GREEN ECONOMICS, MUSLIMS AND THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS

Salaams, may peace be with you -

Firstly, A really big THANK YOU, MERCI, SHUKRAN... to everyone who supported us in the build up to the national climate justice demonstration on Saturday. In the end there were about 20, 000 people at the march, and a further 10, 000 that went to the I-Count gathering in Trafalgar Square (Campaign against Climate Change estimates). LINE's input showed that it is becoming a more solid and skilled group, and we had lots of interest and lovely conversations around the stall, both near the US embassy at the start and near Trafalgar Square at the end. Thank you to everyone who came to check us out, chat with us, or simply pick up a leaflet.

However(!), the work still continues and hence we take great pleasure in inviting you to our November meeting *this* Sunday at which we are delighted to have Dr Derek Wall as our guest speaker, and who brings years of experience within the Green movement, as well as being an economics lecturer and author. Full details below...

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The London Islamic Network for the Environment (LINE) invites you to:

GREEN ECONOMICS, MUSLIMS AND THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS

Date: Sunday 12th November 2006
Time: 2.15 pm to 4.45pm
Venue: 4th Floor, Muslim World League, 46 Goodge Street, London, W1T 4LU (entrance on the corner of Charlotte Street); Nearest Tube: Goodge Street (Northern Line)


Guest Speaker:
Dr Derek Wall (Economics Lecturer & Green Party Activist)

"But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters." (Qur 'an: 7:31)

'The greatest crime of the Blatcherites has been the spreading of the affluenza virus among the rest of us. They seem to despise mothers who care for their small children - or anyone else whose work is not paid. They use education to create good little consumer-producers, not to set minds free. They lock students into debts, then impose an insecure, workaholic working environment and a bloated property market that keeps the young on a hedonic, consumerist treadmill. Above all, their talk of "opportunity", "choice" and "freedom" is just Americanised material aspirationalism.' Oliver James, The Guardian, 23/10/2006. This months talk will explore some of these ideas with an opportunity to share views, and there will also be a chance to hear about environmental activities LINE is involved.


About the speaker:
Dr Derek Wall is a writer, lecturer in economics (Goldsmiths College) and a prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. He will be arguing that our present society is dominated by an economic system which sanctifies greed and promotes planetary destruction. Corporations, the debt based money system, 'free trade' and neo-liberal globalisation are all part of a system that must be replaced by one that respects both humanity and nature. While Dr Wall practices Zen and is a lay member of the International Zen Association, he has a long standing interest in Islam, which he believes provides a vital resource in the struggle for an ecologically sustainable and just future. He also recently spoke out against Islamophobic attacks in the Dedworth area of Windsor.

For more information:
LINE tel contact: 0845 456 3960 (local rate);
LINE website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINEnotices