I was a guest on BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘Good Morning With Cathy Macdonald’ along with Martin Palmer, broadcaster and Secretary General of Alliance of Religions and Conservation, Islamic scholar Shaykh Hassan Rabbani, and Shagufta Anwar.
Part 1
(click on the above player to play the discussion or download it here: part 1 )
In the first part of the discussion, Martin, Shaykh Rabbani and I discussed:
The aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks
The Scottish Muslim community’s strong condemnation of terrorism
Interfaith response and discernment
The ‘war on terror’ and the Middle East
The refugee crisis and the agenda of ISIS
Boko Haram and media attention on terrorism in Europe vs rest of the world
Alternatives to radicalisation of young people
Saudi Arabia’s funding of Islamic extremism
Education for children and young people
Scotland’s success story of diverse peaceful communities
The history of migration into Scotland and the welcoming of refugees
Anti-Irish racism in Scotland and fear-based rhetoric
Islam as a way of life, not a faith
Post-Christian culture
Faith as commitment of heart and mind
The decline in alcoholism among teenagers
Inter-religious sharing
Social media as a conversation of solidarity
Religion as ‘re-ligio’: binding together of community
Part 2
(click on the above player to play the discussion or download it here: part 2 )
In part 2 of the discussion, Martin Palmer, Shagufta and I discuss:
The connection between faith and action on climate change
What Islam has to say about caring for creation
The risk of hypocrisy in religious leadership
Climate change as a symptom of consumerism and breakdown of community
The papal encyclical Laudato Si’ and Pope Francis’ personal example
COP 21 climate change negotiations in Paris
Climate change and conservation as a matter of values
Inner peace as essential for outer peace
Sharia law as future care
Anthropocentric worldviews and how they impact on the planet
Communities and individuals’ capacities for leadership
Changing the whole system, not just changing lightbulbs
Full credit for the material is attributed to the copyright owner, BBC Scotland. I host it here as fair use for archival and educational purposes as the broadcast is no longer hosted on the BBC iPlayer.