Islam, Muslims and the Environment
| Module title | Islam, Muslims and the Environment |
|---|---|
| Module code | ARA3046 |
| Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Davide Pettinato (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 15 |
|---|
Module description
The majority of Muslims live in regions of the planet that are especially vulnerable to the most severe impacts of the current ecological and climate crisis. Partly in response to this, a variety of Muslim environmental discourses and initiatives have emerged, often drawing from Islam as a shared framework. Covering a wide range of topics and drawing on multiple disciplines (ranging from Islamic studies to the natural, social and political sciences), this pioneering module explores in a holistic way key relationships between Islam, Muslims and the environment, with a focus on ongoing Muslim ‘greening processes’. Reflecting its multidisciplinarity, the module: (i) examines how the current emergency is impacting natural and human systems across the Muslim world; (ii) discusses theoretical and methodological issues related to this multidisciplinary field; (iii) explores key environmental notions and principles from the Islamic tradition; (iv) surveys Muslims’ ecological attitudes and activities, at individual, institutional and policy levels.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The overarching aim of this module is to provide you with a well-rounded introduction to key relationships between Islam (as a religious tradition), Muslims (as individual and institutional actors, past and present), and the environment (both in its natural state, and under the impact of the current ecological crisis). The module also aims to help you begin to appreciate how multidisciplinarity is necessary to be able to participate debates around environmental sustainability and global Muslims.
The module is recommended for multi- and inter-disciplinary pathways; and to anyone who wishes to learn the basics about ‘Islam, Muslims and the environment’, from an academic or practitioner perspective.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate familiarity with the various ways in which the environmental crisis is affecting global Muslims (at the environmental, socioeconomic and political levels), and how these are interrelated
- 2. Demonstrate conceptual awareness of key environmental notions/principles (ethical, juridical, practical) from the Islamic tradition
- 3. Demonstrate knowledge of ongoing Muslim greening processes (environmentally-focused discourses, trends, initiatives, actors, etc.); and an understanding of how these relate to each other, and to broader contexts
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Find, employ and analyse reliable (primary and secondary) data and sources from the multiple disciplines engaged through the module, which are relevant to specific issue areas
- 5. Develop critical arguments by applying concepts/theories/analytical approaches from different disciplines
- 6. Demonstrate familiarity with a multidisciplinary approach to key themes and issues related to Islam, Muslims and the environment
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Conduct independent work/research
- 8. Find, synthesise and analyse information from a wide range of sources and disciplinary perspectives
- 9. Demonstrate analytical writing skills, including reasoned, coherent and supported argumentation
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Today’s ecological and climate crisis (1) - Impacts on natural systems in the Muslim world
- Today’s ecological and climate crisis (2) - Impacts on human systems in the Muslim world
- Approaching the field (1) - The role of social sciences and humanities in the environmental crisis
- Approaching the field (2) – The construction of ‘Islam and the environment’ and of Muslim/’Islamicised’ environmentalisms: epistemologies, actors, strategies
- Islam and the environment (1) - The environment and the human-environment relationship in Islam’s primary sources
- Islam and the environment (2) - Islamic ‘environmental law’: preservation, use and conservation of natural resources (and animals)
- Muslims and the environment (1) – Contemporary global attitudes and trends
- Muslims and the environment (2) – Varieties of ‘Muslim environmentalisms’
- Muslims and the environment (3) – Key initiatives and organisations
- Muslims and the environment (4) – Religious authorities and institutions: ‘Green Shaykhs’, ‘Green Fatwas’, ‘Green Mosques’
- Muslims and the environment (5) – Environmental sustainability in the Muslim world: past and present
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 44 | Reading for seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 84 | Completion of coursework |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group discussion of reading assignments, arguments presented by the lecturer, peer presentations | Weekly, 10 minutes | 1-8 | Oral feedback |
| Individual student presentation | Weekly, 10 minutes each (depending on the size of the class) | 1-8 | Oral feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | 40 | 2,000 words | 1-9 | Written feedback |
| Essay 2 | 60 | 2,000 words | 1-9 | Written feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Abdul-Matin, Ibrahim. Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010
Ahmad, Akhtaruddin. Islam and the Environmental Crisis. London: Ta-Ha Publishers, 1998.
Albrecht, Jamie. Muslim American Environmentalism: An Emerging Environmental Movement in America and its Implications. Lambert Academic Publishing, 2011
Cahan, Jean. Water Security in the Middle East: Essays in Scientific and Social Cooperation. Anthem Press India, 2017
Davis, Diana, and Edmund Burke, eds. Environmental Imaginaries of the Middle East and North Africa. Ohio University Press, 2011
Faruqui, Naser, Asit Biswas, and Murad Bino, eds. Water Management in Islam. Tokyo, Japan: United Nations University Press, 2001
Foltz, Richard C., Azizan Baharuddin, and Frederick M. Denny, eds. Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust. Cambridge, Mass.: Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School, 2003
Foltz, Richard. ed. Environmentalism in the Muslim World. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2005
Gade, Anna M. Muslim Environmentalisms: Religious and Social Foundations. New York: Columbia University Press, 2019
Haleem, Harfiya Abdel, ed. Islam and the Environment. London: Ta-Ha Publishers, 1998.
Hancock, Rosemary. Islamic environmentalism: activism in the United States and Great Britain. Abingdon: Routledge, 2018
Husaini, S. Waqar Ahmad. Islamic Environmental Systems Engineering. London: Macmillan, 1980
Izzi Dien, Mawil. The Environmental Dimensions of Islam. Cambridge: Lutterworth, 2000
Allan, John Anthony and Chibli Mallat. Water in the Middle East: legal, political and commercial implications. London: Tauris Academic Studies, 1996
Khalid, Fazlun, and Joanne O’Brien, eds. Islam and Ecology. New York: Cassell, 1992
Khalid, Fazlun. Signs on the Earth: Islam, Modernity and the Climate Crisis. Markfield: Kube Publishing, 2019
Masri, Al-Hafiz. Animal Welfare in Islam. Markfield: Islamic Foundation, 2007
Mikhail, Alan, ed. Water on sand: environmental histories of the Middle East and North Africa. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013
Verhoeven, Harry, ed. Environmental politics in the Middle East: local struggles, global connections. London: C. Hurst. 2018
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
https://muslimheritage.com/category/environment/
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 26/02/2020 |
| Last revision date | 14/09/2020 |
