DeepSummary
In the second part of this podcast episode, Afnan Khairullah and Sofia Gilani discuss the role of religion, specifically Islam, in promoting environmental consciousness and sustainability. They highlight how the way Ramadan is currently practiced often defeats its purpose of simplicity and devotion, leading to excessive food waste and consumption. Instead, they advocate for a simpler lifestyle during Ramadan and in general, as a way to connect with nature and prioritize experiences over material possessions.
Gilani and Khairullah share insights from their organization, Green Muslims, which encourages Muslims to engage in environmental activism and education. They discuss initiatives like the Ramadan challenge, which focused on themes like caring for native flora, using reusable water bottles, composting, and combating environmental racism. They also emphasize the importance of representation in environmental spaces and making room for Muslim voices.
The guests offer advice for Muslims and others to connect with nature and environmental efforts, such as pursuing one's passion, living simply, and striving for determination. They also share personal habits and principles that have helped them in their work, like taking deep breaths, doing their best, and using their passion to drive advocacy.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Ramadan practices often involve excessive feasting and waste, contrary to the intended spirit of simplicity and devotion.
- Initiatives like Green Muslims' Ramadan challenge aim to educate and engage Muslims in environmental activism and sustainable practices.
- Representation and creating space for Muslim voices in environmental spaces is emphasized as important.
- Personal habits like mindfulness, passion, determination, and self-compassion are highlighted as valuable for driving change.
- Intersectionality and advocating for environmental justice across different communities is a key focus.
- Living in alignment with Islamic principles of humility and simplicity can foster a deeper connection with nature.
- Education and advocacy are crucial for raising awareness and inspiring action on environmental issues within Muslim communities.
- Simplicity and minimalism are advocated as ways to connect with nature and prioritize meaningful experiences over consumption.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “My advice would be to get yourself out there and make room for yourself. Not many environmental spaces are very muslim heavy, and so there is room for Muslims to be in there and have their voice heard.“ by Sofia Gilani
- “The best piece of advice I have received was, if you're doing your best, it's good enough, because we oftentimes were like, wow, I want to do a million things and it's impossible. But if you're trying your best, you're doing good enough, and there's no reason to beat yourself up over it. No, we're all only human. We all have our limit of what we can do. And sometimes you need to your best take a deep breath and then go on to the next thing or take a break whatever that may be.“ by Sofia Gilani
- “My superpower is that I am very passionate about this work and that I have been in so many non environmental spaces. Just giving out any fact that I know related to what we're doing and driving that passion and being able to use that for the intersectionality and the environmental movement is a big thing for me because I really want to make an impact with whoever I talk to.“ by Sofia Gilani
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Episode Information
Breaking Green Ceilings
Sapna Mulki
9/20/22
This is the second episode of a two-part series with Afnan Khairullah and Sofia Gilani. Afnan and Sofia are volunteers with the Green Muslims organization that works to connect Muslims everywhere to nature and environmental activism.
In this episode, Afnan and Sofia continue sharing about the role nature played in their life and how they are using their religion, Islam, to educate and connect fellow Muslims to nature. They also give some good examples of how to live responsibly and be good stewards of this planet. According to them, keeping it simple, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, is the way it is supposed to be. Simple life gives you clarity and a better perspective on what is important in life, and helps you prioritize.
Episode Highlights
- The way Ramadan is practiced nowadays defeats the purpose. We are supposed to spend all our time in worship, yet many people spend their time in the kitchen cooking for a massive feast, and after that massive feast, there is a massive clean-up.
- The environmental toll on that is that there is so much food, and a lot of it ends up going to waste.
- Our dinner is our iftar (breakfast). We have maybe one big iftar, and then we have leftovers.
- In Green Muslims last year we did a Ramadan challenge where we encouraged our followers to do a different theme each week
- Get yourself out there and make room for yourself. Not many environmental spaces are Muslim-heavy. Make yourself heard, and start where you’re comfortable.
- Pursue your passion. Learn more about what you want to learn and use it to the best of your ability.
- Live simply; forget about the stuff and go for the outdoor experiences and quality time with nature.
Contact information and other Resources:
Afnan is a New Jersey native who moved to Northern Virginia in 2020 to start a career in the federal government. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies and an MS in Sustainability Science with a concentration in sustainability leadership. Throughout her life, she has been drawn to the outdoors and is happiest hiking, bouldering, or exploring Washington, DC.
Time and again Afnan has found herself drawing parallels with faith and eco stewardship, so working with Green Muslims was a natural fit to address environmental stewardship in the Muslim community while also promoting environmental awareness. She hopes that more people will one day share the same affinity for the well-being of the Earth.
Sofia Gilani (she/hers) is the Climate Action Advocate for Green Muslims. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Sofia spent much of her youth outdoors with her family & later traveled to her parent’s home countries of Pakistan and Nicaragua. This travel experience shaped her view of an interconnected world that influenced her passion for environmental and social justice. She holds a BS in Environmental Science from George Mason University where she was involved with the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition and Mason Environmental Justice Alliance (MEJA). During her participation with these two organizations she was a collaborator for events to address activist burnout, conflict resolution discussions, prepare for marches, and organize clean-ups. Sofia has a strong passion for education and advocacy that she utilizes in her work with Green Muslims to help involve the Muslim community in environmental advocacy. Professionally, Sofia has worked in environmental compliance for solid waste, as well as construction. In her spare time outside of work and advocacy, Sofia enjoys kayaking, biking, boxing, and hanging out with her cat.
Here's a link to a video that created by Peter Toscano of the Citizens Climate Lobby for the “Religious Communities and the Planetary Crisis” hosted by the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network, the Hartford Seminary, and CT Interfaith Power and Light.
https://www.facebook.com/528075872/videos/10158758547730873/
Breaking Green Ceilings:
Website: https://www.breakinggreenceilings.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaking_green_ceilings/
Follow Afnan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afn%C3%A1n-khairullah-78aab910a/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khairful/
Follow Sofia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreengilani/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegreengilani
Green Muslims: https://www.greenmuslims.org/