Dubai Floods And Indonesia's Green Islam Campaign - Ulema Of The Indian Sub- Continent Should Learn A Lesson From The Ulema Of Indonesia
By
New Age Islam Staff Writer
30 April
2024
Two
Islamic Countries Demonstrate Different Approaches To Nature
Main
Points:
1. UAE and Oman
witnessed rare floods last fortnight.
2. 20 people
were killed by the floods.
3. UAE has been
adopting cloud seeding technology to precipitate rains for decades.
4. Indonesia's
imams warn Muslims against interfering with Nature's eco system.
5. Green Islam
campaign of Indonesian imams stresses to preserve Nature.
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Cars are stranded on a flooded in Dubai following heavy rains on April
18, 2024 - Giuseppe CACACE
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Recently,
two different approaches to Nature and their good and bad effects were
witnessed in two different Islamic countries. Two weeks ago, the UAE and
neighbouring Oman witnessed rare floods that killed 20 people, inundated
buildings, malls and airports and disrupted traffic. The desert region that
generally has a dry weather with 50 degree Celsius temperature saw 256 mm rain
only in 24 hours. The storm first hit Oman on 13 April and then reached UAE on
15 April. Due to the heavy rain, world famous city Dubai was flooded and life
in the city came to a standstill.
The heavy
rains and the subsequent floods started debate on the reasons behind them. One
of the reasons for the floods was told to be the process of cloud seeding
adopted by the UAE government to precipitate rains. Cloud seeding is a modern
technology in which planes fly carrying chemicals and spray it into the clouds
to precipitate rains. This brings rains. Dubai is said to be adopting this
technology regularly since the 80s. According to media reports, prior to the
rains, cloud seeding was done on Sunday and Monday by UAE which caused the
rains on Tuesday.
However, meteorologists
and environmentalists are of the opinion that cloud seeding alone can not be
the cause of the floods. Man made climate change and global warming may also
have contributed to it. According to reports, the global temperature has risen
by 1.5 degree during the last 150 years. Therefore, the temperature of the UAE
also has rien by 1.5 Celsius. A warmer atmosphere has more moisture and
therefore is more likely to produce rain. It is said that when the cloud
seeding was done, it was not really needed as rains were likely to come as a
result of a warmer weather but the UAE authorities needlessly adopted cloud
seeding that contributed to more rains to already heavy clouds. This speaks of
the callousness of the UAE authorities and their total lack of considerations
for the laws of nature.
Cloud
seeding process is a violation of the laws of nature and the UAE authorities
ignored the serious consequences of interfering with the laws of nature for
their benefits. They have been playing with Nature for decades to make life
comfortable for themselves and ignoring the warnings of Nature. Man made
climate change has been the cause of natural calamities in different parts of
the world.
Deforestation,
excessive use of fossil fuels and rampant industrialisation have disturbed the
eco system. Dubai's floods were also the result of man made climate change. The
floods of Dubai were only a warning from Nature to the people so that they
restrain themselves from playing with Nature. The wealthy oil rich Arab nations
do not care for Nature as they think they can change the climate of their
country with the help of money but they ignore the devastating consequences of
disturbing the balance of the Nature. They ignore the warning of the Quran:
"Corruption
has spread on land and seas as a result of what people's hands have done so
that Allah may cause them to taste the consequences of some of their deeds and
perhaps they might return to the Right Path." (Ar Rum:41)
Such floods
are a warning to man so that they may return to the simple way of living.
On the one
hand, the rulers and the ulema of UAE and Arab countries have been ignoring the
warning of the Quran and on the other, the ulema of another Islamic country
Indonesia have woken up to the need to protect the earth and Nature to avoid
doom and natural calamities.
(Representative Photo)
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The
initiative was taken by the imam of the main mosque of Jakarta, Isteqlal
Mosque, Maulana Nasruddin Umar. He started a campaign called Green Islam from
his mosque. He told the Muslims that they should not treat the earth only as an
object. They should care for it and work to preserve it by planting more trees
and preventing deforestation. He cites hadiths and Quran to bring home the
message that Islam teaches Muslims to care for the earth and preserve Nature.
Therefore,
as the first step towards Green Islam, he advised the Muslims to clean the
river that ran by the mosque. Next, he got solar energy panel installed in the
mosque to save high electricity bills. He also got water recycling system
installed in the mosque. All these steps won the Isteqlal Mosque the Green
Building status from the World Bank. Inspired and encouraged by the campaign
started by Maulana Nasruddin Umar, other ulema and imams of Indonesia also
issued fatwas urging Muslims to join the Green Islam campaign and plant more
trees and work to stop deforestation. The central religious organisation of
Indonesia, Ulema Council has adopted the campaign.
Thus, the
ulema of Indonesia have set an example before the ulema of the world.
Generally, Muslim clerics do not take environmental issues seriously and regard
them out of the purview of Islam. But Nasruddin Umar reminded the Muslims of
the world that they can not ignore the environmental issues as they are linked
to their survival.
Climate
change and global warming have affected the lives of the people irrespective of
religion and it is the duty of every individual to protect nature. The ulema,
therefore, have their duty to create awareness among the Muslims to preserve
nature and the earth so that calamities like Dubai floods could be averted.
The ulema
of the Indian sub- continent should learn a lesson from the ulema of Indonesia
and involve themselves in environmental and secular causes like afforestation,
cleaning of rivers etc. They should also start campaigns against child
trafficking, corruption, drug addiction, food adulteration and other social
evils plaguing the Muslim society of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
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