Now that we are at the end of Ramadan I have been looking for something that I can implement from now on. Allah loves that which is small but consistent we all know this but I am not sure I have been implementing it practically. Acts of worship are one things but Islam is comprehensive so I have decided a mix and match philosophy is needed! Something that is practical but inshallah has the sincere intentions of doing good, bettering the lives of others and generally making a stand against the things which I rage about but that I have not yet managed to do anything about.
Where is all this leading?.... well I walked into Shared Earth a fair trade shop in Manchester and I browsed brought a few things and in the process discovered a book entitled “do the right things!” a practical guide to ethical living. Finally I can do more then just have an emotional reaction to trade injustice or boycott an item or two. Now I can actually find out companies ethical or rather unethical labour polices and make a stand with my fellow “third worlders” ( how I loath that term)!!
So my after Ramadan resolution is to inshallah not only strive to worship my lord in acts of ibadah but to also make conscious choices about what I buy and to email and write to companies that immorally place profit over justice. The little Bleeeeps
As Benjamin Zephaniah puts it “The seas will rise, the rivers will flood, the air shall be heavy, darkness and famine shall be upon the land, and a man in a suit will genetically modify –if you let him.”
I am turning into a little hippie, person-centred counselling, fair-trade and ethical living now I need to move out of the city and grow my own vegetables as I live on a hill top (sounds rather appealing).
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Going Green Ramadan and beyond
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
How lovely-there's a Buddhist retreat in Todmorden-fancy shaving your head and sitting on your head? (Im serious-ive been-its a great little place)
Im gonna start to have baths 3 times a year-conserving water you see.
well, if it worked for Elizabeth I, then i too consider myself as royalty
Another Benjamin Zephaniah poem you might enjoy (I do this one with my students)
The British
Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.
Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
Add lots of Norman French to some
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.
Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Sudanese.
Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians
And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.
Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.
Leave the ingredients to simmer.
As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish
Binding them together with English.
Allow time to be cool.
Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.
Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.
Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.
Benjamin Zephaniah
^ I like the poem :)
NM...Zephaniah is cool innit :D
"I am turning into a little hippie, person-centred counselling, fair-trade and ethical living now I need to move out of the city and grow my own vegetables as I live on a hill top (sounds rather appealing)."
Can I join you?
I'm glad someone decided to use this template. Looks very cool.
go go u mighty green power ranger .. going green is it , good on ya, but soon i bet the 'greeners' will turn on the 'fairtrade' companies and actually say we must travel to the farms in africa/india to buy our products direct.
somali hippi, yeh i like the sound of that hun.
so how are the sub title issues going? you managed to over come your emotional roller coaster yet lol
Hayak you have to take me there one day...what ever happened to our friday gallivants?
Native: come on over!
Abu-bakr: comeon brother.
Whitey: lol yeah i know i need to come up with some real personal issues to discuss during DP but its so hard when people really have issues. Alhamdulilah
Naima, hon, how fabulous! I search high and low for local and organic growers in any city; that seems to be the extent of my ability nowadays. Tell us who we should boycott and they'll be effectively erased from my shopping memory :).
Thanks for mentioning Shared Earth shop. For Shared Earth Fair Trade products online and to find shop locations, visit http://www.sharedearth.co.uk/ (retail) or http://www.sharedearth-trade.co.uk/ (wholesale).
Post a Comment