The Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) leads the reform and renewal of contemporary Islamic legal and ethical thought and behavior by contributing a sustainable ethical framework for addressing contemporary global challenges. CILE’s initiative is maintained by the production, dissemination and application of Islamic ethical thought and behavior. This is achieved by engaging scholars of text and scholars of context to bring about a transformative ethical school of thought.
Overview:
Islamic scriptural sources (the Qur’an and Prophetic tradition) abound with references and reminders about nature and all of creation. Because creation is a sign of the Creator, respecting and preserving it is not just altruistic but also an act of faith and worship.
The environment is an essential topic for Islamic applied ethics. In light of the contemporary environmental challenges (deforestation, global warming, how the use of technology and our lifestyles destroy nature and kill animals), we need to turn to the Islamic scriptural sources to derive an ethical framework to halt, if not to reverse, the destruction of our planet.
We recognise that this field cannot be tackled separately from economics and politics. Many environmental decisions by politicians and states today are based on economic interests and/or pressures. In the global south as much as in the industrialised countries of the north, these three fields must be considered together in order to acquire a better and more holistic understanding of the framework of Islamic environmental applied ethics.
This requires Muslim scholars of the text/Shari’a and experts in this field to work together on specific questions and create a framework for resolving the crisis we confront. Only then will Muslim scholars be able to produce effective and relevant legal opinions.
The following video is from the CILE Granada Summer School session on the Environment