Love our Muslim Neighbors by Learning About Islam and Ecology

As Episcopalians and Christians, we mourn for our Muslim siblings in Abraham, gunned down by radical white terrorism in Christchurch, New Zealand.

It is up to all of us who walk Christ’s Way of Love to stand against Islamophobia every time we see it. Islam is often a force for peace, love, and charity in the world, as well as for creation care. Certainly none of God’s children — of any religion — deserve to be the targets of hatred and violence. We hold in our hearts the victims, their loved ones, and all who fear they could be next.

Take a moment to learn a little about the beauty of Islam and the values we share at these two pages. The more we understand, the easier it will be to love:

The Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale (http://fore.yale.edu/religion/islam/)
and The Islamic Foundation For Ecology And Environmental Sciences (http://www.ifees.org.uk/declaration)

“God – Whom we know as Allah – has created the universe in all its diversity, richness and vitality: the stars, the sun and moon, the earth and all its communities of living beings. All these reflect and manifest the boundless glory and mercy of their Creator. All created beings by nature serve and glorify their Maker, all bow to their Lord’s will. We human beings are created to serve the Lord of all beings, to work the greatest good we can for all the species, individuals, and generations of God’s creatures.”

— Islam Declaration on Global Climate Change, paragraph 1.1

Pictured: A Reuters image of the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, with a quote from Dr. Safei-Eldin Hamed of Chatham University to help us better understand the heart of Islam. “The whole earth is considered your mosque… How can you pollute your mosque, your temple, or your church? If the whole earth is a mosque, then we have to preserve it.” You can watch Dr. Hamed’s full interview with the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p3BqAzvWdc