Degrowth has its defenders, but there's a spiritual "gap" in its theories. Glasgow's Andalus centre hopes to fill it
From the Andalus website
We are feeling our way into our new Central-Belt-of-Scotland locus, and finding kindred spirits and initiatives everywhere. For example, take Glasgow’s Andalus centre.
As they describe themselves:
Andalus is a grassroots community based initiative with a unique approach to meeting the needs and aspirations of Scottish Muslims; with emphasis on maintaining cultural and faith based values, and at the same time being fully participant in the wider society, promoting understanding and integration between communities of different faiths and cultures.
They came to our attention for this upcoming event - Be like the Date Palm - Degrowth, the Environment and Economics, “at their Glasgow centre on Sat, 2 Mar 2024 11:00 - 13:00 (GMT). The blurb is intriguing:
In these times of climate breakdown, economic insecurity, and social and political uncertainty, there is a growing understanding that the way we run the world needs to change.
The ‘Degrowth’ movement is growing in popularity – it says an infinite expansion of the economy is fundamentally contradictory to the finiteness of material resources on Earth and we should build our systems around the health and wellbeing of both humans and the environment.
While Degrowth is absolutely pertinent for these times, it does come from a predominantly European materialistic and academic perspective. Which is why there remains a spiritual ‘gap’ in the theory.
As we’re coming into Ramadan – a month which completely challenges how we do things – we believe it is a good time to challenge mainstream economic perspectives and discuss Islamic and other faith-based interpretations for Degrowth and related theories.
In this discussion group, we will talk about how faith and spirituality play a huge role in helping us understand this world and our responsibilities towards it, and provide us with valuable perspectives towards solidarity, community and resilience.
As the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The parable of the believer is that of a date palm. Whatever you take from it will benefit you.”