When Environmental Protection and Human Rights Collide: The Politics of Conflict Management by Regional Courts, by Marie-Catherine Petersmann Cambridge University Press, 2022, 316 pp, £85 hb, £80.75 ebk ISBN 9781316515808 hb, 9781009026659 ebk

Abstract

believers may push back against the idea of giving more space to religion in the public sphere/legal system and seek to uphold a divide between the state and religion. Idllalène notes that some secular actors may be particularly reluctant to engage with or endorse religious views on the environment given more controversial aspects of Islamic law and a perceived link with terrorism (pp. 138–9). Given the multiple environmental crises facing the planet, a diversity of tools and norms are needed to redress the situation. While certainly not a silver bullet, Islamic law has much to say about the relationship between humans and the environment, and offers significant untapped ecological potential in creating and enforcing norms (p. 144). Despite this, ‘Eco-Islam is still in its infancy’ (p. 11) and much more needs to be done ‘to explore and systematize this potential’ (p. 144). For example, Muslim jurists and scholars (like other lawyers and judges) need better education regarding climate science in order to interpret and apply Islamic law to contemporary environmental settings. Further cross-pollination between sacred and secular knowledge needs to occur. Partnerships need to be strengthened between governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, lawyers, conservation groups, and religious groups. All this needs to be done urgently, as time is not on our side.