ISLAM’S GREEN INITIATIVE
Under the newfound coalition toward eco-commitment and a Muslim Seven Year Plan, Medina, Islam’s second most important city after Mecca, is to serve as a model green city. This move is critical since Saudi Arabia is essentially, for better or worse, presently the pillar of the Arab nations.
Medina, "The City of the Prophet", is a strategic start pointing that has the capacity to really launch a green campaign in neighboring territories.
The Seven Year Plan was presented by the Sheikh Ali Goma'a, Egypt’s Grand Mufti, who has already introduced the plan into his own city of Dar Al Iftaa. Some key initiatives of the Seven Year Plan include:
* Develop and implement a "Green Hajj". With 2-3 million people visiting Mecca during Hajj alone, transforming the experience into an environmentally-friendly pilgrimage will reap immediate benefits.
* Construct a "green mosque" and introduce this model for other Islamic buildings worldwide.
* In the first phase, develop 2-3 green model cities; in the second phase, adapt ten other Muslim cities to implement the model.
* Integrate eco-awareness into Islamic education.
* Publish "green Qurans", printed on paper procured from sustainable wood.
* Create a specialized TV channel focused on Islam and the environment.
* Create award and prize systems for excellence in this field.
The ultimate goal here, as with other faith groups, is to radically redefine faith-based relationships with the environment. While the "greenie" movement is still seen as a secular front by a number of conservative groups, the world’s oldest religions with a following in the billions will be able to bring much needed attention and authority to an issue that has predated our recognition of it.
Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) is driving the initiative.
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