Globalized Eco-Islam: a Survey
Some indication of the potential impact in these spheres is provided by Abdul Matin, who in his Green Deen is also pointing out potentially powerful synergies between organic foods and halal food. You can see American Halal manifest itself in the choices consumers are willing to make, demanding from companies higher-quality food – quality with the triple bottom line of profit, benefit to people and benefit to the Earth. Consumers want to have food that is anti-biotic-free, ethically packaged, free-range, fair trade, tasty and halal. Opportunity exist for the edgy and savvy producer of a product with all the right mix of social justice, eco-friendly and high quality characteristics – a producer that markets to a powerful audience: Muslim consumers185.
Thus far, the halal certifying bodies do not seem to have latched on to this ‗sustainable‘ development. 9.5 (Islamic) Developmental sector: linchpin? The Islamic developmental sector might turn out to become one of the linchpins, capable of welding some of the above mentioned trends together, especially in the area of finance. We have already mentioned the active involvement of this sector in innovative finance forms (such as waqf for development, green sukuk, takaful, microcredit schemes etc)186. In this sense, it is significant, that one of the largest and most established Islamic humanitarian organizations, Islamic Relief Worldwide set out to draft policy papers on the ‗environment‘ and on ‗fair trade‘ in 2009187. In this paper Islamic Relief noted that this more pro-active engagement with the environment was relatively new. It triggered the establishment of new strategic ‗environmental‘ alliances with parties, such as the United Nations, the European Union, UK government, the Red Cross, the Red Crescent and Stop Climate Chaos Coalition. These networks are illustrative of the emergent ‗globalized‘ civil society in the fields of environmental action. The environmental policy paper is also a highly interesting example of how Islamic environmental tenets are called into play to support and legitimate environmental action. Interestingly, Islamic Relief noted that this need to legitimate action on basis of Islamic tenets was also a relatively new phenomenon: ‗There has been relatively little analysis on how and to what extent Islamic theological principles are translated into the operational philosophy of Muslim charities‘188. The paper refers to a number of key principles and tenets which reverberate with the other sets of principles, calling on: the unity of creation (tawheed), humanity‘s accountability to God, divine ownership of the earth and heavens, humanity‘s role as steward or guardian of creation (khalifa),
Winter, de, G., Maatschappelijk verantwoord Ondernemen vanuit Islamitisch Perspectief, BoekScout.nl, 2009. 185 Abdul Matin, Green Deen, p182. 186 The significance of finance was presented at the seminar Islamic Finance for Development in The Hague on 9 February 2009. Ajaz Ahmed Khan, Microfinance Advisor CARE International was one of the key presenters. Presentations: What role for Islamic finance in promoting development by dr.; The challenge of lslamic microfinance programming for poverty reduction and development: The Islamic Relief Experience by Atallah Fitzgibbon, Policy & Strategy Manager at Islamic Relief Worldwide; The invisible worlds of religion and economy Farewell speech by Gerrie ter Haar. See Kenniscentrum Religie & Ontwikkeling: http://www.religion-and-development.nl/news/47/presentations-seminar-islamicdevelopment-finance (accessed February 2012). 187 Islamic Relief policy papers: Islamic Relief Environmental Policy, February 2009 (http://www.islamicrelief.com/Indepth/Default.aspx?depID=6); Ajaz Ahmad Khan and Laura Thaut, An Islamic Perspective on Fair Trade, August 2008. (http://www.islamic-relief.com/Indepth/fair_trade.aspx. p. 14). 188 Ajaz Ahmed Khan, Islamic Relief Translating Faith into Development, June 2009: http://www.islamicrelief.com/Indepth/translating-faith.aspx
AM Schwencke
Revised version: February 2012
p55/70