Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust (Religions of the World and Ecology)

Islam is the religion of over one billion people and is practiced in virtually every country on earth. The articulation of an Islamic environmental ethic in contemporary terms is all the more urgent because Western-style conservation efforts do not fit all cultural and philosophical traditions. This volume outlines the Islamic view of the cosmic order and reviews the ways an Islamic world view can be interpreted, reassessed, and applied to such environmental problems as pollution and water scarcity. Sections on social justice and on issues of sustainability and development look at the history and roots of the current environmental crisis; at the broader context of women's rights of equal access to both natural and social resources; and at the interconnectedness of environmental protection and the alleviation of human poverty. Introduction / -- Richard C. Foltz Toward an understanding of environmental ethics from a Qur'anic perspective -- Ibrahim Özdemir The universe alive : nature in the Masnavī of Jalal al-Din Rumi -- L. Clarke Fitra : an Islamic model for humans and the environment -- Saadia Khawar Khan Chishti Islam, the contemporary Islamic world, and the environmental crisis -- Seyyed Hossein Nasr Islam and the environment : theory and practice -- Mawil Izzi Dien Islam and ecology : toward retrieval and reconstruction -- S. Nomanul Haq Peace in Islam : an ecology of the spirit -- Abdul Aziz Said and Nathan C. Funk The basis for a discipline of Islamic environmental law -- Othman Abd-ar-Rahman Llewellyn Islamic environmentalism : a matter of interpretation -- Richard C. Foltz Toward an Islamic ecotheology -- Kaveh L. Afrasiabi Islam, ecology, and modernity : an Islamic critique of the root causes of environmental degradation -- Fazlun M. Khalid The environmental crisis of our time : a Muslim response -- Yasin Dutton Islam, Muslim society, and environmental concerns : a development model based on Islam's organic society -- Hashim Ismail Dockrat Ecological justice and human rights for women in Islam -- Nawal Ammar Scientific innovation and al-Mīzān -- Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz Capacity building for sustainable development : the dilemma of Islamization of environmental institutions -- Safei-Eldin A. Hamed Islam, the environment, and family planning : the cases of Egypt and Iran -- Nancy W. Jabbra and Joseph G. Jabbra Ecological journey in Muslim Bengal -- Mohammad Yusuf Siddiq Islam in Malaysia's planning and development doctrine -- Abu Bakar Abdul Majeed Aga Khan development network : an ethic of sustainable development and social conscience -- Tazim R. Kassam Nature in Islamic urbanism : the garden in practice and in metaphor -- Attilio Petrucciloi From the gardens of the Qur'an to the "gardens" of Lahore -- James L. Wescoat Trees as ancestors : ecofeminism and the poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad-- Farzaneh Milani. "The environmental crisis falls hardest upon the world's poor, a disproportionate number of whom are Muslims. Islam contains a strong message of social justice, which challenges many of the environmentally destructive development models currently in place. Moreover, the Islamic tradition contains rich sources for environmental ethics, although this dimension has not yet figured prominently in the discourse of contemporary Muslim intellectuals who tend to see environmental issues as symptoms of broader social justice concerns." "The conference on Islam and ecology held at the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School, in 1998 was the first international forum to bring Islamic environmental values to the forefront of discussion. In the Islamic worldview humans are seen as stewards over a creation that belongs ultimately not to humans, but to God. Islamic law provides for levels of environmental protection that exceed in some cases those in contemporary Western legal systems, but throughout the Muslim world these traditions have been replaced or allowed to lapse. Today, however, Muslims everywhere are coming to see the environment as an issue affecting the welfare of all present and future generations, and they are coming with renewed interest to the guidance that Islamic models of stewardship can provide." "Muslims today constitute one-sixth of the world's human population, and Muslim communities are present in virtually every country around the globe. This volume contains a set of essays written by scholars of Islam from a wide range of countries and cultural backgrounds, attesting to the importance of including this major religious tradition in global discussions on environment and sustainability."--Jacket 20120125111939875......Page 1 20120125112338357......Page 31 20120125112814984......Page 61 20120125113222997......Page 91 20120125113349724......Page 121 20120125113641490......Page 130 20120125113854109......Page 147 20120125114956296......Page 149 20120125115423137......Page 179 20120125115845695......Page 209 20120125120304660......Page 239 20120125120726776......Page 269 20120125120953866......Page 299