Transformative Islamic Ecology - Beliefs and Practices of Muslims for Sustainable Agriculture and Permaculture

Abstract: A growing number of environmental movements recognize the need for changing our spiritual approach to the environment, while we simultaneously witness a revival and development of ecotheologies and religiously motivated environmental initiatives. Islamic theological discourse on ecological issues is quite well studied, but less attention has been directed to how Islamic ecology has been translated into activism and practical ecology. Which Islamic beliefs and practices do Muslim environmental activists view as important in their work for the advancement of sustainable agriculture and permaculture? Based on interviews with seven Muslims involved in either agroecology or permaculture this study looks into religious beliefs motivating their activism and how they vision the future of a social movement of transformative Islamic ecology, which is how I term their type of environmental activism. In my results I discuss some of the main topics which emerged during the interviews, but these themes were not relevant for all informants, and should be understood as examples and not generalizations. The main themes I focus on can be divided into three dimensions: a) spiritually connecting to nature trough contemplation, b) stewardship (khalīfa) as a commitment to learning and recognizing a diversity of knowledges, and c) staging change and striving to create systems free of corruption based on sustainable agriculture, permaculture, an interest-free economy and a diverse civil society.