Green 'Aisyiyah: Save the Earth from Climate Change

By Hening Parlan, Indonesia

"Remember when your Lord said to the angels, “I am going to place a successive human authority on earth.” They asked ˹Allah˺, “Will You place in it someone who will spread corruption there and shed blood while we glorify Your praises and proclaim Your holiness?” Allah responded, “I know what you do not know.”
(Q.S. Al-Baqarah: 30)

The Surah (Quran chapter) Al Baqarah: 30, instructs that humans have the main role as representatives of Allah SWT to manage and prosper the earth, for which, in time, they will be held accountable. In other words, humans have the authority as Khalifatullah to carry out tasks whose implementation must be in accordance with His will, rules, and regulations. Humans were created as creatures who received a mandate from Allah SWT and should continue to protect and care for the earth because later, they will be held accountable by Allah SWT. Humans as caliph fi ardh (representatives of God), are tasked with regulating, arranging, and preserving the entire earth according to the rules of Allah SWT through Islamic religious law. We all, as human beings who, according to Islamic teachings, have the gift of being caliphs, occupy the most important position in the environment to protect it from damage.

Context of Movement

The phenomenon of global warming is no longer just a discourse. The facts show that over the last 100 years, almost all countries in the world have experienced irregular seasonal changes. In Indonesia, the boundaries between the rainy and dry seasons are difficult to identify; the earth's temperature continues to rise; icebergs at the north and south poles continue to melt; sea levels continue to rise; and it is even predicted that many islands will sink.

Women and children are the groups most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. More than 68% of 130 studies found that women are more affected by the health impacts associated with climate change than men. For example, women and girls are more likely to die in heatwaves in France, China, and India and in tropical storms in Bangladesh and the Philippines.

The Women Deliver report (2021) shows that climate change has an impact on increasing gender-based violence, including sexual violence, sexual transactions, and sex trafficking, which is experienced by women. When natural resources become increasingly scarce due to climate change, women often travel longer distances than usual to reach food and drink, which can then open up the risk of exposing women to the risk of gender-based violence such as sexual harassment, physical harassment, and others. This even happens in Indonesia. Climate change also has an impact on the agricultural sector, causing the migration of women to work, which then places them at high risk of sexual violence and trafficking.

Holy call, EcoJihad

Our human sacred calling encouraged the Environmental and Disaster Management Institutions, 'Aisyiyah Central Leader (LLH PB), to build a movement called Green 'Aisyiah, which is a movement built from religious values that were then developed into action.

The movement to save the earth from damage must be based on values built on religious values, which are the theological foundation. With theological legitimacy, real action to save the earth from damage will be more effective.

At the level of building awareness, theological doctrines that are relevant to ecological issues require involving administrators, congregations, and people on a large scale and have become a call to save the earth and become part of the call to jihad (ecological jihad). Here, a commitment is made that religious teachings must be guardians of moral and ethical values that encourage us to build efforts to prevent environmental damage. Here, in December 2021, LLH PB 'Aisyiyah held an environmental missionary training with 172 participants from 10 provinces in Indonesia. These environmental missionaries are Aisyiyah residents who have a calling to convey environmental verses either verbally, in writing, or in bil hal (practice), which spread environmental da'wah wherever they are.

Practical actions carried out with programs to save the environment include the effort to socialize 40 Green Hadiths (religious and moral guidance), which recite the Koran on the environment with various themes related to water protection and planting of trees. We have created a unique movement to plant trees with a parenting system, otherwise, many trees are planted and not cared for.

In Indonesia, there is a lot of tree planting. However, this is only ceremonial because, after planting, there is no proper care, so many trees die. Aisyiyah then implemented a tree-planting program with a parenting system. This program involves planting trees, followed by caring for them. We take the illustration that planting trees is like being pregnant and caring for children. We have to look after and care for them well. And this has been proven to be able to grow; for example, in Temanggung, East Java, since 2019 until now, more than 3,000 trees have grown; in Sukoharjo, Central Java, since 2018, around 7,000 trees have grown.

At LLH PB, we also carry out Green Ramadhan campaigns, Green Eid al-Fitr, Green 'Idul Adha, plastic waste reduction campaigns in traditional markets, planting vegetables around the house, tree-hugging campaigns, beach clean campaigns, green Islamic boarding schools, module preparation, mangrove planting, and many more.

Apart from that, there is also a family resilience program implemented in 16 regions and provinces. This family resilience program is a program during the pandemic to build family resilience with four main focuses: health, environment, livelihood, and care and sharing. The program implemented during this pandemic is one of LLH PB's superior programs because it has had a positive impact and succeeded in increasing various skills and happiness during the pandemic. Many of these programs still exist today, for example, fish farming, agriculture, family gardens, and others.

Women leadership to tackle Climate Change at Aisyiyah at LLH PB

The 'Aisyiyah Central Leadership Institution for the Environment and Disaster Management (LLHPB) is an institution that was built after the 'Aisyiyah Congress in Makasar in 2015. This institution is one of the institutions owned by the 'Aiyiyah Central Leadership. LLH PB focuses on overcoming the impacts of climate change and reducing the risk of disasters by creating a society that is peaceful, reliable, proactive in preserving the environment, and responsive to threatening disasters.

Aisyiyah was established on May 19th, 1917, at the grand event of the Isra Mi’raj of the Prophet Muhammad. The social construction at that time was that women did not need to take education formally, but on the contrary, they needed to encourage the daughters or relatives of their friends to go to school. One verse always called for by the activists of 'Aisyiyah is:

"The Muslim men and the Muslim wives partly help in part; some call for kindness and prohibit ugliness.”

The verse has become the theological foundation, implying that the obligation of amar ma’ruf nahi munkar does not look at gender. In the middle of the fad of doctrine that "the woman is swarga nunut neraka katut” (follows to heaven, brought to hell), and the women do not need to socialize, but it is enough for them to stay at home. The LLH PB activates Aisyiyah to protect the earth using Islamic religious values.

The progressive Islam as seen from the interpretation of Muhammadiyah-‘Aisyiyah about Al Qur'an does not distinguish between genders in terms of delivering the da'wah. This has become the character of the movements of Muhammadiyah and 'Aisyiyah. The progressive Islamic teachings and the importance of education for the movement of Muhammadiyah-'Aisyiyah produced the renewal of the types of activities conducted by Muhammadiyah-'Aisyiyah, such as pioneering the establishment of education for early childhood in Indonesia with the name Frobel School in 1919, which now is called 'Aisyiyah Bustanul Athfal Kindergarten (TK ABA), literacy education, the establishment of a women's mosque in 1922, the infant congress or the baby show, and any other types of innovative activities.

Currently, 'Aisyiyah, which has a leadership structure from the national to the village level, has worked in 34 provincial boards of 'Aisyiyah at the province level, 452 district boards of 'Aisyiyah at the regency level, 2940 sub-district boards of 'Aisyiyah at the district level, and 8322 village boards of 'Aisyiyah at the village level.

Future commitment

It must be admitted that up to now there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but what the Aisyiyah residents have done reflects that, as believers. Their attitudes and actions reflect love and care for the environment as an implementation of Islamic teachings. In the Al-Quran, it is explained that Allah SWT created the universe; the earth, sun, and moon have circulated according to calculations, and Allah SWT created balance so that humans do not damage it. So, this is where we see how important Ecological Jihad, or EcoJihad, is, which later became Aisyiyah's big theme in overcoming the impacts of climate change with the Green Aisyiyah Movement.

Therefore, 'Aisyiyah prohibits its citizens from carrying out actions that could damage the environment in order to maintain the balance of the ecosystem and avoid natural disasters. What Aisyiyah has done is a form of movement manifestation that departs from the call for amar ma'ruf and nahi munkar in the face of injustice, greed, and engineering as well as policies that lead, influence, and cause environmental damage and exploitation of natural resources.

The emergence of Aisyiyah women guardians of the earth spread across various corners of Indonesia, proves that the Eco Jihad movement has become an urgent need for a change in treating nature in accordance with what Allah SWT has called upon Muslims, not to cause damage to the face of the earth. And this does not just stop at theological knowledge alone; it must be able to change people's behaviour. However, a true Muslim will not violate the commands of his God as proof of his faith but will carry out his role as khalifah on earth and be a blessing to the universe.

Other resources:

40 Green Hadiths: http://www.khaleafa.com/khaleafacom/forty-green-hadith-sayings-of-the-prophet-muhammad-on-environmental-justice-amp-sustainability

Hening Parlan is currently vice chairman at the National Environment and Disaster Management Institution of ‘Aisyiyah’, and Vice Chairman 2 of Environment Madjlis of Muhammadiyah. She has been working as the National Coordinator of GreenFaith Indonesia. Hening has 20 years of experience in humanitarian and environmental work. She has a bachelor of sociology, a master’s degree in disaster management, an ongoing master's in public policy, and a candidate doctor in studying Islam in the environment. She completed short courses from Harvard Kennedy School, ADRRN, INSIST, the Al Gore Climate Project, GreenFaith, and LEAD.

Thanks for reading. This article is part of our collection, A Climate Transition Supported by Faith: from the voices of Islamic and Indigenous women, edited by Rev. Dr. Neddy Astudillo. Check that collection for more. Visit our email list, podcasts and YouTube channel for more content. Sign up for our quarterly emails here.