Al-Mizan: A Covenant for the Earth

In convening the Scholars Drafting Team, gender balance, regional representation, and representation of Islamic sects complemented the essential requirement of an in-depth knowledge and understanding of Islamic scripture, values, and teachings, and an understanding of contemporary environmental challenges.

Sidi Fazlun Khalid (Chair & Co-author) 

Fazlun Khalid has a worldwide reputation as a pioneer in the field of Islamic environmentalism having been involved in this work since the 1980s. He was recognised as one of fifteen leading eco-theologians in the world (Grist magazine, USA 24 July 2000). He founded the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences which is now established as the world’s leading Islamic environmental NGO. His book Signs on the Earth: Islam, Modernity and the Climate Crisis published in 2019 has been described as a masterclass in framing contemporary issues from a faith perspective.

Othman Abd-ar-Rahman Llewellyn (عثمان عبد الرحمن لولن) (Lead author)

Othman Llewellyn is an ecological planner and member of the IUCN World Commissions on Protected Areas and Environmental Law, Othman authored Saudi Arabia’s current protected area system plan. Born in Colorado, USA, he has lived in the Arabian subcontinent since 1982, working to conserve its natural heritage. His research interests focus on the ecological implications of Islamic ethics. He wrote “The Basis for a Discipline of Islamic Environmental Law” in Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust (Harvard, 2003). He co-authored Environmental Protection in Islam, (IUCN, 1994) and was on the drafting team of the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change (Istanbul, 2015).

Dr. Abdelmajid Tribak 

Aishah Ali Abdallah (عائشة علي عبد الله) 

Aishah Abdallah is a wilderness leader and environmental educator who conducts outdoor activities informed by the wildland ethics of Islam. A Chadian national of Bornu-Kanuri origin born in the city of Makkah, she is a member of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication and has received the 2019 IUCN CEC Excellence Award for the West Asia Region. Aishah helped lead the 2017 Zawiyah Rosales symposium-retreat in Spain and delivered presentations to the 2010 WANA Forum in Jordan and for ICESCO at the 2016 Crans Montana Forum in Morocco. A Leave No Trace Master Educator, Aishah helped prepare the Arabic LNT Master Educator curriculum, and in 2009 served as Coordinator of Saudi Arabia’s national LNT Master Educator training program. In 2013, Aishah received a Conservation and Environmental Grant from the Ford Motor Company to design the first ecologically based wilderness leadership curriculum for the Arabian Peninsula. Her newest initiative is EmbraceTheEarth, an ecological leadership program.

Datuk Prof. Azizan Baharuddin

Azizan Baharuddin is the Director-General of the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM). She is the Chair in Climate Change of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia-Yayasan Sime Darby (UKM-YSD), Honorary Professor of the Centre for Civilisational Dialogue, Universiti Malaya and Member of National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia. She was appointed as member of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee and a member of the Drafting Committee of the International Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change (IDCC) launched in Istanbul (2015) in conjunction with the Conference of the Parties (COP21) – Paris Climate Change Conference. She specialises in several areas such as bioethics, interfaith/intercivilisational dialogue, Islam and science, environmental ethics & religion and sustainable development. She has published more than 200 books, book chapters, monographs, journal articles and newspaper articles in the above-mentioned fields.

Dr. Evren Tok

Dr. M. Evren Tok is Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Innovation and Community Advancement, Program Coordinator for Islam and Global Affairs Program at College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He is the co-editor of Policy Making in a Transformative State: The Case of Qatar, published by Palgrave MacMillan, 2016. His recent publications “Global Governance and Muslim Organizations” published by Palgrave MacMillan and Innovating South-South Cooperation by University of Ottawa Press in 2020. He is the director of a QNRF funded cluster (2020-2025) entitled “SDG Education and Global Citizenship in Qatar”. He is the Lead Project Investigator for Qatar National Research Fund Priority Program for 3 years on “Localizing Entrepreneurship Education in Qatar”. He is the founder of the maker space entitled Maker Majlis: Islam in a Global World, which received Qatar Sustainability Award under Best University Initiative in 2020.

Dr. Fachruddin M. Mangunjaya

Environmentalist, author and senior lecturer at School of Graduate Program Universitas Nasional,  Chairman Centre for Islamic Studies Universitas Nasional, Fellow The Climate Leader Presenter. Visiting Fellow, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) 2018-2019. PhD in Environmental Management and Natural Resouces (PSL), Bogor Agricultural University. Drafting team for Islamic Declaration for Global Climate Change, Istanbul (2015). Advisory member of SiagaBumi (Environment and Interfaith in Indonesia). Member of IUCN-WCPA Specialist Group in Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas, Advisory Group Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology Yale School of Environment, Advisory Flight Foundation and SIAGA BUMI, Guarantee Kehati Foundation,  Advisory Council Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI)-Indonesia (www.drfachruddin.com).

Dr. Ibrahim Özdemir 

Dr. Ibrahim Özdemir is a professor of philosophy at Uskudar University, Istanbul. He holds a Doctorate degree in philosophy from the Middle East Technical University, Turkey. His major is environmental ethics and environmental philosophy. 

He was part of the drafting team of the Islamic Declaration for Global Climate Change, 2015 and a Strategy Document for the Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers (ICEM), 02-03 October 2019 in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco. His most recent publications include The Ethical Dimension of Human Attitude Towards Nature, 2nd edition, Insan Publications: Istanbul, 2008; Jalaluddin Rumî and Confucius: Messages and Visions for a New Century, Tugra Books: New Jersey, 2013.

Shaykh Jafer Ladak 

Shaykh Jaffer Ladak was born and raised in Milton Keynes, UK. From 2005-2011 he served as Director of the DRC Group, a leading recruitment agency supplying medical staff to the NHS. After returning from Hajj in 2005, Shaykh Jaffer began his Islamic studies, spending time at Jaami’a Imam as-Sadiq (a) under Ayatollah al-Qazwini and Hawza Imam al-Jawad (a) under Grand Ayatollah Syed Taqi al-Modarresi in Kerbala, Iraq and Al-Mahdi Institute, Birmingham, UK.

Shaykh Jaffer holds a Masters in Islamic Law, with his dissertation on ‘An Islamic Theory of Global Citizenship’. He the author of four books: ‘The Hidden Treasure’ (a biography of Lady Umm Kulthum); ‘The Ways of the Righteous: 72 Inspirational Stories of Scholars’; ‘Baldatun Tayyibah: A History of Yemen from the Quran and Hadith’; A Star Amongst the Stars (the life and times of Jabir ibn Abdullah Al- Ansari). He has recently given a series of 15 lectures on Islam and the Environment and is working on translating it into a chapter for Islamic Jurisprudential Studies (Fiqh). He has also drafted a 5 year environmental plan for his Mosque, Hujjat Stanmore, which he is the Imam of.

Kamran Shezad 

Kamran Shezad is the Director for the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES/EcoIslam), he is also the Sustainability Lead for the Bahu Trust and the Climate Change Advisor to the Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board, UK (MINAB).
A qualified environmental specialist with practical field and managerial experience in the sustainable development sector. He is a strong advocate of using faith based approach in promoting the message of environment and guiding behavioural change. Kamran is a grassroots environmental activist, he has worked with a diverse range of faith groups and has produced toolkits, practical guides and mobilised communities for climate action. Kamran holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Sustainability (Strategy & Management), he has been awarded ‘Chartered Environmentalist’ status by the Society for the Environment and is a full member of the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment. Kamran is also currently serving on the Civil Society & Youth Advisory Council to the Presidency of COP26.

Prof. Odeh Al-Jayoussi 

Odeh Al-Jayyousi is an author, professor and head of Innovation and Technology Management at Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain since 2015. He was a vice-president at Royal Scientific Society for Science & Research in Jordan. He worked as the regional director for IUCN – The International Union for Conservation of Nature - West Asia regional office during 2004-2011. He was a university professor in water resources and environment. He was an academic director for M.Sc. Programme in transformational management in UK. His research interests include Islam and sustainability, innovation, and strategic planning. He worked as a consultant with EU, UN-ESCWA, World Bank, GIZ and USAID.  He is the author of 3 books on sustainable development; renewable energy; and innovation. He was the Dean of Scientific Research at Applied Science University, Jordan. He is a founding board member in Jordan Green Building Council and FairTrade Jordan. A member of many think tanks and UN scientific advisory panel-GEO6. He won the award for the Scientists for Social Initiatives in 2014 and Global CSR in 2020.

Imam Saffet Catovic 

Imam Saffet Abid Catovic has been a long-time US Muslim Community Organizer/Activist and Environmental Leader. He is a member of the Parliament of the World's Religions Climate Action Task Force and Board of Trustees; He is also a member of the Statewide Clergy Council of Faith in New Jersey and also serves on their Board of Directors.  Saffet is a GreenFaith Muslim Fellow and serves as their Senior Muslim advisor; He is Co-founder and Chair of the Green Muslims of New Jersey (GMNJ); founding board member of the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) Green Initiatives; consultant to the Drafting Committee of the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change; founding member of the Global Muslim Climate Network (GMCN); Co-drafter of the FCNA (Fiqh Council of North America) "Fatwa" Religious ruling on fossil fuel divestment.  Imam Saffet serves as the Muslim Chaplain at Drew University where he also received MA in Religion and Society specializing in Religion and the Environment.