: Prayer Mat-Shaped Island is Focus of Islamic Eco-Activism

On the white sand beach of Misali, an uninhabited island off mainland Africa, fishermen carefully unload their precious catch. Even more precious is the fact that they are involved in a conservation project based on Islamic principles. Spearheaded by the Misali Island Conservation Association (and supported in part by NetAid, remember that?), the project is a cooperative effort of the Zanzibar government and several NGO’s. The fisherman agree not to fish along Misali’s coral reefs (or use dynamite, poison, or improper nets) in return for a portion of revenues from eco-tourism. “There are verses in the Quran that teach us why we should not destroy the environment,” Ali Mohammed Haji said as he lifted slippery octopuses from his small sailboat, or jahazi. “To conserve is investment. There are a lot of benefits …what we conserve will be used by generations to come.”

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.