New Stewards Podcast

Dive deep into the ethical heart of fashion with Tuniq founder, Iman Masmoudi, as we explore the intersection of Islamic business principles and sustainable practices.

Explore the intersection of hydrology, geothermal energy, and ethical finance with Dr. Gaathier Mahed, a distinguished expert from South Africa.

Join us in this enlightening episode as we delve into the profound wisdom of Tariq Ramadan, a renowned Islamic scholar, and thinker. In 'Ecology of the Self: A Foundation for a Better Society,' we explore Ramadan's insightful perspective on faith, nature, and our moral responsibilities as stewards of the Earth. Discover how reconnecting with the natural world lies at the core of our faith, and why it's crucial for us to uphold this fundamental principle in today's rapidly changing world. Tariq Ramadan emphasizes the need for Muslims and people of all spiritual backgrounds to align their values with ethical living and environmental justice. This thought-provoking discussion challenges conventional norms and calls for a return to reverence for nature, justice, and harmonious coexistence with the world around us. Ramadan's teachings inspire us to take concrete steps in our daily lives, promoting local and sustainable choices that reflect our commitment to a better world. Don't miss this eye-opening conversation that transcends religious boundaries, offering universal insights into how we can collectively build a more sustainable and ethical society. Tune in now to embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, guided by the timeless wisdom of Tariq Ramadan.

dr. Hina Shahid is a General practitioner with a public health background focusing on family medicine for the NHS in the united kingdom. She is also active as a humanitarian doctor delivering primary care to the most vulnerable. Over the past few years, she has been in Greece, Calais, Bangladesh, and Palestine. She is also active as a clinical tutor at the imperial college in London. On top of that Hina has been the chair of the Muslim doctors association since 2016.

Today my guest is Rianne Ten Veen. Rianne is a consultant, trainer, and dialogue facilitator. She is active within the Islamic Foundation for Ecology & Environment Sciences (IFEES). a UK based charity dedicated to the maintenance of the Earth as a healthy habitat for all living beings. Rianne has been active in the field of faith and sustainability for over 2 decades, working at international organizations like Islamic Relief. the Islamic reporting initiative and Green Faith. She also taught courses on sustainability and ethics at the open university. As a pinnacle of her work on Islam and ecology. wrote the book 199 Ways to please God, outlining different ways Muslims can work on sustainability. In her view sustainability is about justice and paying attention to all aspects of creation.

James H. Fagmous is A former CTO, and current machine learning and AI expert. He thought AI and machine learning at the universities of Stanford, and MIT and currently teaches at the university of southern California. For the past three years, He has been working as a spiritual success coach helping Muslims to be unapologetically Muslim and unconditionally successful in life, business, and love. James applied his AI knowledge during his career on different climate and health-related projects. Today we discuss how James started irking on climate change and what he teaches Muslims about success.

Spiritual values for more than 80% of the people living on earth have been driving individual behaviors. In many countries, spiritual beliefs and religions are the main drivers for cultural values, social inclusion, political engagement, and economic prosperity. That is the motivation behind the Faith for earth initiative that dr. Iyad AbuMoghli founded in 2017. In our conversation, we discuss the different powers faith-based organizations have and why it is important to engage each other. We also discuss the Al-Mizan covenant that is scheduled to release later this year, God Willing.

Ursula Fatima Kowanda Yassin is a researcher at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Islam and Muslims in Europe at the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna, Austria. She holds a doctorate in philosophy. Her research and teaching focus on Muslim lifeworlds, Islamic environmental ethics, and eco-activism. In 2018 she published the book Eco-Jihad, which Describes How the Muslim world deals with the issue of ecology and looks at Global Muslim sustainability efforts.

What is the Muslim economy and how Sustainable is it? What are the barriers for Muslims to build a sustainable business? Omar DaCosta Shaahid is an entrepreneur, Diversity & Faith specialist, and Marketing director with 10 years of experience in marketing, journalism, content creation, and PR. After working as a journalist for news outlets such as the times, the guardian, and others Omar is co-founder of two Advertising companies as well as an Executive board member for Muslim, the well-known online audio and video platform. In his work, Omar focusses on building a thriving Muslim economy.

Huda Shaka. She is an environmentalist and urban planner who has been working on Arab Cities for over 15 years. In her work, Huda tries to make sure cities are people and planet focused. This means that cities should be healthy, resilient and sustainable. Huda holds master degrees in Analytical chemistry and international urban planning. She is currently working in Abu Dhabi as advisor for the department of municipalities and transport. Huda is also known and perhaps better known as the Green Urbanista. For many years she has been sharing her thoughts and challenges on building better cities and spaces on her blog and social media. We discuss the challenges of building sustainably in Dubai, a rapidly developing environment. Differences in how the west and middle east view green spaces and how to build cities that promote health.

Abid Tounssi and his wife founded Mastoor with the mission to provide clothing for men in accordance with Islamic guidelines. In their entrepreneurship journey, they discovered how justice and sustainability are cornerstones of an Islam-inspired brand. In this episode, we learn more about sustainable fashion, Muslim entrepreneurship, and the challenges of changing consumer behavior.

Ibrahim Abdul-Matin is one of the founders of the current Green Deen movement. He Authored the book Green Deen: what Islam teaches about protecting the planet in 2010. In the book, he highlights the responsibility of people of faith to protect the planet. He works as a principal at Green Squash Consulting, a management consulting firm in New York, and lectures in public policy at Baruch college. His work focuses on deepening democracy and improving public engagement. In the years past he worked as director of community affairs at the New York department of environmental protection and as a policy advisor to the mayor of new york. He has a master's degree in Public Administration with a focus on the management of cities. We discuss his current outlook on the world, how the Muslim community can become more resilient, and solutions for the coming refugee crisis.

Nadia Ahmad  is an associate professor of Law and Coordinator of the environmental & earth Law certificate program At Barry University in Miami Florida.  She holds a law degree in Environmental and natural resources law and policy.  In this episode we discuss environmental justice and the need for social groups to work together. We dive into islamic environmental law and how COP27 might be different from the ones so far.  Two book recommendations for those wanting to dive into Islamic Environmental Law https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349990193_Rediscovery_and_Revival_in_Islamic_Environmental_Law_Back_to_the_Future_of_Nature's_Trust  https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780192896186.001.0001/oso-9780192896186

Ashraf Gomma Ali is on a mission to make the financial system a source of mercy for humanity. Currently is is managing director of Ihsan Advisory which works at the intersection of islamic finance, islamic moral theology, the Sustainable Development Goals and positive impact.  In our conversation we discuss how Ashraf created a sustainable decision making framework for a major Asian bank, how we can implement sustainability in our daily lives and how important it is for corporations to maximise positive impact if they have the ability to do so.

Professor Odeh Al-Jayoussi is professor of Innovation Policy at the Arabian Gulf University of Bahrein. Throughout his career he has been very focal about the importance of trusteeship in the environmental crisis.  In this episode we discuss what it means to be a steward and how any action we take is significant. The question we should be asking ourselves is: Am I leaving a positive legacy?