Online Copy of Event Programme:

Foreword

This evening focuses on how our role on this Earth, in the Islamic framework, entails a distinctive relationship with the rest of creation. We are fortunate to have with us an eclectic group of contributors from around the country. Our speakers will look at the challenges facing them and facing us. We would like to encourage you to participate in this active pursuit.

IMASE

The International Muslim Association of Scientists and Engineers (IMASE) is an organisation dedicated to nurturing and exploiting knowledge, within an Islamic framework, for the benefit of mankind. Our aims are as follows:

Knowledge
Utilising and advancing our understanding of the Sciences for benefit of humanity.

Resource Base
Continuing to develop a comprehensive skills database for use in practical applications.

Translation
Researching and delivering best practice solutions.

Public Involvement
Raising awareness of relevant challenges through informed dialogue to stimulate a dynamic response from the community.

We organise events and run projects geared towards fulfilling these aims. So far we have arranged seminars on Mentoring, Environment, Development, Sustainable Water Solutions for the Developing World and the Philosophy of Science. The IMASE Water Focus Group was an outcome of the Water Seminar. Being action orientated, we intend to provide and highlight opportunities for participants to utilise their skills. It is hoped that the experience gained would empower them to initiate and deliver activities of their own.

IMAAD

IMAAD is a Reading based group which seeks to provide practical and creative solutions to the challenges many young Muslims face in modern day Britain. Through networking and raising awareness in matters of education and religion, we aim to raise the Muslim community’s postion in society.

For more information about Imaad, to become more involved or for further information relating to today’s event please visit our website: www.imaad.org or email info@imaad.org.

An Introduction to the IMASE Water Focus Group

Water management is a major problem afflicting the Muslim World. There has been a lack of community awareness and regard for water. Water is being mismanaged with no proper framework for recycling or sensible water usage being practiced. To fulfil basic human requirements, each person needs at least 50 litres of water per day for cooking, washing and drinking. Almost 50 countries around the world cannot meet this necessity.

Who We Are

The IMASE Water Focus Group aims to provide a technical and intellectual resource pool to help alleviate and solve water resource problems in the developing world. We intend to be a practical consulting group and a liaison party with other organisations to produce an effective working and problem-solving focus group.

The IMASE Water Focus Group also aims to be a think tank in which water problems, solutions and strategies can be overcome. Through effective communications, full technical and intellectual support, we hope to establish resolutions, seminars, and workshops to increase humanity’s awareness on the issue and importance of water.

Past Activity

IMASE in association with TeKnoCon organised a seminar entitled ‘Sustainable Water Solutions for the Developing World - The Global Water Crisis: Scenarios and Issues Relevant to Muslim Countries’, March 2002, Imperial College London.

Present Activity

IMASE is involved with the Willowbrook Farm Project, an organic farm in Oxford. Volunteer work has continued where simple tasks such as tree planting (to form woodland), pond restoration and hen caring has taken place. There is a minimum of one day for each volunteering session, and it is suitable for both undergraduates and postgraduates. Environmental planning will be discussed and practised throughout all sessions.

Future Activity

The IMASE Water Focus Group in liaison with Al-Andalus Trust is to establish an internship program on Willowbrook Farm to work on low level water technologies and ecological systems. Other works include the reed bed system, which is a simple yet innovative method to treat sewage. Possible woodland courses can be given to the younger generation.

The web resource will be developed to include information on water related issues throughout the world. We value contributions to the knowledge base, which will be hosted on www.imase.org/water .

Zeshan Akhter

Zeshan Akhter is a conservation practitioner. Having graduated in Zoology from Cardiff University in 1995, she was a Ranger in a number of Scottish wildlife reserves, she has been working with Scottish Natural Heritage for three years.

Biodiversity and Conservation:
Saving A Threatened Inheritance

The term biodiversity means the variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and other micro-organisms) and the ecological complexes in which they occur. The living organisms interact with the non-living components of the world (the atmosphere, oceans, freshwaters and soils) to form a complex, interconnected, whole. It is this interconnected system that generates the oxygen we breathe, purifies water for us to drink, cycles carbon, regulates the planetary climate, provides us with food, medicines, materials from which to fashion our belongings, homes and cities and provides us with a store of genetic wealth which we use to improve crops and livestock. Biodiversity, the natural inheritance that makes these environmental services possible is currently facing a grave threat to its existence - us. Humankind’s activities and the unsustainable manner in which natural resources are being exploited has led to species becoming extinct at a rate of between 17,000 to 100,000 per year and are being lost from every habitat on every continent. If unchecked, the current unsustainable use of our world’s natural resources will result in an unravelling of our planet’s ability to function and to the extinction of 50% of all species in 100 years time. Much conservation work is already underway, but if the current (and increasing) rate of species loss is to be halted, humanity must address the underlying driving factors of poverty in developing countries, unsustainable lifestyles of peoples’ in developed countries and engage the participation of governments worldwide.

Muzammal Hussain

Muzammal Hussain graduated as a medical doctor from the Royal Free Medical School in 1997. He has been campaigning for a ban on genetically modified foods since 1996 and represents IFEES (The Islamic Foundation For Ecology & Environmental Sciences) on GM food related issues. He is also encouraging Muslims to come together to form locally based Islamic environmental groups in the UK. As a medical doctor, he has worked mostly in mental health and currently has a practice in a mind-body healing therapy.

The Islamic Foundation For Ecology & Environmental Sciences (IFEES)

IFEES is a multi-dimensional Islamic organization committed to the maintenance of the Earth as a healthy habitat for all living beings. It networks world-wide with NGO's, international organizations, and academic bodies and invites collaboration from a diverse range of groups and individuals.

The GM Issue

Key points:

· So far food from 13 GM crops have been approved for sale in the EU. However most food manufacturers in the UK have removed GM ingredients from their own produce for human consumption. Meat and other products may come from animals fed on GM material. Halal meat is unlikely to be an exception.
· There is currently an EU moratorium on the import of new varieties of GM food for human consumption. The United States is considering challenging this EU moratorium through the World Trade Organisation rules. However, due to strong feelings towards the US regarding the war on Iraq, the US is reluctant to worsen its global image further and is currently holding back from initiating this challenge, even though it could succeed.
· Genetic modification is an imprecise science. GM foods could contain new toxins or allergens. The regulatory framework is inadequate to deal with unpredictable effects.
· Genetic modification is primarily a tool which allows big corporations to gain ownership of our food and maximise their profits. Already, just a handful of companies own almost half of the world’s seed market.
· GM is highly questionable from an Islamic point of view. Also, GM material is alive, can reproduce and can cross-pollinate conventional crops. GM contamination is a reality.
· There are plenty of things Muslims can do to get active, and a choice of organisations to support or join.

Taking Action

"It is He who has appointed you viceroys of the earth"
(Qur’ân - 6:165)

So what can Muslims do? Here are some suggestions and perhaps you may have some of your own:

1) Self-Purification. The disease of wanting more and more is not just confined to corporations, but is something that we might, from time-to-time, notice in ourselves. By recognizing this and engaging in spiritual practice to purify ourselves we come from a more true and compassionate place. In addition if we change, then so too does humanity, for each of us is a part of it.

2) Go Organic! – (It’s also more Islamic!) Organic food is more in alignment with Islamic principles and is also GM free. It can indeed cost a little more financially, but it can cost the environment a lot less, and pose less risk to our health. It also helps to buy food which is locally produced as this discourages long distance transport and the resultant production of greenhouse gases. Buying from local food stores and markets (rather than big chain stores) helps to nurture local communities.

3) Stay informed about the issues. Subscribe to an informative email list or magazine to help keep you in the picture and to hear about future related events. To join a low traffic e-list (2 to 4 emails/month) on GM and related issues for UK Muslims (and increasingly non-Muslims!): send an email to muzammal@phonecoop.coop with “subscribe” in the subject box.

4) Get together with like-minded friends, meet fortnightly or monthly, sip on some chai or fruit drink, discuss these and other issues and come up with ways to get active!

Websites and Magazines
· GM Foods & Islam website: www.islamicgmfocus.org
· The Ecologist: An informative magazine “rethinking basic assumptions”. Forward thinking articles written by leading environmentalists on issues such as GM foods, free trade, corporations, climate change, biodiversity etc. www.theecologist.org
· Seeds of Doubt: an in-depth and readable report (about 65 pages) produced at the end of last year by the Soil Association. The report looks at the impact of GM crops on US farmers. www.soilassociation.org - 0117 929 0661

Organisations
· The Islamic Foundation For Ecology & Environmental Sciences. www.ifees.org - 0845 456 3960 for GM food related enquiries and 0121 440 3500 for all other enquiries
· 'Five Year Freeze’ campaign. If you play a leading role in an organisation, please consider joining this umbrella body. There are already more than 100 members including IFEES, Islamic Concern, Christian Aid, Greenpeace and others. The common ground is that all members support a minimum five-year freeze on GM in food and farming, allowing enough time for a wide-scale debate on the issue. www.fiveyearfreeze.org - 020 7837 1141

Muhammad Imran

Muhammad Imran (he asks people just to call him Imran) is the Development Education Officer for Islamic Relief, working with schools to encourage teachers and pupils to explore global perspectives and Islamic viewpoints in their studies of contemporary development issues.

Previously, Imran was with Islamic Relief’s Emergency Department for three years during which he visited many crisis-struck countries and experienced first hand the effects of poverty and disaster. Being married with children, family commitments finally persuaded him to play more of a UK based role within Islamic Relief.

Prior to joining Islamic Relief, Muhammad had travelled widely, and having embraced Islam in Pakistan, went on to work as a teacher of English for several years.

Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief is a UK based aid agency that seeks to alleviate the poverty and suffering of the world’s poorest people.

Motivated by the charitable ideals of Islam, Islamic Relief has for the last 18 years, been assisting peoples of all religions and backgrounds, in over 23 countries, through its emergency relief and development programmes.

Please visit http://www.islamic-relief.com for more information.

The Importance of Being Good Neighbours:
Working for Development

The Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him (pbuh)] said: “The angel Gabriel kept commending my neighbour to me until I thought he was to be my designated heir”.

The Prophet (pbuh) also said: “He whose neighbour goes hungry, is not one of us”. No race, no religion, no condition upon identity was prescribed for that neighbour: ALL neighbours are to be cared for.

In this globalised, interdependent world, all human beings have virtually become neighbours to each other; and so the Muslim mindset is that each of us should act in a neighbourly way with the rest of humanity, doing unto our neighbours, as we would have them do unto us.

It is the breakdown of this spirit of neighbourliness, and the widening chasm between the rich and poor, that leads to conflict and to war.

Muhammad (pbuh) advised us to pass through this life as wayfarers: he taught us that this life is akin to resting in the shade of a tree before continuing on with a journey. Our experience in this life should be based on charity, alleviating the poor and protecting the weak, all of which are investments for our hereafter, the onward journey.

To alleviate the poor and protect the weak, wealth has to be more evenly shared. And so, in Islam, the mechanisms of Zakat and Sadaqah exist. Every Muslim has to pay a yearly charity tax (Zakat) of 2.5% of existing wealth and ongoing charity (Sadaqah) is promoted. The hoarding of wealth is thereby discouraged and prevented. In the Islamic world, the concept of Waqf (charitable investment) has also underpinned many public charitable services; in this way a hospital or a school, for example, may be maintained by the profits from a business or from renting out land or property; the base capital of the investment never being touched by the charitable endeavour.

Prophet (pbuh) said: “Allah supports his servant so long as his servant supports his brother.” And we can support each other with good advice, just as the Prophet (pbuh) helped a beggar to buy an axe and then advised him to support his family by gathering firewood. Giving good business advice, helping small businesses with start up loans and resources, are of course what many sustainable livelihood support programmes aspire to do today.

1. The importance of cooperation:

Allah says: “Cooperate in good and piety, and do not cooperate in wrongdoing and aggression” (Qur’an - 4:125).

2. The importance of mercy:

It is often said that the indicator to the condition of a civilisation is how it looks after the vulnerable. Where people can live free from the fear of poverty and tyranny, then trust permeates society, creativity and cooperation are unlocked, and stability is reinforced. Muhammad (pbuh) therefore encouraged the strong to look after the weak. He (pbuh) said: “Whoever looks after the widow and the pitiful is like the one who prays relentlessly and fasts continuously.”

Setting neighbour against neighbour can only lead to the ultimate destruction of all neighbourhoods. Continual war and conflict just takes the canoe, which bears humanity, For closer to the vertical drop of a gushing waterfall.

Politicians, leaders, all people of influence, all of us, have to recognise that peace has to be built on justice, freedom from poverty and availability of opportunity. And this has to be accessible to all, otherwise frustration and despair will be left to ferment with potentially horrific consequences.

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Even a smile is charity”. Being good neighbours, even by just offering a smile, is the first step to take outside our homes.

Sumreen Sheikh

Sumreen Sheikh works on the Sustainability Team at Reading Borough Council.
She has been interested in environmental issues since Rio Earth Summit of 1992 and
feels it is imperative to look after the environment as it looks after us and
our quality of life depends on it.

Reading Borough Council

RBC has been renowned for its follow up of Local Agenda 21. This is a Local Authority
requirement which came out of Rio Earth Summit 1992, to engage local
populations in environmental awareness and action. In partnership with World Wildlife Fund, RBC created the GLOBE Groups (Go Local On a Better Environment) in 1996.
These are urban environmental groups who work with RBC to improve their
immediate / local environment and quality of life.

However, the GLOBE message has not been conveyed to large sections of the
diverse community in Reading. RBC wishes to engage this community,
especially as the Global to Local message sits very well with those who have
links to other countries.

Action points

· Reduce, reuse and recycle. This will save you money as well as room in the landfill.
· Incorporate environmentally friendly practices into everyday life.
· Join a local GLOBE group or help set up a new one.
· Practical conservation - join one of the friends of groups.
· Buy Fair Trade to give traders in the third world a better deal.

Contact 0118 939 0100 or email globe@reading.gov.uk for more information on the RBC local recycling scheme.

Local Environmental Projects: How to get involved

This talk aims to build awareness of the projects unfurling in the vicinity of Reading, namely Fair Trade, The GM Debate and waste minimisation schemes. There is a need for greater Community participation in Reading to discuss and act on local / global issues.

Closing Remarks

It is hoped that the knowledge contained in these pages provides the reader with a record and a better understanding of the subject material covered in the seminar. In the light of Islam; Environment, Community and Knowledge have particular meanings that are unique. In order to do justice to our way of life and the challenges at hand today, these need to be articulated, communicated and acted upon.

If you would like to contribute to the work of IMASE or IMAAD, please do not hesitate to get in touch. At the moment IMASE is involved with projects concerning; Water Resources, Entrepreneurship, the Philosophy of Science, Alumni Development, Entrepreneurship and a Database of Muslim Professionals. IMAAD’s ongoing projects include mentoring schemes to raise the educational achievement and aspiration of our local young generation, involvement in town-wide social inclusion projects, separate men and women’s sports projects plus the usual diverse range of local events and web-activity to encourage networking and gaining knowledge.

We are a community blessed with an education, worldview, enthusiasm and facilities. As networks we exist to support and add value to the aspirations of our membership and the Ummah as a whole. Indeed there is plenty of work to do!

For more information, articles & resources…

A series of related articles and resources related to this event will shortly be available on the Imaad website, www.imaad.org.

These will include:
- Fazlun Khalid, Sustainable Development and Environmental Collapse, An Islamic Perspective - World Summit on Sustainable Development Parallel Event,
Muslim Convention on Sustainable Development

- Muzammal Hussain, Islam & GM

- Muhammad Imran, Islamic Perspectives On Education for Sustainability at a Time of War and Conflict: The Importance of Being Good Neighbours

IMAAD accepts no liability for information contained on external websites or for literature coming from third parties. Neither does a link to site imply IMAAD's support for the content of the site, the organisation associated with the site or any third parties the site's content pertains to.