Abstract:

An eight-month research project conducted between 2009 and 2010 examined whether and how the building of gardens reflecting Islamic traditions could promote environmental awareness and the appreciation of Islamic gardening heritage among both Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain. The study found that British Muslims are engaged in a range of projects involving the promotion of environmental conservation and sustainable horticulture. By documenting the formation and activities of Islamic environmental action groups in Britain, as well as a range of initiatives centred on mosques and community centres, it is possible to demonstrate some of the ways in which British Muslims have been engaged in grassroots pro-environmental activity. Such efforts are indicative of an important new sense of agency, belonging, and ownership of local spaces among Muslims in Britain, and they provide a marker for evaluating the growing institutionalisation of Islam in Britain.

Author: Sophie Gilliat-Ray, Mark Bryant