Salaams

I do like getting this LINE stuff, they are non party political, but have a good edge and an idea of green as cultural, spiritual, more than just environmental. More food for thought than the ngo environmentalist I feel.

Nice documentary on Bob Marley on tv at present, and I am backing Alice Walker for US president....green is multi-cultural.



Salaam to you -

Below are a number of upcoming events.

Please note: the Islam & Environment Training Day should be booked in advance. There is also an Environment Day @ the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, and Poetry, Islam & Ecology at the next LINE forum.

Also below are several extracts from recent articles in The Guardian relating to climate change and oil:
The first two articles report on George Bush's announcement to create an alternative global framework on greenhouse gas emissions. Whilst exact details of George Bush's great ...(ahem)... leadership, are yet to be clear, leaked documents as reported below unsurprisingly suggest that his team will object to any agreement on specific goals and timetables on emissions.

The third article, written by Naomi Klein (author of 'No Logo'), is a fascinating read and outlines how Canada is undergoing an oil boom following the US led invasion of Iraq & climbing oil prices. According to the article, in 2004 (one year after the invasion), Canada overtook Saudi Arabia as the lead provider of foreign oil to the US, and "will join George Bush in opposing all serious attempts to cap or reduce greenhouse gases" at the G8 meeting this week in Germany.

---------


1) LINE (London Islamic Network for the Environment) invites you to:
ISLAM & ENVIRONMENT TRAINING DAY: From Awareness to Action

Date: Sunday 24th June 2007
Time: 10.30am til 4pm
Venue: Friends of the Earth, 26-28 Underwood Street, London. N1 7JQ (nearest tube: Old Street: Northern Line)

Organised by LINE with Friends of the Earth & Tawhid Mosque.

Please book in advance.

Workshop Facilitators:

Shaykh Usama Hasan, Tawhid Mosque
David Babbs, Friends of the Earth
Dr Muzammal Hussain, Founder, LINE

In the wake of a global environmental crisis, this one-day workshop is for anyone who would like to familiarise themselves with environmental themes from an Islamic perspective with the goal of taking action in their communities.

In order to achieve this, together we will aim to explore a number of Islamic concepts such as: Tawhid (Oneness), Mizan (Balance), Fasad (Corruption), Fitra (Natural state) and Khilafah (Guardianship). We will reflect on the value of these concepts in the light of the environmental degradation taking place on the planet, and we will explore what forms a coherent Islamic response might take to this.

We will then look at ingredients that might be necessary for developing strong and sustainable environmental networks within our communities, such that the guiding principles articulated through the Qur'an and Sunna can have value through our collective action. Participants will also learn about existing groups and campaigns and there will be opportunities to network with fellow course participants.

There will be a break for lunch and we will have prayer facilities.
Tea and coffee included. Please bring a packed lunch.

Cost: £5. Open to individuals from all faiths and beliefs. Limited places - Advance booking only. Please post your cheque (made payable to: LINE ) to: LINE Eco-workshop, c/o Tawhid Mosque, 80 High Rd, Leyton. E15 2BP. Please include the following details: Your name; email address; postal address and telephone number(s).

Facilitator Bios:

Usama Hasan was trained in Theoretical Physics at Cambridge, and in the traditional Islamic sciences at home in London. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Computing Science at Middlesex University and a voluntary, part-time imam at Tawhid Mosque in East London. He is also a planetarium lecturer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

David Babbs is the Capacity Building Team Leader for Friends of the Earth. Previously he has worked for People & Planet, has run a refugee rights campaign and anti-war groups, and has also been involved with human rights work for Palestine.

Muzammal Hussain is the founder of LINE and editor of Ecobites a UK-wide elist. He has written a paper on Islam & Climate Change for his MA in Environment, Development and Policy. Muzammal is also a medical doctor and has worked in the field of mind-body healing.

More info: LINE Website: http://www.lineonweb.org.uk ; LINE tel: 0845 456 3960 Streetmap: http://www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html#online (Please scroll down after clicking)

---

2) ENVIRONMENT DAY @ the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre

Date: 5 June 2007
Time: 10am to 6pm
Venue: Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, Acklam Road, London

Based at the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, this public event will educate and inspire people about what they can do to help the environment, with a distinct local focus. The day will feature displays and information on issues such as local environmental regeneration, sustainable transport, local air quality, recycling and waste reduction. There will also be mini-tours to local sites which have been regenerated from 'Grot spots' to 'Great spots.'

More info: http://lovelondon.london21.org/page/47/show/1012;
Tel 020 8964 1496 (Abdulkarim Kubica)

---
3) The London Islamic Network for the Environment (LINE) Monthly Forums:

POETRY, ISLAM & ECOLOGY

Date: Sunday 10th June 2007
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 Tubes: Goodge Street (Northern Line) & Warren Street (Victoria Line)
Join us for a relaxed afternoon of listening to poetry, verses from the Qur'an, and Hadith, through which we will explore the natural world, the human condition and what ecology and the environmental crisis means to us. We encourage you to bring a short piece of text (you are welcome to bring a piece written by yourself) which has a strong resonance for you and that you would like to read aloud to others. This will be followed by discussions on past and planned environmental projects, with opportunities to take part for those who would like to. As usual no charge and open to all.

More info: LINE Website: http://www.lineonweb.org.uk ; Tel: 0845 456 3960 (local rate)

---

4) ROAD TO NOWHERE? BUSH SEEKS ALTERNATIVE TO UN ON CLIMATE

a) Bush kills off hopes for G8 climate change plan
Julian Borger, David Adam and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
The Guardian, Friday June 1, 2007
For full article, see: http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2093055,00.html
George Bush yesterday threw international efforts to control climate change into confusion with a proposal to create a "new global framework" to curb greenhouse gas emissions as an alternative to a planned UN process. The proposal came less than a week before a G8 summit in Germany.

Under the Bush proposal, the 15 countries responsible for the overwhelming bulk of greenhouse gas emissions would meet in the autumn with the aim of striking a deal by the end of next year.

Tony Blair hailed the Bush initiative as an important step forward. "For the first time America's saying it wants to be part of a global deal," the prime minister told Sky News while on a tour of South Africa.

---

b) President Bush says the US is now a global leader on climate change
The Guardian, Friday June 1, 2007
For full article see: http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2093000,00.html

Tony Juniper, of Friends of the Earth, said: "He's stuck two fingers up at Tony Blair and if I was in Downing Street, then I'd be furious."

There was little detail from President Bush on what the global goal would be, despite the scientists saying for several years that it would be dangerous for the planet to experience much above a 2C rise, adopted by countries including Britain and Germany as their nominal target.

It took years for international politicians to hammer out the Kyoto framework, the world's first and largely ineffective attempt to regulate carbon pollution, and there must be serious doubts about President Bush repeating the trick in fewer than 18 months.

"Given his track record on this subject, putting Bush in charge of talks on climate change is like King Herod opening a nursery," said Stephen Hale.

Leaked documents have suggested President Bush's team will object to any agreement on specific goals, timetables and carbon-trading schemes.

---

5) IRAQ'S OIL BOOM ISN'T DELAYED, IT'S RELOCATED TO CANADA

As Baghdad burns, destabilising the entire region and sending the price of oil soaring, Calgary booms

by Naomi Klein
The Guardian, Friday June 1, 2007
For full article, please see: http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2092931,00.html

The invasion of Iraq has set off what could be the largest oil boom in history. All the signs are there: multinationals free to gobble up national firms at will, ship unlimited profits home, enjoy leisurely "tax holidays", and pay a laughable 1% in royalties to the government.

Albertans have always known that in the northern part of their province there are vast deposits of bitumen - black, tarlike goo that is mixed up with sand, clay, water and oil. There are approximately 2.5 trillion barrels of the stuff, the largest hydrocarbon deposits in the world.

It is possible to turn Alberta's crud into crude, but it's awfully hard. One method is to mine it in vast open pits. Another method is to separate the oil where it is. Both techniques are costly: between $18 and $23 per barrel, just in expenses. The major international players had no intention of paying more to get the oil than they could sell it for.

Then came the US invasion of Iraq. In March 2003, the price of oil reached $35 a barrel, raising the prospect of making a profit from the tar sands. That year, the US Energy Information Administration "discovered" oil in the tar sands. It announced that Alberta - previously thought to have only 5bn barrels of oil - was actually sitting on at least 174bn "economically recoverable" barrels. The next year, Canada overtook Saudi Arabia as the leading provider of foreign oil to the US.

All the majors, save BP, have rushed to northern Alberta: ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total, which alone plans to spend $9bn-$14bn.

The process of refining bitumen emits three to four times the greenhouse gases produced by extracting oil from traditional wells, making the tar sands the largest single contributor to Canada's growth in greenhouse gas emissions. The $100bn in projected investments from the tar sands have also turned Canada into a global climate renegade.

That money is the primary reason why, at next week's G8 summit in Heiligendamm, my country's oil-friendly prime minister, Stephen Harper, will join George Bush in opposing all serious attempts to cap or reduce greenhouse gases.
__._,_.___

You can subscribe to Ecobites by sending a blank email to Ecobites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

After short while you will then receive an email with simple instructions that you will need to follow to complete the process.