First climate-related fatwa prohibiting environmentally harmful practices issued in Egypt
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta issued a fatwa charter promoting practices that are environmentally friendly based on Islamic law, as Egypt gears up to host the UN climate summit next month.
CAIRO — Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, which is responsible for issuing religious edicts (fatwas), recently approved the first fatwa charter for the fight against climate change based on Islamic law (Sharia) principles.
The move came as part of Dar al-Ifta’s contribution to the implementation of sustainable development goals, resolution of climate change problems and raising awareness of the danger of climate change from a religious perspective.
The charter was launched Oct. 8 during Dar al-Ifta’s seventh international conference titled “Fatwa and Sustainable Development Goals,” ahead of the United Nations climate change conference (COP27) that will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh in November.
The charter includes several fatwas to be implemented in accordance with Islamic law, including prohibiting the use of hazardous materials and waste, excessive energy consumption, encroachment on agricultural land, the use of pesticides and compound chemicals without respecting the terms of use and dumping waste into the oceans.
