Wednesday, October 19, 2011

TAG: Altaf Husain on how MSA can go green

Dr. Altaf Husain describes how to extend the MSA (Muslim Student Association) work on college campuses to take a lead on green initiatives.



(correction made, thank you Hana)

Dr. Altaf Husain has over 17 years of experience in the field of student leadership development and training. He served two terms as President for MSA of the US and Canada, and he is an executive committee member of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), headed by Imam Siraj Wahhaj. Dr. Altaf resides in Northern Virginia with his wife Mona, and their sons Omar and Ahmed.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Yasir Qadhi's Personal Green Advice

"Allah's Light is Better than anything We have"

Islamic scholar, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi on personal habit of conserving electricity. 



TAG, www.ThinkAsGreen.com You're It!
A grassroots effort to protect the environment.

Friday, October 14, 2011

TAG: Yasir Qadhi on 25 bil annual Styrofoam cups in trash

How do you explain 25 billion Styrofoam cups thrown away each year by Americans?
Is there a moral imperative to do something?



"This (green work) is a double responsibility... The claim that this type of stuff [protecting the environment] has nothing to do with Islam, is a claim based on ignorance... 

These types of products we produce [Styrofoams, non-biodegradable items, etc.] are damaging to the environment and are harmful to the creation of Allah and there is no question that there is an Islamic responsibility to educate the people to better  themselves."
Islamic Scholar Yasir Qadhi on green living in conversation with Faraz Khan, www.ThinkAsGreen.com

Thursday, October 13, 2011

TAG: Mizaan Retreat Reconnecting with Nature..

I realized that a thousand lectures on the environment and ecology will not do justice unless we let people experience nature up close. A few friends from Princeton and Boston areas are organizing a great initiative that I am so proud of their work and happy to be part of it. The Mizaan Retreat is this weekend that will further our connection with nature and love for the creation of God.

I have always marvelled at all the shades of green you find in a forest but this time of the year (Fall), I cannot even describe how the colors simply imbue in me this sense of life, energy, and majesty of God. The hues simply remind me about the nature of this aesthetic life and soon my time will expire and I will become brown and dry just like the dirt and return back to my Creator. I am here and those around me will continue to manifest life, each in his or her own way. Life is me; I continue to reflect and struggle with this conundrum. I have too many questions and only a few moments before I lose my color.  Meanwhile, I have adopted green.

Best of luck on this journey,

~ Faraz Khan  

 

Mizaan Retreat: Reaching Balance by Reconnecting with God, Nature, and Community.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 1st Annual Mizaan Retreat.  To be held from Friday Oct 14, 2011 – Sunday Oct 16, 2011 in beautiful Camp Green Lane (Green Lane, PA).
HANDBOOK (includes schedule, classes, teachers, etc)
mizaan retreat handbook 2011mizaan retreat handbook 2011 

EVERYONE IS WELCOME (from infants to grandparents)!
The Mizaan Retreat seeks to bring Muslim families and individuals together for a weekend full of fun activities, learning and inspirational experiences in a cabin camp setting.  By encouraging friendship, personal spiritual exploration and respect for diversity of Islamic practice, Mizaan Retreat hopes to foster the creation of American Muslim identities.
2011 THEME |  Akhlaq: Nurturing Noble Character.

Camp Green Lane Retreat and Conference Center Interactive Map

Monday, October 10, 2011

TAG: Sayid Hassan Al-Qazwini on Prophet Muhammad as a Mercy to the Environment

Imam Sayid Hassan Al-Qazwini on the Prophetic practices of caring for the people, environment, animals, and cleanliness.

Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini is the Imam, religious leader of the Islamic Center of America - one of the largest Islamic center in the US.



Bio: Imam Hassan Qazwini, from a prominent religious family, was born in Karbala, Iraq. He joined the Islamic Seminary in Qum, Iran in 1980 and graduated in 1992. He pursued the highest Islamic studies in Jurisprudence, fundamental of Jurisprudence and Qur’anic commentary. During his studies, Imam Qazwini ran an Islamic Journal – “Annebras” (The Eternal Light).

He has been honored to attend academic lectures of great scholars such as: Ayatollah Waheed Khorasani, Jawad Tabrizi and Muntazari and has authored and published two books including Meditation in Sahehain and Prophet Mohammad: The Ethical Prospect. The Imam speaks three languages including English, Arabic, and Farsi.

In 1992 he migrated to the USA and directed the Azzahra Islamic Center in Orange County, California. In 1997 he moved his wife and three children to Detroit and joined the Islamic Center of America, founded by Imam Mohammad Chirri, to become the religious leader.

TAG, www.ThinkAsGreen.com You're It!
A grassroots effort to protect the environment.

Yasir Qadhi on "What do we care about these Green issues?

Islamic Scholar Yasir Qadhi on Green
"What do we care about these Green issues? Why should we be involved?"



Yasir Qadhi on Prophetic guidance on conserving water to perform wudu, ablution: "...The Prophet (Muhammad - peace be upon him) is telling us to conserve water, conserve food, conserve our resources and we extrapolate from this a simple qiyas - analogy that our shari'a tells us to be responsible to everything - our communities, our families and yes, even to our environment and nature around us. It [conserving resources] is something that is a requirement of being a good Muslim."



"The bottom line is that what organizations like yours [ThinkAsGreen] and others are doing which is to educate Muslims about being green, conserving energy, recycling, there's no problem in saying this is a part and parcel of the message of Islam as well. This [green effort] too is part of our religion and it shows that we are responsible and humane and we are educated citizens and we understand that Allah has blessed us with these resources and we need to show that blessings by taking care of it to the greatest extent possible." Shaykh Yasir Qadhi on Islam and the environment in conversation with Faraz Khan, www.ThinkAsGreen.com

Bio: Yasir Qadhi, born in Houston, Texas; graduated with a B.Sc. in Chem. Eng. thereafter studied ten years of Islamic Theology (B.A. and then M.A.) at the University of Madinah. After the horrific events of 9/11, he felt compelled to return to America to try to build bridges of understanding between the two religions and cultures. Presently he is finishing up his PhD at Yale University.

Yasir Qadhi is an active Instructor in the Al-Maghrib Institute and is a popular speaker at the annual Islamic conventions in the West. He appears on a number of Islamic satellite channels (Islam Channel in England, Al-Huda Channel in Saudi Arabia and Al-Fajr Channels in Egypt), where he teaches theology, biography of Prophet Muhammad, recitation of the Quran, and other topics. He gives regular Friday sermons and lectures.

TAG: Altaf Husain on 10 Year Green Plan for the Ummah

How can a billion Muslims contribute to a better local and global environment? 
Think As Green: TAG - Faraz Khan & Altaf Husain on environmental issues and planning for a better future.

"If anyone has a moral imperative to work on the environment, it's the Muslims...When Allah says we are the stewards - khalifa, we are the stewards of everything he has blessed us with. We are held accountable for polluting the streams." Dr. Altaf Husain on the Environment

TAG, www.ThinkAsGreen.com You're It!
A grassroots effort to protect the environment.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TAG, Altaf Husain on Green Activism & Social Work

Faraz Khan and Altaf Husain on alignment of Green and Social values from a Muslim perspective.


"I need not to be a creator of additional burdens on this Earth"
Dr. Altaf Husain.


Altaf Hussain is a social worker by training. His unique education background combines a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering with a master’s in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Altaf was the President of his graduating class, recipient of the President’s Award and served as campus Student Leadership Coordinator for two years. He returned to complete his PhD at Howard University in Washington, DC, focusing on refugee and immigrant adaptation.
Dr. Altaf has over 17 years of experience in the field of student leadership development and training. He served two terms as President for MSA of the US and Canada, and he is an executive committee member of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), headed by Imam Siraj Wahhaj. Dr. Altaf resides in Northern Virginia with his wife Mona, and their sons Omar and Ahmed.

www.ThinkAsGreen.com