The interconnected web of climate change, human oppression, and animal suffering.
Key Takeaways
From factory farms to famine, war, and environmental collapse, all of these crises are linked by the same systems of exploitation, greed, and disregard for life.
Islam doesn’t separate care for people, animals, or the Earth. Islamic values of justice (adl), mercy (rahmah), and moral excellence (ihsan) must guide all aspects of our lives. From what we eat to how we live.
As contemporary Muslims, reducing our consumption, asking deeper questions, and refusing to participate in zulm (injustice) is part of fulfilling our role as stewards (khulafa) of this Earth.
When we think of the different challenges impacting humanity and the planet right now, we intuitively think of them as separate, fragmented issues.
These modern crises, such as war, climate collapse, factory farming, mass migration, and so on, may seem disconnected, but that is not the case. They all stem from a shared root: systems built on violence, inequality, greed, and a complete disregard for our divine responsibility.
We are taught to be protectors of the oppressed, to care for the Earth, and to be gentle to all creations of Allah (SWT). But if as a species we’ve built a world that thrives on greed and exploitation, we must ask ourselves: how well have we lived up to our divine trust?
The systems that harm animals harm humans and the planet as well
The modern factory farm, regardless of whether it is halal or not, is not simply a site of animal suffering. It is a place where multiple oppressions intersect:
Exploitation of workers: The animal products industry runs on the backs of marginalized people. Halal slaughterhouses in Brazil, for example, are often staffed by undocumented immigrants and impoverished laborers. These workers face dangerous, traumatic conditions, low pay, and virtually no protection.
Environmental racism: Factory farms poison the land, air, and water, and it is poor, often racialized communities who bear the brunt of this. Whether it’s in North Carolina (where Black communities suffer from hog waste pollution) or in Global South countries, which are major exporters of halal meat, where land is grabbed for cattle feed, often from Indigenous peoples, animal agriculture perpetuates climate injustice.
Global hunger: Much of our global grain crops, such as 77% of soy, are fed to farmed animals, not humans. Meanwhile, millions around the world, especially in Muslim-majority regions like the Middle East, face hunger. This isn’t simply unfortunate. It is zulm (injustice).
Ecosystem destruction: Millions of hectares of forests are razed for animal farming, leading to biodiversity loss on an unprecedented scale. Climate disasters worsen, displacing millions, often in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan.
Colonial and capitalist logic: The commodification of living beings (animals and workers alike) and land reflects a deeply colonial mindset. Nature is often viewed as an object to dominate and exploit, a worldview that is fundamentally at odds with tawhid (Divine Unity) and khilafah (stewardship).
Wars, wildlife collapse, and shared consequences
We are living through a time of turbulence and collapse, where the destruction of humans is paired with the destruction of the environment.
The decades-long occupation and genocide in Palestine have killed thousands of humans and animals, desecrated the environment by uprooting native olive trees with centuries worth of cultural significance within the lands, and left the overwhelming majority of the population without food, clean water, fuel, or medical supplies.
In Sudan, the ongoing civil war has caused immense suffering, displacing 13 million people – one in three Sudanese – and is devastating the country’s ecosystem. Climate change has exacerbated the situation, with floods and droughts causing loss of crops and farm animals, resulting in more than half of the country’s population (25.6 million) facing food shortages.
The loss of the world’s biodiversity is another major existential threat to humanity. According to the WWF, there has been a catastrophic 73% of global biodiversity loss in the last 50 years alone. This is a threat to the very foundations of human life, as despite our technological advances, we are completely dependent on nature and healthy ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter, and energy.
All of this zulm and destruction are not isolated events. They are the result of a system that treats both people and animals as expendable, and the Earth as an infinite resource.
This system depends on our silence and blind consumption. On our refusal to respond. But as Khulafah of the Earth, we must.
A Muslim response to interconnected zulm (injustice)
Islam doesn’t teach fragmented ethics. It offers a holistic vision for the world, rooted in justice (adl), mercy (rahmah), and moral excellence (ihsan).
We are not asked to choose between caring for people, animals, or the environment. We are called to care for all of them. Because Allah (SWT) has created a world in such a balance (mizan) that harm to one aspect of creation ripples across all aspects of it. The Holy Qur’an says:
“Do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order.” (7:56)
The Prophet (SAW) taught us to take care of the Earth as if she is our mother (Nahj al Fasahah, 1692). That mercy to every living being is rewarded by the Most Merciful (Riyad as-Salihin 126). And that we will be held accountable for how we treated those under our care, human or otherwise (Abi Dawud, 2549).
So what does this mean for us, Muslims in the modern era?
It means ethical living is a form of ibadah (worship). It’s a commitment to refuse participation in any form of dharar (harm) or zulm (injustice) even when they have been normalised. And as a consequence, our responsibility as Muslims is not limited to ritual. It extends to how we spend, consume, eat, vote, and live.
It means that eating more ethically, supporting local justice movements, wasting less, and staying informed are part of what it means to honour our amanah, the trust we’ve been given as Stewards of this Earth.
Ethical choices won’t end war or climate change on their own. But they align us with Islamic values, and transform not just what we consume, but who we are.
Making better choices and asking better questions
Animal suffering is connected to human suffering. Environmental harm is tied to systemic injustice. Once we see these connections, our ethical obligations as Muslims in the modern world become clearer.
Islam doesn’t ask us to change the world alone. But it asks us to never turn away from zulm (injustice) even as individuals. To oppose it using our hands, tongue, and hearts.
So let’s make better choices. And let’s start asking better questions. Not just: Is this halal? But also: Is this just? Is this merciful? Would the Prophet (SAW) of Mercy have approved of this?
