30 January 2025

East London Mosque’s latest ELM Connex event, in partnership with University College London (UCL), brought together academics, community leaders, and environmental practitioners to explore the intersection of faith, sustainability, and community building through the lens of beekeeping.

Launched as a platform where knowledge meets community, ELM Connex represents the mosque's commitment to fostering dialogue between academic expertise and community wisdom. The partnership with UCL and other institutions of learning plays a vital role in this mission, helping to bridge traditional knowledge with contemporary research.

The evening featured Dr Salah Chafik, Senior Research Fellow at University College London. His research focuses on purpose-driven indigenous institutions rooted in Islam. Dr Chafik's keynote address explored the Taddaret Inzerki, Morocco’s centuries-old honey cooperative, highlighting how traditional Islamic principles of environmental stewardship continue to offer valuable lessons for modern challenges regarding sustainability.

Dr Chafik’s presentation highlighted the enduring wisdom of Islamic principles regarding environmental stewardship. Using the 500-year-old Moroccan cooperative as an example, he showed how faith-based approaches to caring for the environment remain relevant today. Dr Chafik’s insights aligned closely with ELM’s Faith in Environment programme, which works to renew Islamic principles of stewardship in our local community. These practical initiatives help develop greater awareness of our responsibility as custodians of the natural world.

The event also showcased ELM’s own sustainability initiatives through presentations from our very own volunteer beekeepers Khalil and Salma. They shared insights from managing the mosque’s beehives and offered attendees a chance to taste honey produced on site. 

The evening’s discussions highlighted how religious institutions can lead in addressing environmental challenges while strengthening community bonds. Participants explored how principles of stewardship found in Islamic teachings can inform practical approaches to sustainability and community development.