A small group of mosques in West London has issued a fatwa against littering and fly-tipping. Imams warned community-members that they could face the wrath of Allah if they keep making their communities dirty, calling it their Islamic duty to maintain cleanliness and general upkeep of their surroundings.
The fatwa was issued after local religious and community leaders grew frustrated at the out-of-hand levels of mess and illegal dumping. They however, made it a point to state they weren't suggesting that Muslims are more prone to littering than other Londoners. Qari Amin Chisty, 55, imam at the Jamia mosque in Southall, said, “Islam places a huge emphasis on the environment and cleanliness, it is an important part of how to live as a good Muslim and we are just reminding our worshippers of the consequences of ignoring this. We want them to take more responsibility for the state of the areas in which they live and work. Allah does not listen to those who are dirty, not just spiritually but also physically and this means how they treat their communities.” He added, “Offering prayers in the mosque and then going outside and dumping rubbish is haram (forbidden).”
The idea to issue a fatwa came from businessman Dalawar Chaudhry, 50, who believed it would be a good way to show how Islam can play a more meaningful role in addressing everyday London-wide issues.
