What is Greening Friday?
Greening Friday is held annually during the holy month of Ramadan to celebrate and protect the environment by using Islamic teachings. It is a day set aside by the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) and has been marked annually by Muslims in Uganda since 2010.
This year’s Greening Friday took place on 15 April 2022, coinciding with Good Friday.
Greening Friday has been held on the second Friday of Ramadan every year since 2010
The Green Kutba was delivered Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) by Sheikh Imran Ssali, the head of Daawa. The prayers were graced by His Eminence the First Deputy Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Abdallah Semambo and the Chief Guest was the Executive Director National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Dr Barirega Akankwasa.
The mosque was packed to capacity and many had to listen from outside. In his inspiring speech, Dr Akankwasa reminded those present that just two centuries ago, in 1900, forest covered 45% of Uganda, but since then this has been reduced to only 12.4%.
He praised UMSC and Hajjat Sebyala, Director of ES, for the initiative of Greening Friday and promised to explore ways to collaborate with UMSC to further the cause of environment protection.
As part of this year’s Greening Friday, 3,100 trees were distributed to worshippers, including fruit trees and indigenous species. The bulk of these trees were donated by the National Forestry Authority of Uganda (NFA), while others were brought from a women’s tree nursery.
Greening Friday is an excellent example of how the Faith Plan of UMSC is being implemented through the participation of the community. You can find their Faith Plan on the 2022 Plans page.
To find out more about how to develop your own Faith Plan, and the importance of focusing on the environment, visit Faith Plans Key Area 1: Land, Forests and Nature.