Version 1
: Received: 19 September 2024 / Approved: 20 September 2024 / Online: 23 September 2024 (08:53:25 CEST)
How to cite:
Moufakkir, O.; Auzun, B. Leveraging Religion to Reduce Food Waste: Examining Food Waste Through the Lens of Islam and Arab Hospitality. Preprints2024, 2024091659. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1659.v1
Moufakkir, O.; Auzun, B. Leveraging Religion to Reduce Food Waste: Examining Food Waste Through the Lens of Islam and Arab Hospitality. Preprints 2024, 2024091659. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1659.v1
Moufakkir, O.; Auzun, B. Leveraging Religion to Reduce Food Waste: Examining Food Waste Through the Lens of Islam and Arab Hospitality. Preprints2024, 2024091659. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1659.v1
APA Style
Moufakkir, O., & Auzun, B. (2024). Leveraging Religion to Reduce Food Waste: Examining Food Waste Through the Lens of Islam and Arab Hospitality. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1659.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Moufakkir, O. and Busra Auzun. 2024 "Leveraging Religion to Reduce Food Waste: Examining Food Waste Through the Lens of Islam and Arab Hospitality" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1659.v1
Abstract
Food waste is a real environmental challenge worldwide. It is a major sin in Islam; yet it is ubiquitous in Muslim society, a society where the majority of people say that Islam is critical in their life. Ingrained in moral aspects of overconsumption, a conundrum this paradox study tries to unravel is why plate waste is prevalent in the Arab Muslim society, despite the teaching of the Quran [Muslim’s holy book] and Sunna [teaching and acts of prophet Muhammad] against wanton waste. The influence of religiosity on environmental concern and intentions to reduce food waste in Islam and Christianity has been widely examined. However, our understanding of why religious people waste food remains limited. This serendipitous qualitative inquiry is the first to examine food waste from the nexus triad -food waste, hospitality, and religion, and comprehensively. Findings suggest that the conception of contemporary Arab hospitality, entrenched in Karam/generosity, and entangled with the interpretation of sin and God’s mercy, is a major contributing factor to plate waste perpetuation. The gravity of food waste warrants a new conceptualization of Arab generosity. Suggestions for plate waste prevention in this cultural context, grounded in the interviews and the Quran, are presented.
Keywords
food waste; hospitality; religion; sustainability; Islam; sin
Subject
Social Sciences, Religion
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
