Hajj is an essential part of being Muslim but are we completing it in the best way for our planet?
Each year millions of pilgrims arrive to Saudi Arabia to complete Hajj as is their duty as practicing Muslims and embark upon the spiritual and emotional journey that entails. In the aftermath, however, there is a huge environmental impact on the surrounding areas as the combination of mass travel, accommodation, food, clothing and water use increase the carbon emissions, negatively impacting the environment.
With the climate in such a dire state already, it is so important that we always try our best to reduce our carbon footprint, especially during Hajj as the mass mobilisation of people will only make the situation worse. More than 42,000 tonnes of waste are produced during Hajj, which is formed from food waste, plastic, discarded clothing and other materials. The local authorities are also helping to combat this by providing recycling bins throughout the sites of the Hajj, allowing you the opportunity to dispose of your waste properly, and not contaminating the planet.
As Muslims, we are both required to complete Hajj, and to be a steward of the planet and everything within it, “And it is He (God) who has made you successors (khala’ifa) upon the earth” (Quran 6:165). This gives us a responsibility to take great care of the Earth whilst completing the Hajj, cleaning up after ourselves, recycling and reducing unnecessary purchases prior to Hajj.
Global One has produced our second Green Guide to the Hajj with practical suggestions of how each pilgrim can green their Hajj so that they know they are fulfilling their stewarding duties as well as their Hajj duty.
These suggestions include; reusable water bottles, sustainably sourced products, only one animal sacrifice per family and planting a tree to offset your carbon footprint.
Green Hajj
Our CEO Dr Husna Ahmad has been campaigning for a more sustainable Hajj for many years, and now feels that the Muslim world is ready to take action to reduce our carbon footprint. She feels that the millennial Muslims are the most aware and ready to contribution to tackling climate change through our own actions as it is their future that is most at risk. If this message can be passed on to future generations through the millennials, the future of the Hajj can be much more sustainable, especially with awareness about using sustainable hotels and travel agents.
The Green Hajj mobile phone app has been created to give the awareness raising a broader reach, with younger generations being much more active on apps and the ability to access the information in multiple languages, it will allow us to reach more people and help them to be more considerate of the environment in the future or spread the information to those that will be undertaking the Hajj.
We have recently created a website for the Green Hajj to provide a portal of information for people to learn more about being a greener Muslim. There is a lack of available information about how to combine your Hajj with environmentally friendly practices, so Global One wants to offer people the knowledge required to make a conscious decision to be greener and more sustainable Muslim during Hajj.
