Islamic Relief UK calls upon its supporters to ‘Show the love’ for climate change

Tuesday 5th February 2019

Islamic Relief UK is calling upon its supporters to back The Climate Coalition’s ‘Show the Love’ campaign, which begins tomorrow and runs until the 24 February.

The Climate Coalition is made up of over 130 organisations across the UK, including Islamic Relief, that are engaged in the fight against climate change. The ‘Show the Love’ uses the narrative of love and loss to highlight the issue of climate change as a means to get people to engage in a meaningful discussion around climate change and the ways in which we can protect the planet.

Inspired by Prophet Muhammad’s hadith (saying): “The Earth is green and beautiful, and God has appointed you his stewards over it.”, Islamic Relief is calling on the UK Muslim community to help spread awareness of this issue by talking about Allah’s creation, sharing and promoting everything we love about this planet. Supporters are encouraged to talk about the campaign on social media platforms under the hashtags #LoveAllahsCreation and #ShowTheLove.

The campaign uses the green heart to symbolise all that we love but could lose to climate change.

Climate change is devastating communities across the world, causing natural disasters such as floods, drought and tropical storms. These are becoming more frequent and severe. The people paying the heaviest price are the world’s poorest communities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Tufail Hussain, Islamic Relief UK Interim UK Director said:

“Climate change is one of the most serious threats to our world. The teachings of our religion inspire us to protect the gift that our Lord has given us, including all of the earth’s inhabitants. We cannot continue to ignore the devastating impact climate change is having on our planet.

From Africa to Asia, we’re supporting communities to become better prepared to live with extreme weather and the changing climate. We often take for granted what we love the most. We call upon our community to show their love for Allah’s creation by sharing what they love about the planet.”

Islamic Relief works with farming communities overseas to diversify their livelihood and combine their deep knowledge of the land with high-tech solutions to the changing climate. In Kenya, Islamic Relief implemented innovative solar drip irrigation systems to improve yields and reduce costs for farmers. In Bangladesh, Islamic Relief is also providing local farmers with seeds that are drought resistant, as well as seeds that develop into salt-tolerant plants, which aren’t ruined by floodwater.

Islamic Relief is calling upon governments to renew and increase their commitments to fighting climate change and agree to rules which make sure that they meet them.

Islamic Relief UK is also calling upon supporters to reach out to their respective MPs to encourage the government to take further action to combat climate change. This will help bring about positive change and, could potentially, save hundreds of thousands of lives. If we don’t act now, the damage will be irreversible.

ENDS

For more information and interviews, please contact Sultan Ahmed on 020 7593 3217; or 07471 033 566; or email: [email protected]

Notes to Editors:

• Islamic Relief is one of over 130 members of The Climate Coalition, which is the UK’s largest group of people dedicated to taking action against climate change.
• Islamic Relief is inspired by Islamic teachings to recognise climate change as one of the greatest moral, social and environmental issues facing humanity today. Islamic Relief supports communities to enhance their resilience by prioritising the development of climate change adaption and disaster risk reduction work in communities that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
• Islamic Relief UK is a founding member of Muslim Climate Action and both are supporting a new generation of climate activists to call for change through public mobilisation. Islamic Relief also partnered with eight leading Muslim scholars around the world to initiate the first ‘International Islamic Declaration on Climate Change’.
• Islamic Relief published a report titled ‘Climate Champions’ in 2017. This report sets out the challenges and highlights how communities are working with the charity to adapt to climate change and build resilience, including efforts to reduce the risk from future shocks.