University of Heidelberg

C9 Global Muslim Responsibility

Global Muslim Responsibility: The Formation of Islamic Environmentalism

Coordination: Udo Simon

Abstract

This project examines the emergence of Islamic approaches to environmental protection and the ways in which these are conceptualized and translated into practice. The project seeks to map the overlapping flows and backflows of environmental concepts and investigates in what ways they reflect the agendas of global and local actors in the Middle East and Europe. Up to the 1990s Middle Eastern environmentalism was informed by secular western ideas. Today, the number of Islamic NGOs is increasing. In the context of reflexive modernity, the re-appropriation of Islamic heritage responds to both the pressing need to solve the environmental problems, and a recognized asymmetry in view of the West’s conceptual leadership in this field. At the same time, Muslim diaspora groups increasingly gain influence on the debate over Islam as a foundation for environmental protection.