Environment

Islam emphasises conservation and protecting the natural environment and the creatures that dwell within it. The earth and its resources, as the Holy Quran teaches, are bounties from the Almighty, and safeguarding them for future generations is considered a responsibility that falls upon every individual. 

The community’s environmental awareness arm, Burhani Foundation (India), has initiated programs that work towards a greener, cleaner earth since it was founded by the late His Holiness Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin in 1992, at a time when the conversations about the environment had yet to gain the momentum they have today. The foundation seeks to catalyze the environmental efforts of the Dawoodi Bohra community and make a lasting impact in five key streams: water conservation, renewable energy, green cover, zero waste and sustainability, cleanups. Among other milestones, the foundation distributed a record breaking 52,000 sparrow feeders on the occasion of the late His Holiness’ 100th birthday in 2011.

Under Project Rise, the Bohra community strives to address pressing issues such as providing water and food relief to those facing  environmental crises induced by climate change, initiating water conservation projects such as rainwater harvesting and sustainable farming, along with planting thousands of trees across the world. 

Project Rise volunteers around the world undertake regular cleanup drives, such as tidying and removing trash from streets, beaches, local parks and water bodies. With the world’s oceans increasingly polluted by plastic waste, the Bohra community recognised the immediate need for individuals and collectives across the globe to join forces in the fight against plastic pollution.

In addition to eliminating food wastage, the community endeavours to minimise plastic waste, initiating zero-waste practices at community events worldwide, setting a world record for the largest zero-waste religious event in Indore in 2018. Programmes such as Happy Nests also work to recycle and upcycle existing plastic products and waste.

There is “Only One Earth”, and Dawoodi Bohras across the globe pledge to contribute in various capacities—big and small—to make the earth a better, greener, and healthier place to live.