Islamic Environmental Ethics Presentation - 30June2024 

The enormity of the environmental crisis represents one of the most significant challenges facing humanity. In the current debates, amongst academics and religious scholars, there is a growing realisation that the roots of the crisis are also both metaphysical and philosophical in nature, ultimately reflecting on our spiritual crisis. This view is now starting to align itself to some of the very early Christian and Muslim writers, such as the writings of Thomas Berry, Aldous Huxley and Syed Nasr Hussain. Berry, who advocated for a re-clarification of the relationship of the world’s religion with the natural world, realised that the state of the religious traditions and educational institutions were not sufficient to deal with the growing threats from the environmental crisis. Recent debates have thus helped to stimulate the current ‘Green Revolution’ that is taking place amongst many of the world’s religions in a unified and collaborative approach. In this light Islamic Environmental Ethics is becoming a growing academic discipline within UK and world universities exploring the environment themes contained within the Qur’an and traditions of the faith. This presentation provides an overview of the environmental crisis will show how each of the main 5-Pillars of the Islamic faith are inherently and inseparably connected with the natural world. The presentation will also show how UK engineering and scientific communities are looking at nature for inspiration in developing new technology and sustainable development. Developing scientists, engineers and mathematicians with the highest ethical and moral standards to effect change are also at the heart of some of the works being promoted by UK institutions, a vision that also lies at the heart of the Islamic faith.