About Us
Our Story
How we began
Muslims Declare is a young organisation that was born out of a friendship between a small but eclectic group of Muslims who are concerned that the world leaders are putting communities at risk by failing to act swiftly on climate change. We also believe that our faith can be a positive force for change.
For too long, mainstream environmental discourse has put too much responsibility on the shoulders of individuals and their lifestyle choices, rather than on the leaders who can make the structural changes that can create the conditions for a healthier and more sustainable world for all. Over the years, the founding members of Muslims Declare have worked on initiatives and held conversations with environmental activists all over the world. Muslims Declare represents the convergence of all these experiences.
Our Mission, Goals, & Values
We aim to provide spaces for Muslim communities to share their political knowledge, campaigning experience and aspirations for a just and sustainable society.
Co-design
Co-design interactive tools and resources to help ordinary Muslims and community groups communicate their concerns about the scale and urgency of the climate and ecological emergency (CEE) to those in positions of power, for example, politicians, business and faith leaders.
Participation
Organise participatory events to bring together individuals, campaigners, faith leaders, business leaders, politicians and experts, with the purpose of promoting climate education and influencing policy. These will include public forums, workshops, outdoor activities and exhibitions.
Solidarity
We aim to connect the general public with the lived realities of those communities experiencing the worst consequences of climate change in the UK and around the world. We amplify the voices of environmental campaigners in the Global South with the aim of strenghtening ties with our global family and decolonising our environmental politics.
Our Team
Meet the team behind Muslims Declare
Aasiya Bora
Aasiya Bora is a teacher, campaigner and mum of two. She was the teenager rattling the Greenpeace charity tin on her street whilst the neighbours looked sceptically on. She is a local campaigner for the Green Party and always spouting climate related excerpts to the students she runs into.
Her favourite excerpt from the Quran is, ‘There is not a moving creature on the Earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you.’
Alessandra Palange
Alessandra is a founding member of Muslims Declare. She is a central campaigner for Zero Hour and holds a PhD in religion and civic education from Institute of Education (UCL). She is passionate about understanding activism from different cultural and spiritual perspectives and implementing campaigns that are inclusive and participatory.
Brendan Keegan
Brendan is a Maths teacher based in Leicester, in England. Originally from South Africa, he is interested in finding ways to address the climate crisis through policy and systemic change. He is a founding member of Muslims Declare.
Mothiur Rahman
Mothiur’s exploration of spirituality led him back to Islam through connecting with the sufi teacher Sheikh Kabir Helminiski and his book “Holistic Islam”. He brought his re-connection with Islam through sufism into his activism with XR and, through some of the connections made there, to joining with others to co-found Muslims Declare. In his other work he has set up his own legal consultancy called New Economy Law.
Naseef Ahammed
Naseef is the founder of Reshift, a start-up that is bringing Net-Zero to small businesses. Born in Kerala, India and raised in the city of Dubai, Naseef calls himself a nomad, having lived in more than five countries. He is a co-founder of Muslims Declare and is a strong believer in the human custodianship of nature (خِلَافَةٌ).
Our Partner Organisations
