Green Masjids in America | SoundVision.com

Green Masjids in America

A growing awareness of everything environmentally friendly is taking place in mosques across the United States, which are joining hands with grassroots faith-based groups to encourage the mainstream society to work towards better environmental stewardship.

"It's so important for us as Muslims to take the lead in it,” Khalid Iqbal, Deputy Director of All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) in Virginia, explains.

Iqbal believes being conscious of the environment and going green is part of Muslims' moral responsibility. “It's so incumbent on each and every Muslim, not just because it’s a buzz word or in fashion."

His ADAMS Center embarked on an education campaign, by getting community member to recycle, plant more than 300 trees, cut down on water usage and change light bulbs inside the mosque.

ADAMS, working with their Sunday school, introduced a Green Mosque project. They reduced their carbon footprint by about 13% and their energy consumption by 21%, according to Iqbal.

In many other mosques, environmentalism is being encouraged by giving Khutbahs on sustainability, starting a recycling program, saving electricity by switching to LED lights, and reducing the place of worship's carbon footprint.

Some mosques are working with local interfaith organizations, such as the Interfaith Power and Light, to implement environmentally-friendly changes.

The first mosque in the nation to go green, the Mosque Foundation, located in Bridgeview, Illinois, installed solar panels to heat water on July 31st, 2008 and received an Environmental Hero Award for their commitment. The mosque improved insulation and got recycled-fiber carpeting as part of their renovations.

In Southern California, groups like the Islamic Environmental Group of Wisconsin, DC Green Muslim and Green Deen are educating the Muslim community and the broader public to implement a healthier and sustainable lifestyle.

Bigger Role

Muslims, however, affirm that despite of the green mosques efforts to spread environmentalism, there is still a lot to do.

"There’s a lot of awareness that as Muslims we are the custodians on earth, but people don’t know how to do that," said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) and President of Mosque Foundation.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, the Director of Outreach for the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Virginia agrees.
He believes that while personal environmental stewardship and institutional partnerships are dimensions of raising awareness, faith-based institutions need to get on board with the mainstream green movement to ask for changes in public policy.

"It is not possible to have a real change if all we're doing is working with the level of individuals and faith based institutions. That's not enough," Abdul-Malik told IOL.

"We have to move to the level of public policy, where our voices are heard along with the chorus of others who are not part of the faith based movements to ask for changes in the system."

Imam Abdul-Malik testified at the Environmental Protection Agency's public hearing on global warming on May 18th.

As part of Muslim Action Day in Illinois on May 21st, 2010, CIOGC led about 500 Muslims to the state capitol to lobby for a cap and trade program, among other issues.

In Ramadan 2010, CIOGC led seven mosques in participating in a Green Ramadan campaign. One of the steps they asked members to do was to lobby their local representatives about environmental issues.

"When we started the campaign, we asked the mosques to sign pledges,” said Sahloul of CIOGC.

They also requested mosques to start a Green committee, incorporate environmentalism in a Friday Khutbah, start a recycling program, connect with faith-based environmental organizations, use solar energy for water heating and eat organic Halal food.

CIOGC plans to promote a Green Ramadan to mosques around the US next year. "We’re planning to use every Ramadan to push further in the Muslim community."
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Source: www.IslamOnline.net

 

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In the name of Allah the most Gracious most merciful

Galib Malik Ramathan
1626 Weston Rd Unit B1 Toronto, Ontario, M9N 1T9, Canada
E-mail galibramathan@gmail.com

To Whom It May Concern:

Assalamu Alaikum My Dear Brothers/Sisters in Islam

My name is Galib Ramathan. I was born in Mogadishu, Somalia on January 1st 1981. I am from a poor Muslim family. I have a problem and I need some help from my Muslim brothers and sisters. I am sick I have a mental problem I am not feeling well. I suffer mental illness called Schizophrenia; I am unable to work or to go to school because of this illness. Presently, I am taking a medication and in care of a family doctor in Toronto, Ontario. My health was affected by the civil war in Somalia when I was ten years old and its deteriorating day by day. I have been sick for the past 25 years since 1991. Today I am not in good health. My health is worsening, I am always nervous and I hear the voices all the time. I feel depressed and unhappy and I feel lonely. Allah is my witness

Presently; I am a resident in Toronto for the past 23 years since 1994; alone by myself. I don’t have any relatives in Canada. My relatives are in Africa Cairo, Egypt and Dar-Es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya because we lost each other during the civil war in Somalia. I miss m,y family and I miss home. I would like to visit with my relatives and spend more time with them to feel much better. I am a Canadian citizen but I don't have money for airline ticket. My airline ticket it cost $1500.00 for that reason I am requesting any Zakat during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is month of blessing Whatever Zakat you can afford please send me a certified cheque with my name on it at above address on the top of this letter. Please try to help me as much as you can. If you don’t help me nobody else can help me you are my Muslim brothers and sisters. Please don’t look at the money look the health I will get that is the most important thing. Please the reason I sent you this letter is to let you know about my situation as a Muslim brother. Any amount of money that I can get will be greatly appreciated. I am requesting urgent support please try to assist me the best you can. I am frustrated living in Canada alone without my family. I miss my family and I miss home. I have strongly believe that my health will better in Egypt with my family around. Egypt is a poor country however everybody is happy and healthy nobody worries about anything.

I make Dua for you and any other Muslim brothers and sisters living in this world May Allah will give you more than you give me and May Allah will help you and reward you? Whatever you learn good thing in your heart May Allah make it easy for you and May Allah accept you're prayer and you're Zakat and you're fasting and you're Hajj?

I would be much better for my health wise physical and mentally I will really appreciated for any help that I can get from you. I am planning to go to Dar-Es Salaam, Tanzania on July 30, 2018 insha-Allah. May Allah make it easy for me? Please don’t ignore me as long as we are Muslim brothers and sisters. Any way you can help me will be greatly appreciated. I am going to Egypt in order to improve my health condition to feel much better. Please donate to me generously and kindly. I am requesting for help for the sake of Allah. I need your help and would you please help me in this situation? I would like to have a chance to live happily and to experience no frustration due to my illness. I am very desperate for your help. If you don’t help me, who will? Thank you and May Allah bless you and your family Jazak Allah Khayran

Yours sincerely
Galib Ramathan

Location

Canada

In the name of Allah the most Gracious most merciful

December 17, 2017

Galib Malik Ramathan
1235 Wilson Ave Room # 1133
Toronto, Ontario, M3M OB2, CANADA

Tel:416 242-1000 Ext 31133

To Whom It May Concern:

Assalamu Alaikum My Dear Brothers/Sisters in Islam

My name is Galib Ramathan. I was born in Mogadishu, Somalia on January 1st 1981. I am from a poor Muslim family. I have a problem and I need some help from my Muslim brothers and sisters. I am sick I have a mental problem I am not feeling well. I suffer mental illness called Schizophrenia;

I am unable to work or to go to school because of this illness. Presently, I am taking a medication and in care of a family doctor in Toronto, Ontario. My health was affected by the civil war in Somalia when I was ten years old and its deteriorating day by day. I have been sick for the past 25 years since 1991.

Today I am not in good health. My health is worsening, I am always nervous and I hear the voices all the time. I feel depressed and unhappy and I feel lonely.
Allah is my witness

Presently; I am a resident in Toronto for the past 23 years since 1994; alone by myself. I don’t have any family in Canada. My family is in East Africa Dar-Es Salaam, Tanzania and Cairo, Egypt because we lost each other during the civil war in Somalia.

I would like to visit with my family and spend more time with them to feel much better. I am a Canadian citizen but I don’t have money for airline ticket. My airline ticket it cost $1500.00 including everything.

I can’t afford this airline ticket. I am frustrated living in Canada alone without my family. I miss my family and I miss home. I have strongly believe that my health will better in Tanzania with my family around

Tanzania is a poor country however everybody is happy and healthy nobody worries about anything.

I am requesting any Zakat. Whatever Zakat you can afford please send me a certified cheque with my name on it at above address on the top of this letter.

Please try to help me as much as you can. If you don’t help me nobody else can help me you are my Muslim brothers and sisters.

Please don’t look at the money look the health I will get that is the most important thing.

Please the reason I sent you this letter is to let you know about my situation as a Muslim brother. If you don’t help me nobody else can help me, you are my Muslim brothers and sisters.

Any amount of money that I can get will be greatly appreciated. I am requesting urgent support please try to assisting me the best you can.

I make Dua for you and any other Muslim brothers and sisters living in this world May Allah will give you more than you give me and May Allah will help you and reward you? Whatever you learn good thing in your heart May Allah make it easy for you and May Allah accept you're prayer and you're Zakat and you're fasting?

I would be much better for my health wise physical and mentally I will really appreciated for any help that I can get from you.

I am planning to go to Dar-Es Salaam, Tanzania on January 15, 2018 insha-Allah. May Allah make it easy for me? Please don’t ignore me as long as we are Muslim brothers and sisters. Any way you can help me will be greatly appreciated.

I am going to Tanzania in order to improve my health condition to feel much better. Please donate to me generously and kindly. I am requesting for help for the sake of Allah.

I need your help and would you please help me in this situation?

I would like to have a chance to live happily and to experience no frustration due to my illness. I am very desperate for your help. If you don’t help me, who will?

Thank you and May Allah bless you and your family

Jazak Allah Khayran

Yours sincerely
Galib Ramathan

Location

Canada

Green Masajids is better way to give Dawah in this day of age, where everyone believe in going Green. I am working on similar project for our ISB (Islamic Society of Baltimore).

Jamshaid

Location

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