Islamisches Rechtswesen und umweltökologische Nachhaltigkeit: Positionen zu einer islamisch geprägten Umweltethik

Abstract

In recent decades, questions of climate change and environmental problems have received increasing attention not only in Germany and Europe, but also globally. This has been accompanied by transnational and societal debates on environmental ethics. Such debates have also found their way into Muslim discourses. Since the 1960s, Muslim environmental activists, theologians, and scholars have addressed these issues from an Islamic ethical perspective. In doing so, they have referred to Islamic normative texts such as the Qur'an and the Sunnah (traditions of the Prophet) in order to identify points of reference and relevant concepts for environmental ethics. In this context, particular reference is made to classical concepts such as tawḥīd (the oneness of God and His creation), ḫilāfa (the vicegerency of man), and amāna (trust). These are supposed to serve as the religious basis for so-called eco-Islam. However, it is questionable whether these concepts, in their classical understanding, are applicable to contemporary non-religious discourses on ecological sustainability as well as to current discourses on ethics. Against this background, the present article explores more recent approaches to environmental ethics. It examines the extent to which approaches and concepts stemming from Islamic sources can be used as a basis for contemporary discourses on Islamic environmental ethics. The article follows a historical-critical approach and aims to provide insights for rethinking the question of Islamic environmental ethics.