Imam Ibrahim Saidy of Norway poses at the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Le Bourget, outside Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. PHOTO: AP
"The green jihad is to protect and save lives. To make people aware of the dangers of climate change and fight for climate justice," Imam Ibrahim Saidy told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
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Imam Saidy from Norway is currently in Paris to draw attention to the problems and injustices of climate change. He calls his efforts in this regard as ‘green jihad’, meaning a struggle to do good as compared to the extremists’ use of the word to signify a holy war.
Saidy came up with the idea of an environmental holy movement a year ago.
The cleric is part of an interfaith religious movement in which 10, 000 religious activists have been fasting on the first day of the month for the past two years seeking governments to fight against global warming, according to Caroline Bader of the Lutheran World Federation.
The movement to fast started two years ago when Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, which lead the Philippines negotiator at the climate talks to forego food.
Saidy and many other religious leaders sat behind empty food trays on Tuesday at the climate conference, discussing why they were not eating.
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"It is not a Muslim who goes to bed with a full belly while his neighbour goes hungry." - Imam Ibrahim Saidy pic.twitter.com/o3vIPwJL26
— Fast For The Climate (@FastForClimate) December 1, 2015
"I'm fasting today because our world will never be complete until there's space at the table — the climate just table — for everyone," said Reverend John McCullough, the New York based head of Church World Service.
"This has to do with leadership, values, lifestyle & justice" - Faith groups at #COP21 https://t.co/AShO1tUH7M #WCC pic.twitter.com/gsgJc860hi
— World Council of Churches (WCC) (@Oikoumene) December 2, 2015
"Faith leaders urge action at #COP21". Joint press release by #WCC LWF and ACT Alliance https://t.co/xHJxs2Rf2W pic.twitter.com/O0WKfRzyXJ
— WCC Care for Creation (World Council of Churches) (@WCCclimate) December 2, 2015
Yesterday, Interfaith leaders #fastfortheclimate for a better climate future https://t.co/wTq7kT9qDC pic.twitter.com/ZYN5FMVDQg
— FranciscanActionNet (@franciscannet) December 2, 2015
Pope Francis has also spoken out against climate change, lending a powerful moral voice to the issue. "The pope is an absolute rock star, a total gift to the climate movement," said Anna Joyner, a religious climate activist and campaign strategist for We Are Here Now in the United States.
Reverend Thabo Cecil Makgoba, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa also said, "Peace is at stake here. It is both a moral and ethical issue. And it is a spiritual issue."
This article originally appeared on Daily Mail.
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