Imam Saffet Catovic and others
December 03, 2024 | 6.00 – 8.00 pm | International House – Kringsweg 6, 50931 Cologne
Registration & Zoom link here.
Co-hosted by the Cologne International Forum and the University of Cologne’s research hub for Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities (MESH), in association with Erich Auerbach Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Cologne, the Parliament of the World’s Religions Climate Action Task Force, and GreenFaith.
Al-Mizan: A Covenant for the Earth, presents an Islamic outlook on the environment in a bid to strengthen local, regional, and international actions that combat climate change and other threats to the planet.” The document was released in spring 2024, inviting all to a richer understanding of Islamic Environmental thought and concerns, the focus of this panel. Imam Saffet Abid Catovic was part of the Scholars Team in the writing of Al-Mizan. After his presentation of the key points of Al Mizan, a panel response will follow. Dr. Katajun Amirpur will discuss Islamic Theology and Ecology; Dr. Laurel Kearns will discuss Al Mizan in relation to the papal Encyclical Letter Laudato Si; Dr. Carrie Dohe will discuss the challenges faced by the Cologne Muslim community through her research and participation in the Religions for Biological Diversity Project.
Key Speaker:
Imam Saffet Catovic was part of the Scholars Team that drafted Al Mizan and also a consultant to the Drafting Committee of the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change as well as a founding member of the Global Muslim Climate Network (GMCN). He is currently director of United Nations (UN) Operations for Justice for All, and was a Bosnian diplomat to the UN. He is a member of the Parliament of the World's Religions Climate Action Task Force and Board of Trustees. Imam Catovic has been a long-time US Muslim Community Organizer/Activist and Environmental Leader as a founding board member of the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) Green Initiatives and co-founder and Chair of the Green Muslims of New Jersey (GMNJ. Saffet is a GreenFaith Muslim Fellow and serves as their Senior Muslim advisor, and as the Muslim Chaplain at Drew University, NJ where he is also a doctoral student.
Moderation:
Prof. Dr. Catherine Rigby, Director of MESH | Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities, University of Cologne)
Panel Responses:
Prof. Dr. Katajun Amirpur (Islamic Studies, University of Cologne)
Prof. Dr. Laurel Kearns (Professor of Ecology, Society and Religion, Drew University, USA, Erich Auerbach Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Cologne)
Dr. Carrie Dohe (MESH Research Fellow, University of Cologne)