Orient-Institut Beirut
Monday, 26. February 2024, 18:00-20:00
Sara Binay
Abstract:
During her stay in Jordan in 2015-2017, Sara Binay confronted many times with irritation by people about her interest in water in Islam and her working place in the Sharia faculty for this purpose. Even persons which considered to be ‚pious‘ didn‘t welcome the idea that water or environment protection should be addressed by religious authorities. They considered the protection of the environment to be a technical or practical issue. It shouldn’t be necessary to use religious arguments for this.
Remembering these encounters, first, her talk will be on the experiences with the mentioned project in which Jordanian imams and wa‘izat were trained to preach on water issues and to give practical advice to their communities.
Second, she will draw some of the features of the approaches of the Islamic environmental theology since the 20th century.
Third, she will come back to the topic of water in Islam as an example were religious needs and obligations (‘ibadat) meet environmental issues and how they were approached by religious authorities in fatwas and handled by Muslim activists of today.