Revitalising an eco-justice ethic of Islam by way of environmental education : implications for Islamic education

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Despite the fact that Islam remains a powerful social force in the lives of many of itsadherents, contemporary scholars lament the silence of Muslims on theenvironmental question. However, closer scrutiny reveals a burgeoning greenmovement amongst Muslims the world over. While scholarly works initiallyelucidated the scriptural basis for Islamic ecological ethics (ecoethics), efforts arenow centred on translating the ecoethics of Islam into practice. The educationallandscape of Islam is frequently put forward as the primary arena for imparting itsecological teachings. This thesis examines the connections between Islam, ecologyand education, and investigates the revival of Islamic ecoethics by way ofenvironmental education in the educational landscape of Islam broadly, and themaktab in particular. The maktab, the foundational educational establishment inIslam, remains underutilised despite its important place in the educational life ofMuslims.A liberation ecotheology research framework was employed to display the richnessof traditional resources and institutions in meeting contemporary environmentalchallenges. Through a conceptual analysis of sacred texts, traditions andcontemporary thought on Islam, ecology and education, this thesis constructs aneco-justice ethic of Islam and draws out the pedagogical implications forimplementing this ecoethic. Content analysis, of environmental education activitiesin the broader educational landscape of Islam, provides insights into environmentalteaching and learning. Environmental education in the maktab, which plays apivotal role in imparting the elementary teachings and values of Islam, is broughtinto focus by way of a curriculum review which examines the environmentalelements encapsulated in two maktab curricula produced in South Africa.Implications for environmental teaching and learning in the maktab, are thenextracted.This thesis affirms the important position of religious thought as a determiner ofenvironmental action. It presents, from within a liberatory tradition of Islam, atheocentric eco-justice ethic which is based on the sovereignty of God, theresponsible trusteeship of humankind and the intrinsic value of Creation. It putsforward an activist, transformative approach to environmental education, premisedupon an integrated knowledge structure and educational objectives which requirereflective and critical engagement with all ecological knowledge, responsibleenvironmental action, and social transformation. And it proposes a transformativeapproach to environmental education to bring the liberatory intent of the Islamicenvironmental tradition into focus, both in the broader educational landscape ofIslam, as well as the maktab.Muslims own a fair share of the global concern around the earth's health and wellbeing.To varying degrees, they continue to draw upon religious teachings to shapetheir values, beliefs and attitudes towards life - including the environment.Revitalizing ecological ethics in the educational establishment of Islam provides animpetus to not only uncover Islam's environmental tradition, but to affect Muslimawareness and action on the ecological question.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University