Christian-Muslim Dialogue on Climate Change With Delegations from the National Association of Evangelicals and the Kingdom of Morocco June 19, 2008 – The World Bank

Bringing Faiths Together to Address Common Concerns theology, in climate change. On a broader level, and important for the long-term relations between the In June 2008, the World Bank hosted a remark- two communities, the meeting demonstrated to both able gathering of Moroccan Muslims and U.S. Evangeli- parties a clear instance on which they are united. See- cals on an issue of urgent and common concern: global ing the success of the climate change meeting, the two climate change. groups agreed to broaden their dialogue to include a The event, part of a longer dialogue program wider set of faith and interfaith communities in the between the U.S. National Association of Evangelicals United States and the Arab world on issues of climate and an official delegation from the Kingdom of -Mo change. rocco, was meant to showcase the common thread of The following report summarizes prominent “Creation Care” – religiously-inspired care for the environment (see Box 1) – shared by diverse faith back- Box 1: Evangelical Engagement grounds. The World Bank, which has on Climate Change been a convener of faith and devel- opment partnerships since the late The U.S. Evangelical community has become a global leader in climate 1990s, offered technical expertise change advocacy over the past several years. In 2006, the Evangelical Climate Initiative (ECI) released a statement entitled “Climate Change: An Evangelical and background for the meeting. Call to Action.” The declaration has 124 senior evangelical leaders as signatories, The NAE delegation was led including Rick Warren, author of best-seller The Purpose Driven Life; David Neff, by President Leith Anderson and editor of Christianity Today; and Todd Bassett, national commander of the Salva- Vice President for Governmental tion Army. Led by Jim Ball, President of the Evangelical Environmental Network, Affairs Richard Cizik, both widely the ECI lobbies top policy-makers for federal legislation to limit carbon dioxide known for their involvement in emissions. Following some discord (in 2006 it stated that “global warming is not advocacy on climate change. The a consensus issue”), the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has become Moroccan delegation, led by Am- the leading evangelical Christian voice in advocating on climate issues. In Janu- bassador Aziz Mekouar, included ary 2007, NAE Vice President Richard Cizik and Nobel-laureate Eric Chivian, di- prominent Moroccan academics and rector of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical government figures active in envi- School, led a group of scientists and evangelicals calling for urgent changes in val- ronmental work. Katherine Marshall, ues, lifestyles, and public policy to address global warming. NAE President Leith Anderson is now a signatory of the ECI’s “Call to Action.” Additionally, the NAE of the World Bank and Georgetown has been directly involved through its “Creation Care” environmental protection University, and Michael Kirtley, initiative, with outreach materials that address issues of climate change in faith president of the Friendship Caravan, communities at the grassroots. moderated the dialogue. The meeting achieved the short-term goal of exploring the • Evangelical Climate Initiative - http://christiansandclimate.org/ • National Association of Evangelicals - http://www.nae.net/ common Muslim and Christian Evangelical interest, grounded in themes and remarks from the meeting. the climate change problem, and touched uncertainties inherent in predicting climate change’s effects and in Welcoming Remarks: assessing possible responses to the crisis. He stressed Climate Change as a Development Challenge that climate change, as a problem that moves beyond national boundaries, cultures, and religions, must be The common thread that brought the World addressed in a cooperative manner. Bank, the Moroccan Muslims, and the U.S. Evangelicals Michele de Nevers, Senior Manager of the together was a concern about climate change as a devel- Environment Department, highlighted parallels be- opment challenge that has its most direct effects on the tween the U.S. Evangelicals’ climate change advocacy world’s poorest countries and people. In welcoming the strategy and the World Bank’s Strategic Framework delegations Warren Evans, the World Bank’s Environ- on Climate Change and Development. Both strategies ment Director, highlighted that the Bank views climate view climate change in the context of its effects on the change as a crucial and cross-cutting development is- world’s poorest citizens. She stressed that leadership in sue. He underscored that faith and interfaith communi- reducing CO2-intensity in production and consumption ties play pivotal roles as advocates working to build the must come from the developed countries, which have political will needed for policies that could reverse the the technology and institutional capacity to make the buildup of carbon in the atmosphere and also, in the needed reductions future, help developing and vulnerable countries cope Luis Constantino, Manager for Environment, with the most damaging effects of climate change. Agricultural and Rural Development, and Social De- Leith Anderson of the NAE emphasized in his velopment in the Middle East and North Africa for the remarks how the Evangelical movement sees care for Bank, elaborated how higher temperatures, declining the environment as an integral part of to its mission rainfall, and environmental volatility pose challenges to alleviate poverty. He emphasized how fruitful he for Morocco’s economy. Desertification is already oc- thought that cooperation between Evangelical Chris- curing in North Africa, as the Sahara Desert covers tians and Muslims on the issue could be, given that an ever-widening area. Coastal areas, integral to the both Islam and Evangelical Christianity are growing economic vitality of the region, will be affected by ris- quickly in terms of numbers of adherents. ing sea levels and flooding. Constantino made the dire prediction that the region could expect to see the emer- World Bank Presentations on Climate Change gence of a population of “climate refugees” – people forced from their homes or livelihoods by a changing World Bank environmental specialists held a environment. technical session on the implications of climate change which backgrounded the discussion (see Box 2). Rich- ard Damania, Environmental Economist in the South Religiously-Inspired Social Advocacy Asia region, highlighted the immense complexity of The Bank presentations provided a context even in the face of criticism of such dialogue from some for the later discussions on the respective theological quarters of both faith communities. During his lunch- concerns motivating the Evangelicals and Muslims to time address, Rick Love spoke to the perceptions and speak and act on climate change. Abdelmajid Tribak, misperceptions of conversion in international develop- head of Morocco’s Koranic TV Network and a member ment work between Muslim and Christian communi- of the Moroccan Ministry of Islamic Affairs, spoke to ties (Love is currently a member of the Reconciliation the importance of environmental protection in the Program at the Yale Divinity School’s Center for Faith Islamic tradition, citing a rich array of Quranic verses. and Culture, a program that emphasizes Christian- Similarly, Leith Anderson traced Evangelical activism Muslim understanding and cooperation – see Box 3). on climate change to Christian Biblical interpretations. Anouar Majid, Chair and Professor of English at the He described the interplay between environmental degradation and its Box 2: World Bank-Faith Community adverse effects on the poor as further reasons propelling Evangelicals to act. Engagement on Climate Change He noted that in recent years these Through an ongoing series of dialogues and consultations, the World concerns had been translated into con- Bank’s Development Dialogue on Values and Ethics has partnered with the crete action not only on environmental Bank’s Environment team to engage faith leaders and communities on issues issues but also on global poverty chal- of climate change. In January 2005, the Bank hosted a diverse set of Catholic, lenges. Evangelical, and Orthodox Christian and Jewish leaders, alongside scientists and NGO leaders, to dialogue on interfaith cooperation and responses to climate change. More recently, in April 2008, a delegation of leaders from the National Interfaith Dialogue Religious Coalition on Climate Change met with Bank specialists, focusing on faith communities’ ethical and moral commitments to respond to climate change The importance of the meeting in developing countries. as an opportunity for frank and pro- ductive interfaith dialogue was noted The June 2008 dialogue between U.S. Evangelical and Moroccan Muslim frequently by both sides throughout leaders forms part of these ongoing efforts, and fits within the World Bank Environment Department’s global consultations toward a Strategic Framework the meeting. All agreed that the dis- on Climate Change and Development. The global consultations include a far- cussions were enriching and pertinent, reaching set of stakeholders, including the United Nations and other international and that more discussions of this na- organizations, representatives of national governments, the private sector, and ture were critical in a globalizing - and members of civil society. The active role of faith communities, especially in recent often polarized - world. years, has been most pronounced on issues of advocacy. Deborah Fikes, a member of the • World Bank Environment Department - U.S. delegation, was forceful in em- http://www.worldbank.org/environment/ phasizing that interfaith dialogue had • Global Consultations - growing importance in current times, http://www.worldbank.org/climateconsult/ Box 3: A “Common Word” in frustration with people, espe- cially within the broader Evan- Christian-Muslim Dialogue gelical community, who refuse to acknowledge that the reality In October 2007, a group of 138 Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals released an open letter, entitled A Common Word Between Us and You, addressed of climate change in the face to the leaders of Christian churches everywhere. The signatories represented every of overwhelming evidence. He denomination and school of thought in Islam and represented every major Islamic noted parallels between refusals country or region in the world. The Common Word website states, “The most fundamental to acknowledge climate change common ground between Islam and Christianity, and the best basis for future dialogue and refusals to engage in inter- and understanding, is the love of God and the love of the neighbor.” faith dialogue, and expressed a The Common Word letter is hoped to provide a basis for future interfaith dialogue and to bring together Christian and Muslim organizations working in this field. desire to explore ways in which It was indeed a groundbreaking effort: “Never before have Muslims delivered this kind the delegations could change of definitive consensus statement on Christianity. Rather than engage in polemic, the negative beliefs on both issues. signatories have adopted the traditional and mainstream Islamic position of respecting the Christian scripture and calling Christians to be more, not less, faithful to it.” Engagement on Gender and Youth A month later, a group of over 300 Christian theologians and leaders endorsed a statement entitled “Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word Between Us and You.” This response was written by scholars at Yale The participants noted Divinity School’s Center for Faith and Culture. As a result of the original Muslim the ability of faith communi- statement and the Christian response, a series of major conferences and workshops are ties to mobilize and magnify currently underway, bringing together signatories of the two documents as well as other the voices of women and youth international Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders. in the climate change debate. Asma Chaabi, mayor of Ess- • A Common Word - http://www.acommonword.com/ • Yale Center for Faith and Culture - http://www.yale.edu/faith/ aouira and the first female may- or elected in Morocco, spoke about women’s leadership, the University of New England, placed historical relations role of mothers in development, binding Christian and Muslim societies in the con- and the importance of women in the Christian, Jewish, text of increasing religious pluralism, and highlighted and Muslim faith traditions. historical periods of meaningful interfaith cooperation The need to harness media outlets to convey and pluralism in parts of North Africa and in the Ibe- issues of climate change to religious communities was a rian Peninsula following Muslim conquests and before strong mutual concern. Asma El Kasmi, professor at Al- the Spanish Inquisition. Akhawayn University, described how many Moroccans’ perceptions of climate change are affected by the global Managing Change media. A short documentary video on climate change produced by the NAE and viewed during the confer- The idea of managing“ change in a changing ence showed the use of media as a mode of outreach to world,” the phrase coined by Driss Alaoui M’Daghri, for- congregations. mer professor and Moroccan government min- ister, proved a resonant theme at the meeting. M’Daghri emphasized individual responsibility for activism and touched on what he believes are the three crucial issues affecting the world today: the environment and climate change; scientific and technological breakthroughs; and misunderstandings between cultures that cause violent conflict. By addressing both religious perceptions and issues surrounding climate change, he said, interfaith dialogues on development issues serve a dual purpose.

Richard Cizik, Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the NAE, noted his Cities On Crumbling Hills Religious communities and climate change By Anouar Majid, Chair and Professor of English at the University of New England A remarkable event is taking place in Wash- cence. Obviously, the meeting brought to mind John ington from June 18 to 20, 2008. The National Winthrop’s 1630 sermon, one that is often invoked Association of Evangelicals is hosting a delegation of by politicians in Capitol Hill. For more than any other six Moroccans—including this writer, who is Moroc- Christian in American history, it is Winthrop’s vision can-American—to discuss the pressing problem of that has issued a warning to the ages, one that Chris- the environment and the “future of our planet.” In tians (and Muslims) would ignore at their own peril. the language of faith, Christians and Muslims alike Faith, I remembered Winthrop saying, is sharing and are called upon to care for God’s creation. The mes- forgiveness. It is unconditional love. Faith is com- sage that came across from the very start is that if munity, above all, not the maniacal pursuit of private Christians and Muslims cannot come together to do wealth, redeemed by charitable donations to worthy something about environmental degradation, both but, ultimately, futile causes. The first governor of communities will have, in essence, forfeited their mis- Massachusetts failed to keep his comrades in the fold sions, if not abdicated their faiths altogether. of Christian love, and so we today stand on the hill of This is quite a twist in Christian-Muslim perdition. We stand as helpless sinners, as the fire- dialogue, one that should be broadened not only and-brimstone Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards to include Muslims and Christians from other na- would say more than two centuries later, “in the tions but also representatives of every possible faith, Hands of an angry God.” including atheists. I could well imagine a United If nothing else comes out of this historic en- Nations-like assembly meeting for two days or so and counter, then the least it could do is, in fact, broaden issuing an inter-faith proclamation on the sacred- the reach of our faiths. Creation care requires un- ness of the creation and our God-mandated duty conditional love for God’s whole creation, including to protect it. Such a measure, however, may not be our fellow humans, without regard to their religions. enough. It is our faiths, as Reverend. Richard Cizik, One could imagine this approach leading to more the co-convener of the event, suggested, that need to trust and, even, love, thereby tempering the destruc- be rethought. But how does one begin to do so in a tive (but equally human) drive for accumulation and hyper-consumer global society, one in which people conquests. Families tend to fight strangers more are divided into the super-fed and super-entertained than they do themselves. And so this inauspicious few and huge masses living on the edge of starvation? Christian-Muslim encounter could very well lay the We may ache for our embattled planet and the losers foundations of a world closer to divine intent than all among us, but we are way too embedded in our long- our traditional expressions of faith have so far been dysfunctional economic and political structures to see able to do. our way out to natural safety. This is what I thought, at any rate, as I listened This piece was originally published in June 2008 on and talked to various participants. I imagined Chris- Newsweek’s “On Faith” Blog. tianity and Islam as cities upon crumbling hills and having only themselves to blame for their obsoles- Improbable Dreams Climate change advocacy, religion, and relationships By Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and Global Affairs

Global warming, too, makes strange bedfel- two groups could agree on what to do about climate lows. change, that might spur wider rethinking of positions Which is the simple explanation of why Rich and tensions. And at the same time it might even Cizik, a prominent evangelical pastor, could be found contribute to world peace by bridging some divides. for two days last week at the World Bank, closeted The dialogue that unfolded was both predict- with a group of other evangelicals and a delegation able – following an implicit script – and full of sur- of Moroccan Muslims, led by their ambassador to the prises. U.S., Aziz Mekouar. As hoped and expected, the group found much Cizik is propelled by his conviction that no common ground in deep worries about the threat of issue has greater importance than global warming. global warming. And they found resonating echoes in And he is casting a wide net for common cause and Christian and Muslim scriptures enjoining mankind effective partnerships to persuade, mobilize, and gal- to care for the earth. The word responsibility came up vanize action. The Moroccans were willing to sign on again and again. to a dialogue. And, as hoped, friendship was a resounding Why Morocco? Among Muslim countries, Mo- theme – the importance of people-to-people contact, rocco has deep historic ties to the U.S. (it was the first of getting to know others. country to recognize the fledgling American republic The surprises? The willingness to engage in 1776) and is proud of its openness to different about proselytizing and conversion was reassuring, faiths and new ideas. And Morocco is beginning to though plainly the discussions just scratched the feel the pinch of climate change with some serious surface of some very sensitive issues. The readiness droughts and some crunch on water resources. of pretty much the whole group to acknowledge how As to the World Bank, Cizik’s group wanted little they knew of each other opened the way to both a true global perspective and credible technical future exchange. Several admitted that Moroccan im- grounding. The World Bank is heavily involved in vet- ages of evangelicals and American images of Muslims ting new strategies on climate change. And the Bank bordered on caricatures, and that the depth and sheer also knows full well that without public understand- complexity of both American evangelical Christianity ing and support, the kinds of change needed simply and of Islam caught them by surprise. will not happen. So the Bank readily agreed to host The boldest dream involves the great renew- the group. (I was involved in the planning process and able resource of the Sahara: sunshine. A tiny square as moderator.) of Saharan desert, with the right technology, could But the combination of Islam and evangelism: power the entire world if the power of the sun could how would that play out? The extreme statements of be truly harnessed, an expert suggested. And the a few American evangelical leaders have been broad- sunshine of honest dialogue could power a new cast and rebroadcast throughout the Muslim world, dynamic of pluralism and allow different groups to inciting anger and fueling mistrust. The core evangeli- respect one another, celebrate their differences, and cal message, which is to spread the “good news” about live not in tolerance but in friendship. Jesus Christ, when it is understood to mean conver- sion of Muslims, does not go down well in the Islamic This piece was originally published in July 2008 on News- world. If, Cizik and his colleagues reasoned, these week’s “On Faith” Blog.