NWFP Minister for Environment Shah Raz Khan has urged the Ulema to create and promote awareness among the masses about the importance and protection of environment, forest and wildlife in the light of Islamic teachings through their lectures sermons and counselling.
He said this as a chief guest while addressing to the participants of one day Ulema convention on the topic of Islam and environment organised bt environmental protection agency, NWFP in Mingora, Swat on Saturday. Secretary Environment Noorul Haq, Bakht Zameen Khan and Professor Usman Ali also addressed on this occasion. The seminar was attended by a large number of religious scholars, officials of environment protection agency, students and other people.
Shah Raz Khan said that the Western countries claim to be the forerunners in the protection of environment but are unaware that environmental care is one of the basic tenets of Islam. He added that in the Holy Quran and Sunnah we had repeatedly been instructed towards purity, and cleanliness. However the need is simply to adopt and apply these principles about environment and cleanliness in our daily lives. He explained that when Islam and Muslims were ruling the world, the streets and roads of Spains, Baghdad, Bukhara and Samarqand were famous for their cleanliness and now the streets and roads of West like Paris and Washington are famous for their cleanliness. So the Muslims should try to create a clean and pollution free environment and thus lead the world.
He informed that only those nations would rule the world that was advanced in the field of science and technology, media and environment.
He elaborated that religious scholars had a central position in Pukhtoon society so they should come forward and pay due attention to Islamic instruction about the environment and thus the massage of Islam, a global religious would reach the non-Muslim countries and hence the impression that Islam does not take care of environmental issues would be erased.