This past weekend, following a series of Muslim community conversations organized by CAIR-Philadelphia exploring what would be a meaningful Islamic response to the imminent dangers posed by human-caused climate change, staff and supporters of CAIR-Philadelphia travelled to our nation’s capital to participate — along with over 200,000 of our fellow Americans — in the People’s Climate March on Washington.
Saturday was the 100th day of the Trump administration and CAIR-Philadelphia marked the occasion by co-leading the “Keepers of the Faith” contingent, alongside hundreds of Muslims, in a great non-violent protest encircling the White House. Fulfilling our constitutional right to protest the government’s environmental policies, we demanded that our government protect the Earth from pollution, while providing green jobs and sustainable energy alternatives.
On Capitol Hill this coming week, representatives of CAIR chapters from around the country will deliver thousands of letters written by American Muslims to their respective senators and congressmen and women of both parties urging them to get on-board the climate movement. Without this organized public pressure, there will be no restrictions on the pollution that is right now leading to drought, extreme weather, flooding, and famine.
The Peoples Climate March on Washington was one of over 20 local marches around the nation. In Philadelphia itself, CAIR marched alongside such environmental groups as Power Local Green Jobs Campaign, Walk for Green Jobs and Justice, and Interfaith Power and Light. The next major climate action in our region will take place on May 22, with the goal of pressuring PECO to shift to 20% local solar energy by 2020.
Interfaith Peace Walk
On Sunday, hundreds of people took part in the 14th Annual Philadelphia Interfaith Walk for Peace and Reconciliation. The Peace Walk facilitates peace, justice, and reconciliation by engaging faith groups and other communities in dialogue, reflection, and action by walking between different houses of worship. This year’s walk centered on Masjidullah in North Philadelphia.
The Walk endeavors to help people provide witness to reaffirming the common roots of our different religious traditions; to achieve peace with justice; to use the positive energy in this country among religious groups to transform our communities, based on the covenants we have with our Creator; to discuss our preconceptions and misconceptions and truths; and to be part of the solution, not the problem.
The Walks have been spiritually-enlightening and peace-affirming events for participants of the three Abrahamic faiths, as well as for people of other religions (including Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, Bahá’i members) and secular participants.
