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Amina Inloes,
Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the Islamic College in London and also the Managing Editor of the Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies. 730 Answers
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Mahmood Abu Maryam,
Trying to make sense of it all... 54 Answers
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Hamid Waqar,
Shaykh Hamid Waqar was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and converted to Islam at the age of sixteen. He started his Islamic studies in the year 2001 in Beirut and, a year later, moved to Qum where he has been studying since. He currently studies at the highest levels of Islamic jurisprudence, translates many books and runs the Muntazar website. 2 Answers
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Mohammed Al-Hilli,
Sheikh Mohammed Al-Hilli, originally from Iraq, has a Masters in Pharmacy from the University of London. He completed his Hawza degree from the ICAS in London under the supervision of Ayatollah Fadhil Milani, and also has an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University via the Islamic College. He is a teacher at the Hawza Programme at Islamic College in London. 8 Answers
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Faiyaz Jaffer,
Shaykh Faiyaz Jaffer is the Associate Chaplain and Research Scholar at the Islamic Center at New York University. He attained an MA degree in Islamic Studies (UK), with a concentration on early Islamic history, after his undergraduate degree from SUNY Stony Brook University in Political Science and Religious Studies. In pursuing the classical course of Islamic education, Faiyaz has studied in the Seminary of Karbala, Iraq. 1 Answer
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Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour,
Sheikh Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour is lecturer of Islamic Studies at the Islamic College for Advanced Studies, London, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Oriental Studies. He was raised in Iran and holds a BA and an MA in Sociology from Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran. He has also studied at Queen Mary College London and the London School of Economics. 15 Answers
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Zeinab Donati,
Zeinab Donati has been studying books about various Islamic subjects for more than 26 years. She is deeply interested in history and politics as well as social issues in particular those pertaining to women. 32 Answers
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Saleem Bhimji,
Shaykh Saleem Bhimji was born and raised in Canada. After completing his post-secondary education at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), he moved to Medina, New York, to study at the Imam al-Asr Theological Seminary. He later continued his religious studies at the Hawza of Qum. To date he has translated over 40 full-length books into English that have been printed worldwide. 15 Answers
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Jerrmein Abu Shahba,
Jerrmein Abu Shahba is originally from Egypt and has a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a masters in Chemistry from Rutgers State University in the US. She is actively involved in many Islamic projects that include organizing annual youth camps, teaching Islamic subjects, writing articles and translating texts from Arabic. 2 Answers
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Abbas Jaffer,
Sheikh Abbas Jaffer is an optometrist by profession and has a Master’s degree in Islamic Sciences. He is a part time lecturer at the Islamic College in London and is currently writing his doctoral thesis on the challenges faced by educators of young Muslims in modern day Britain. He has also co-authored a book on Qur’anic sciences for the Islamic College as well as translating several works from Persian into English. 14 Answers
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Vinay Khetia,
Shaikh Vinay Khetia has studied at various traditional Islamic seminaries in London, Iraq and Syria. He has an undergraduate degree in Religious and Near Eastern Studies from the University of Toronto and an M.A. in the History and Philosophy of Religion from Concordia University. He is a PhD Candidate in the department of Religious Studies at McMaster University with a focus on the intellectual history of Islam and specifically Shi'ism. 15 Answers
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Rebecca Masterton,
Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been teaching for seventeen years through different media, and has also worked in media for ten years, producing and presenting programs for several TV channels. 116 Answers
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Zoheir Ali Esmail,
Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD from the University of Exeter in the philosophical and mystical readings of Mulla Sadra in the context of the schools of Tehran and Qum. 374 Answers
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Shahid Pradhan,
Shahid Pradhan is a graduate of Al-Mustafa International University, Qum. He is an activist and interested in Indian and international political and social issues. 1 Answer
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Nour Tessie Jørgensen,
Nour Tessie Jørgensen has an MA in Islamic studies from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and a degree in Philosophy of Ethics at Al Mustafa International University in Qum, Iran. She works as an Islamic Studies teacher and a counselor in spiritual and female-related issues. 18 Answers
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Mateen Charbonneau,
Sheikh Mateen Joshua Charbonneau achieved a certificate from Harvard University in Islamic Studies. He undertook Howza classes under esteemed scholars since 2013 and has been teaching at Imam Mahdi Howza since 2017. He has compiled and published several books, has filmed several documentaries on Islamic subjects and has also promoted Islamic propagation in US jails. 64 Answers
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Abbas Di Palma,
Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in London, Damascus and Qom and taught for different institutions in Italy and UK. 208 Answers
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Syed Nabi Raza Abidi,
Syed Nabi Raza Abidi is based in the US and has a PhD in Theology and Philosophy having attended Howzah in Iran for several years. His research was conducted under the guidance of Ayatollah Ja'far Subhani. He has also taught various subjects such as Usul, Fiqh, Philosophy, and Tafseer in different Islamic schools. 3 Answers
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Abolfazl Sabouri,
Abolfazl Sabouri is based in New Zealand and has an MA in Jurisprudence and Islamic Studies. He is a graduate of Elmiyeh seminary in Qom with more than 15 years of study and research where he has also taught Tafsir, Theology and Jurisprudence. 43 Answers
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Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb,
Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb has a BA in Law from Guilan University, Iran and has also undertaken Hawzah studies in Qom. He used to be a Cultural Affairs director of Ethics Group of Al-Mustafa Open University. He obtained his Master's degree in Applied Ethics and now is a PhD candidate in Islamic Ethics besides doing his Bahse Kharej in Qom Hawza. 101 Answers
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Shyrose Jaffer Dhalla,
Zakira Shyrose Jaffer Dhalla is a graduate of York University in Canada from where she obtained a BA in Psychology and Sociology and a Masters in the field of Education. She lectures on Islam at mosques, universities, churches and interfaith gatherings and also recites majalises in Urdu, English and Gujarati. A published freelance writer, playwright, motivational speaker and Anti-Racist Educational Counsellor by profession, she conducts workshops on Race and Cultural sensitivity and often appears on TV program panels and radio talk shows to speak on Race Relations. 4 Answers
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Masuma Jaffer,
Dr Masuma Jaffer is a qualified dentist, with a Masters in Islamic Studies and has also attended Hawza in Qum. She obtained a PGCE - teaching qualification – and has taught Hawza studies at the Islamic College in London. She also has a Diploma in Counselling and is a Qualified Chaplain and worked with women prisoners at Holloway and with Hertfordshire Police advising them on Muslim matters. 10 Answers
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Sayed Mohammad Saleh Qazwini,
Sayed Mohammad Saleh Qazwini has a BA from the University of Michigan and an MA from Wayne State University. He is a graduate of the Islamic Seminary of Qom, Iran. 3 Answers
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Zaid Alsalami,
Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from ANU, Canberra. He has written and translated several Islamic texts and also prepared educational videos on Islamic rulings and practices. 858 Answers
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Seyed Ali Musawi,
Seyed Ali Musawi studied religion and history at the University of California, San Diego and subsequently he studied for more than 8 years at the Islamic Seminary in Qum, Iran, focusing on Islamic history and jurisprudence. 12 Answers
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Sayed Mohammedhassan Alsheraa,
Sayed MohammedHassan Alsheraa attended the Hawzah in Detroit, Michigan, in the United States. Thereafter he continued his Islamic studies in the Hawza of Karbala, Iraq. Alongside his Hawza studies, he is also a student of political science at the University of Michigan, USA. 1 Answer
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Seyed Ali Shobayri,
Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the Islamic College of London. He also studied at the Hawza Ilmiyya of England and continues Hawza and Islamic studies with private teachers. 164 Answers
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Seyed Saied Alavi,
Seyed Saied Alavi is a researcher based in Qom who has studied from the Howzah of Qom and also completed a Pastoral studies program. He is currently a university lecturer in the fields of Shia Theology and the History of Religions as well as other subjects. 9 Answers
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The environmental problems today are, in part, due to the attitude that spread during the Industrial Revolution that human beings have the God-given right to do whatever they want to the non-human world and use it as a product or resource. This was worsened by the push in capitalism to push people to consume beyond their needs. We know now today that this is not sustainable, although many of our livelihoods are stuck in this model.
In contrast, the Qur'an treats the natural universe as aware and part of a whole, rather than as a dead resource to be used however humans will. For instance, it says that everything in creation praises Allah, it speaks of the concerns of ants and the lives of bees, birds have opinions, and the earth is made to speak (when it is offered the "trust" before human beings, and at the end of time).
When the Qur'an says that Allah made the human being a khalifah, this is understood to mean that the human being has the responsibility to be a responsible caretaker, not an overlord, over creation. We may consume plants and animals and use the treasures of the earth and the sea, but not wastefully or wantonly, since the wasteful are the "brothers of the shayatin".
This holistic view characterises many pre-modern human socities (and some modern ones). Reviving this view can help to lead to a better way to treat the natural environment.
As mentioned, the Qur'an also tells us not to waste and calls the wasteful the "brothers of the shayateen". This is a very strong statement, and suggests that wasteful overconsumption is a form of evil or delusion (as Shaytan's primary tool is deception). Today many of us are bombarded by the delusions of mass advertising and mass media encouraging overconsumption or unhealthy consumption.
The Qur'an also tells us to eat and drink of the good things of the earth. This does not include many of the factory processed foods or unhealthy food production, such as Coca cola, which are some of the worst offenders in terms of packaging, production cost, etc. It also does not include abusive or destructive practices such as factory farming done unsustainably.
These verses are also taken to include our responsiblity environmentally:
* “And do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.” (Qur’an, 2:60)
* “And do not desire corruption in the land. Indeed, God does not like corruptors.” (Qur’an 28:77).
* "Corruption has appeared on the sea and land due to what has transpired by the hands of men" (Qur'an 30:41).
Here, fasad (corruption) is taken to include environmental destruction. Especially in the last verse, this understanding seems apt, because of what is happening that is our fault, especially when it is combined with other forms of corruption such as political corruption and corporate greed.
A number of hadith directly or indirectly point to the importance of looking after the environment. There are some in this article. These are from a Sunni provenance, although this isn't an issue where there is a sectarian difference. https://www.ecomena.org/islam-and-environmental-protection/
With all of this, one might ask why Muslims are not at the forefront of environmental protection. Some are; there are certainly Muslims working for sustainable farming practices, reduced waste, eco-friendly mosques, fighting pollution, and the like. However, the economic and political circumstances of Muslim-majority countries classified as "developing nations" has made this extremely different in the face of the modern socio-economic structure (especially when there are other considerations such as war).
Some further resources:
* Shaykh Jaffer Ladak has a number of speeches on the subject of environment and Islam and some other materials and would be a good resource.
* A conference paper published by Makbul Rahim on this environmental practices at Khoja Ithna Ashari Shia mosques and presented at The Islamic College in London.
* Seyyed Mostafa Damad, "A Philosophical Solution For The Environmental Crisis", in Journal of Shi‘a Islamic Studies, vol. 1, no. 1 (2008)
* And, of course, many others; for instance, if you search Google Scholar.