Windsor teacher promotes green themes during Ramadan

Protecting Mother Nature is an important theme in Islam, and a Windsor teacher is helping her students make the connection during Ramadan. 

Shaymaa Zantout helps lead green initiatives at the Windsor Islamic High School. She says one of the central ideas in Islam is that human beings were created as khalifa — stewards or guardians of the land.

"So, there's a huge emphasis on being caretakers of the land and the environment that surrounds us, because it's seen as this trust... that we've been entrusted with by our creator. And so the connection there is really significant and I think one that we're trying to instill in the students at our school as well."

She's working with a group called Green Ummah, which developed a curriculum for students in partnership with Nature Canada.

The group was founded by students, including some from Windsor, to promote an environmental movement within the Muslim community.

"We had the opportunity to participate in activities, go on a field trip...out into nature. We got to write letters to our school administration asking for some changes to be made to make our school more eco-friendly," she said.

"So we're trying to make it very hands on, thanks to this program. And even now that that curriculum, we've finished studying it, we're still incorporating some of those teachings throughout all our lessons."

The Green Ummah website says its lesson plans for teachers are solutions-oriented. Students, the organization says, already bring creativity, energy and innovative thinking to green issues.

"Our hope is to provide middle school and high school students an intersectional understanding of the environmental movement, equip them with methodologies to build sustainable and equitable solutions, and create opportunities for digital collaboration between Muslim youth across Canada," stated the website.

Zantout says that faith provides a useful lens to look at issues like the environment because people may not get to see the impact they made during their lifetime.

"But the idea is, whether you see the results or not ... this servitude as part of your relationship with God," she said.