Can Religion be used to create Ecological Awareness? The case of Islam

Abstract

Religion being a comprehensive body of knowledge couldn’t be neglected on the topic of ecology. Many researchers have explored ecological teachings of religion. One dimension which has not been explored is the possibility of using religion to create awareness about ecology. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap by presenting the case of Islam. Two main areas were looked into, first, support for ecological concern in the authentic sources of knowledge in Islam which are Quran and teachings (Hadith) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), second, channels of communication to spread the message of ecology in a religious perspective. Islam has enough support for ecology, based on Quran and Hadith. In general people in Muslim countries take religion as an important aspect of their lives, which is a strong confirmation to building a case of Ecological perspective of Islam, in addition to that traditional and modern modes of communication are quite active to spread the message, such as speeches and sermons in mosque, TV Channels, Radio station, and Internet all could be leveraged to create ecological awareness.

Keywords: Religion, Islam, Ecology, Awareness