Environmental Responsibility

Agriculture is one of the world's largest industries. For years it has been pivotal in alleviating poverty, improving incomes, and providing food security for the marginalised in society. With the world’s population multiplying, the demand for agricultural commodities has risen tremendously in the past few decades.

Mawlana Hazar Imam has often spoken of the importance of caring for the environment. In Ottawa in 2013, he said, “Our faith constantly reminds us to observe and be thankful for the beauty of the world and the universe around us, and our responsibility and obligation, as good stewards of God’s creation, to leave the world in a better condition than we found it.” Young people today are shouldering this responsibility, and raising awareness of environmental issues, including through the medium of film.

Making Paradise: Exploring the Concept of Eden through Art and Islamic Garden Design is the latest exhibition at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery in London, UK. In this interview, its curator Esen Salma Kaya gives an insight into the multi-sensory show, the diverse artists involved, and planning it “from the heart.”

A group of Ismaili students from Afghanistan and Tajikistan made the most of a difficult situation when they were unable to return home from the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the abundance of spare time they were suddenly given, the students planned and implemented an organic farm on the school grounds.

In November 2019, Prince Hussain offered a series of guided tours to Ismaili youth and children visiting his photographic exhibit in Lisbon. The exhibition features over 100 photos depicting the beauty, fragility, and diversity of marine life, reflecting Prince Hussain’s ecological and environmental concerns.