Volume I: Eco-Theology, Spirituality, and Environmental Ethics

Educating for Islamic Eco-Theology and Muslim Women’s Environmental Leadership for Environmental Sustainability

  • Erni Haryanti UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia

Keywords

environmental education; Islamic eco-theology; gender issues; muslim women environmental leadership; environmental sustainability.

Abstract

This study aims to examine how Islamic eco-theology and Muslim women’s environmental leadership, developed through educational processes, can contribute to the promotion of environmental sustainability. Given that the intersection of environmental education, Islamic eco-theology, and women’s environmental leadership remains a relatively recent area of inquiry, the study employs a library-based research design informed by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). CDA is adopted on the premise that environmental sustainability, religious education, and gender relations are not neutral social phenomena but are discursively constructed through language, power relations, ideological assumptions, and institutional practices. The findings indicate that Islamic environmental ethics—embodied in the principles of tawḥīd (unity), khilāfah (stewardship), amānah (trust), mīzān (balance), and iṣlāḥ (restoration)—provide important moral and theological resources for addressing ecological crises within Muslim societies. Through Islamic eco-theological education, Muslim communities acquire not only environmental knowledge and ecological awareness but also develop sustainable patterns of behavior and a heightened sense of responsibility toward nature. Furthermore, Muslim women who are empowered through environmental education are better positioned to exercise environmental leadership, contribute to positive ecological outcomes, and act as agents of ecological transformation. Accordingly, the study underscores the strategic role of Islamic eco-theological education and Muslim women’s leadership in fostering.

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