Source: The Guardian

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/derek_wall/2007/05/politics_can_get_you_down.html

Politics can get you down: banal arguments ... shallow Machivellianism ... the ruthless use of rhetoric to advance the careers of those whose psychological weaknesses make them long to be leaders.

This is especially hard to take when you are involved in ecological politics, which is based on the premise that without some pretty deep thinking and swift action, the whole of humanity will be in danger. But every now and again I come across people and movements that I find really inspiring.

One of these is the eco-Islam movement and this weekend will see a London-based conference event, Climate Change & Muslims: Developing a Grassroots Movement (part of the International Climate Conference at the London School of Economics).

Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, proclaims the importance of humanity's stewardship over nature. The threat of climate change is of particular concern to Muslim activists today, for both practical and theological reasons. I am not a believer in any shape of deity, but I have to recognise the strength of the Koran where it states that "But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters." (Quran: 7:31).