Green Muslims is a Virginia-based Muslim environmentalist-issues advocacy and community organization catering to environmentalist Muslims living in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
Background
In 2007, a small group of Muslim environmentalist activists hosted a “zero-trash” potluck iftar (ceremonial meal) during the month of Ramadan at which they discussed plans to engage in environmental advocacy within the Muslim community and, to that end, develop a uniquely Muslim rhetoric of environmentalism. In the following month, these same activists held two more such iftars, each time garnering a greater number of attendees. Eventually, the group coalesced into Green Muslims. [1]
In February 2015, Green Muslims was registered as a nonprofit organization in Fairfax Station, Virginia. [2]
Activities
Green Muslims organizes events for Washington, D.C.-area Muslim environmentalists encouraging and participating in aligned activist activities. For instance, the organization hosts an “Our Deen [law] is Green!” program, which offers environmentalist activities for children, community hikes, cleanup events, and speaking events featuring aligned activists. [3]
Green Scripture
Green Muslims operates the Green Scripture Project, a venture intended to broadly highlight, by way of selected readings, the Islamic tradition’s relationship to environmentalist issues. The project is divided into six areas: Air/Sky/Heavens, Animals, Earth/Land, Food/Plants, Humanity, and Water/Sea. [4] For instance, in the project’s section on Humanity, Green Muslims features an excerpt from Al-A’raf (The Heights), instructing all people to dress well while engaging in worship, eat and drink according to Muslim dietary laws, and to “not be extravagant” because “God does not like extravagant people.” [5]
Ramadan Calendar
Green Muslims offers its members an environmentally focused Ramadan calendar intended to facilitate a “more sustainable” Ramadan observance. For instance, Green Muslim’s recommendation for the 13th day of Ramadan is for members to “Consider ways of offsetting your carbon footprint” by opting for trains, buses, and carbon-neutral airlines; and for the 18th day of Ramadan to “Green your investments” by looking for investment opportunities with companies aligned with environmentalist ideals. [6]
Events
On December 27, 2020, Green Muslims, along with Green Ramadan, another Muslim environmentalist organization, cohosted Khalifa Conversations, an event featuring Mouhamadou Niang, founder of Muslims 4 the Environment, discussing how environmental organizations can collaborate. [7]
On June 5, 2021, Green Muslims partnered with the Potomac Conservancy to host a trash cleanup event at Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve in Arlington, Virginia. [8]
On April 22, 2022, Green Muslims organized an Earth Day event with the Next Wave Muslim Initiate, a Washington, D.C.-based Muslim community organization, which featured a hike in Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, Maryland followed by a “Night Iftar,” including age-specific environmentalist discussion groups. [9]
People
Sevim Kalyoncu is the executive director of Green Muslims. Additionally, Kalyoncu is the leader of the Compass Homeschool Classes Compass Nature Quest program, where she teaches participating homeschool pupils outdoors; a survival skills teacher at Washington, D.C.-area Montessori schools; and a “naturalist interpreter” for the Fairfax County Park Authority. [10] Tamim Chowdhury is a board member of Green Muslim as well as the Muslim Caucus Education Collective, a Muslim education-issues organization. [11]