Book Review, 113 The Environmental Dimensions of Islam Mawil Izzi Dien Cambridge: The Luttenvorth Press, 2000. 190 pages. Dr. Mawil Izzi Dien, Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, has been writing about Islam and environmental issues for almost two decades. The Environmental Dimensions of Islam is a summary of his previous writings presented together with new additions. Izzi Dien is one of the most prominent scholars in the new discourse of Islamic ecotheology, although he himself seldom refers to other Muslim scholars in this field, which somehow gives the wrong impression that he is the only one among Muslims dealing with environmental issues. After a short introductory chapter, Izzi Dien discusses in chapter 2 "The Environment and Its Components in Islam." This chapter gives an informative introduction to Qur'anic terminology on various environmen­ tal components and their status in Islam, such as water, earth, living organ­ isms, diversity and biogeological cycles. This Qur'anic terminology is further developed in chapter 3, deaLing with theology pertaining to the environment. This chapter deals with issues such as the question of creation and the unseen and the Divine origin of everything: constancy, comprehensiveness, balance, and universal laws in nature as the Creation. I sympathize with much of the argument presented regarding the role of human beings in Creation, i.e., their trusteeship, part­ nership and responsibility. This chapter would have been strengthened by a discussion of the accusations from the environmental movement that the monotheistic religions represent an anthropocentric, and thus problematic, view of nature. For instance, the idea expressed in the Qur'an that God made nature subservient �·akhkhara) to human beings may be criticized (see Qur'anic verses 2:29; 45:12-13; and 14:33-34), but the author chooses not to discuss this concept at all or to refer to other scholars' criticisms. Another problem is his unusual definition of positivism, a philosophy held accountable for promoting a hegemonic position of science associated with a problematic view of nature. He sees positivism as something that Islam promotes, as in his view, it implies that human beings "are an active, positive force placed on this earth to construct, improve, and reform it." ln the Qur'an we read about examples of how people who destroyed their own habitat were punished by God in the form of ecocatastrophes. 116 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 19:2 not, as far as .I know, been negotiated among Muslims, nor signed or rati­ fied by Muslim states. Both the WCN and the IPCNE reveal the paradox in environmental protection: any formulation must be vague and general in order to be accepted by the majority, but statements that are not specified and exact are useless in practical environmental work. Further, the author demonstrates again that he is unaware of the critical debate that followed the Rio meeting in 1992. Izzi Dien accepts uncritically, for instance, the concept "sustainable development," and is apparently not aware of debates classifying the term as an oxymoron (i.e., development and sustainability as a contradiction in terms). The last chapter is a conclusion based on a list of 12 Islamic environ­ mental principles and is basically a summary of the arguments presented in the book. r have no objections to these conclusions in general, but the book leaves me with the feeling that there are more controversial issues left to be explored on the subject oflslam and the environment. Muslims must realize that we are facing some really difficult questions in this field and scholars must show their responsibility in this issue. Izzi Dien's book is a welcome and appreciated contribution in line with these efforts in spite of its short­ comings discussed in this review. In addition, this book gives a valuable glossary of Arabic terms related to the environment. Soumaya Pernilla Ouis Human Ecology Division Lund University Lund, Sweden