Be wary of nature’s response

The Tsunami disaster has brought us face to face with our responsibility for the environment. The planet has been suffering from human evil in the form of wars, nuclear testing and dumping as well as bad management of natural resources. But for a second it looked as if nature was  fighting back. It is a horrible thought  but it may be the shape of things to come, unless there is a dramatic shift in attitudes and practices.

The warning came first from some avant-gardes who raised awareness about large industries and their harmful practices on the environment. But about the end of March 2005 a warning came from 1,360 experts in 95 nations who said that during the past 50 years  rising human population had polluted or over-exploited two-thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water.

Their finding  are  part of a report by the Board of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, supported by the UN. They said that: “Human activity is putting such  a strain on the earth’s natural functions that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted”. 

Future changes could bring  about sudden outbreaks of disease.  And a build-up of nitrogen from fertilizers washed off farmland into  the seas could spur abrupt blooms of algae that choke fish or create oxygen-depleted “dead zones” along the coasts.

The study, recommended major changes to governments in consumption, better education and new technology with less harm to  ecosystems.

Governments may listen to a report or they may not, and the same goes for  big businesses. But the real change comes from  ordinary individuals who could exert pressure from the grass root to create a climate of opinion that would not allow harmful exploitation of nature.

 This is an  inseparable fight from the call  for  justice and solidarity on the social level to eradicate  poverty and the exploitation of one’s fellow human beings.  We live in a far from fair world but we can be part of the struggle to make it a better one.

With regard to our magazine,  we are pleased to have had a very successful year with our French version of Islamic Tourism. Mr. Nour-eddine Saoudi is to be congratulated and thanked for his work on this front. We are also happy with the Spanish edition, edited by Mr. Driss Bouissef Rekab, which is gaining popularity since its launch in January 2005.

Dr. Abdul-Rahim Hassan
Editor-in-Chief