this global divestment movement now
includes colleges from Stanford to Oxford,
from Sydney to Edinburgh. The message is
loud and clear: It makes no sense to educate
young people and then destroy the planet that
they will inherit from us. Allied medical and
physician associations worldwide have committed themselves to this goal on the ground
that one cannot pretend to be interested in
public health if one is investing in companies that are destroying it. Various Christian
denominations have made similar commitments, insisting that caring for creation is
incompatible with causing such destruction.
It is time for Muslim to wake up and
assume their God-given responsibilities as
caretakers of this planet. As Quran 57:1617 states: “Has not the Time arrived for the
Believers that their hearts in all humility
should engage in the remembrance of God
and of the Truth which has been revealed
ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
death! Already have We shown the Signs
plainly to you, that you may learn wisdom.”
Further information on this vitally
important topic can be found at www.greenfaith.org/programs/divest-and-reinvest. Saffet Abid Catovic, member of the Drafting Committee
of the Islamic Declaration on Climate Change, is a board
member of ISNA Green Masjid Task Force and a GreenFaith
Fellow as well as chairman of Green Muslims of New Jersey.
Fatima’s Touch, by Tamam Kahn,
told through narrative and poetry, is a
bridge between our time and seventh
century Islam. Fatima’s story, her
words and her life, serve as a hedge
against fundamentalism.
Years of research support the stories of
Fatima’s life and her loving connection
with her father, Prophet Muhammad;
Islam and the feminine are honored.
— Daisy Khan, Founder, Women’s
Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and
Equality (WISE)
On Amazon September 2016
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