Muslims in Britain and Environmental Sustainability Conference 2021

On Monday 27^th September, 2021, the Leverhulme Trust funded Towards Inclusive Environmental Sustainability (TIES) project hosted their first online webinar “How Muslims in Britain engage with, and understand, environmental sustainability” in collaboration with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Muslims of Britain Research Network (MBRN). This collaborative conference hosted by the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI), MBRN and MCB who bring together a unique mix of voices and perspectives showcasing how British Muslims engage with, and understand, environmental sustainability.

Speakers included:

Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General, Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)
Dr. Safina Islam, Head of Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre (AIURC)
Rianne C. ten Veen, Environmental Author of 199 Ways to Please God
Kamran Shezad, Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES)
Alessandra Palange, Muslims Declare
Rabiah Mali, Green Deen Tribe
Dr. Lutfi Radwan, Willowbrook Farm
Dr. Jeremy Kidwell, University of Birmingham
Linsay Taylor, Scottish Regional Manager for MEND
Shefali Kapoor, Head of Neighbourhoods, Manchester City Council (MCC)

Muslims in the United Kingdom (UK) have faced both socio-economic and socio-cultural marginalisation due to ethno-religious identities and migratory backgrounds. This societal marginalisation is reflected in research, policy, practice and engagement around what researchers call ‘pro-environmental behaviour’ (Brackertz 2007; Pollard et al. 2019).

Alongside experiences of structural inequality, the British Muslim experience is framed by religious practices and beliefs, and strong ethno-religious community ties. This conference brings together a unique mix of academics, policymakers and religiously motivated community activists and organisations to draw attention to how faith in Islam influences the practices, behaviours, and lifestyles of Muslims to care for the environment.

Our discussions will focus on practical ways in which, often marginalised, Muslim voices can be included in wider debates around the environment, climate change and the green policy agenda.

Conference aims:

• To recognise the ways in which Muslims engage in positive environmental practices.

• Explore how issues of sustainability and the environment relate to Islamic beliefs and practices.

• Engage in dialogue about how Muslims can meaningfully and purposefully be engaged in wider debates around issues of sustainability and the environment.

Each of the collaborating organisations will host a panel of key speakers in the field of Muslims and environmental sustainability to address the following questions:

• How do Muslim's experience and practice environmental sustainability in their everyday lives?

• How do British Muslims understand, and respond to, issues of sustainability and environmental concern through community activism?

• How can Muslim communities be involved in designing and implementing environmental policy and initiatives?

The TIES project analyses of the intersecting challenges of environmental degradation and immigration have paid little attention to the cultural dimensions of environmental problems and policy solutions at a time when many ‘first world’ cities are becoming more heterogeneous. Little is known about how culturally-specific notions of sustainability, premised on the need to reduce the impacts of Western over-consumption, are understood by people with non-Western world views and lifestyles who have settled in cities of the Global North. This knowledge gap is problematic not only because the success of sustainability agendas depends on maximum societal uptake, but also because misalignment of cultural norms and practices may contribute to a lack of social cohesion in diverse cities seeking to be more inclusive.

The project investigates how migration from Global South (GS) to Global North (GN) and the drive for urban sustainability intersect at household level in Greater Manchester, a city-region that has both increasing immigration and ethnic diversity and aspirations to become a leading green city in Europe.

By applying a mixed-methods, co-produced approach to research this study explores how immigrants from Pakistan and Somalia, two of the largest and fastest-growing groups in Manchester, perceive the green agenda and engage in 'environmentally significant' practices in daily life. We are also investigating the ways that draw attention to immigrants’ engagement in sustainability practices which contribute to building social cohesion and community resilience.

Uniquely, this is the first in-depth study of the intersections of immigration and household sustainability in the UK.