Dignity, dominion and development. An islamic approach to sustainable development

Abstract or Introduction

This paper seeks to examine the concept of inherent dignity of man in relation to the traditional paradigm of human dominion over the creation and its impact on sustainable development.

The first part of the paper deals with the concept of inherent dignity in international and regional human rights instruments. In the second part of the paper, I shall discuss the concept of dignifying all other creature as an alternative paradigm to protect the environment. And the third part shall focus on the concept of human dignity and human dominion over all other creation in the light of the Holy Quran and other sources of Islamic jurisprudence. Finally, the paper concludes that human dignity is a foundational notion that can theoretically contribute to the justification of human rights and it is not in contradiction with other religious instructions that define Man's relationship with God's creation. However, ecotheology is only one factor among many other elements that should contribute to the study of the contemporary ecological crisis.