Sep 23, 2008 - 02:13 PM

By Crystal Crimi

DURHAM -- Muslims, Buddhists, women, and the environment were a local university professor's topics of discussion at the United Nations.

Doctor Nawal Ammar, dean of the faculty of criminology, justice, and policy studies at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, recently returned from a trip to New York, where she presented 'Ecological Health and Earth Rights' at the United Nations Headquarters.

Her presence was part of the Buddhist-Muslim dialogue series which coincided with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was intended to remind people of the world's ecological crisis.

"It was very good, very interesting," Dr. Ammar said about the conference.

Unlike academic presentations where you don't have to worry about offending, you have to be careful and present in a diplomatic manner at the United Nations, she said.

In her presentation she discussed eco-feminism and the commonalities between Islamic and Buddhist faiths relating to the environment.

Dr. Ammar began her work on the issue in 1993 but hasn't done any research on the subject since 2004. Every time she moves on, she gets pulled back in, she said.

The principle of eco-feminism is that a society that oppresses the environment also opposes women. Unless society stops abusing the ecosystem, it can't stop abusing women, she said. Dr. Ammar took that theory and applied it to Islamic society using case studies. The project showed the different oppressions and how they relate to the environment.

In the 1990s, the idea was to stop women from having kids to fix the environment, but the concept doesn't work, she said. Studies show children in Africa use 11 times less resources than those in North America.

"Don't tell me it's a matter of population, it's a matter of how we use our resources," Dr. Ammar said.

Birth control is one way of abusing women by trying to protect the environment, as well as passing on work. For example, using cloth diapers instead of disposable ones is better for the environment, but puts more strain on women having to wash them.

"And that has happened over and over in the world," she said.

She's not saying don't do these things to save the environment, but do them in an inclusive way, she said; there needs to be balance for women.

As an Islamic woman, her research particularly focuses on women from that background.

Her presentation at the United Nations dialogue illustrated how much in common the Buddhist and Islamic faiths have regarding their religious beliefs pertaining to the earth.

In Islamic law, the ultimate spiritual test isn't just religious rituals, it's what you've done with the earth, conservation and replenishing, protecting poor from disease, and responsible consumption, she said.

"That is going to be a major issue in judging Muslims on doomsday," she said, and added she backs it up with religious text.

Look around, there are big signs that we need to do something about the environment and change our behaviour right now, she said. People need to rethink their daily decisions, such as what they buy, dry cleaning, driving and planting trees.

"Every one of us counts on making a difference here," she said.

Dr. Ammar has participated in previous United Nations conferences as well and worked on its principles of restorative justice in Islamic law.