Environmental health : an Islamic perspective

Discusses the ways in which Islamic teachings and the views of Muslim physicians and scholars can be used to identify specific actions to protect the environment and thus promote human health. Teachings underscoring the links between health and the environment are also reviewed and interpreted. The opening section stresses the need to maintain a balance between the environment's capacity to support life and human behaviours that create demands on the environment. Particular attention is given to the concept of environmental harmony and the need to preserve the environment's dynamic equilibrium. Section two looks at teachings that underscore the relationship between the physical environment and the maintenance of good health. Then the next section concentrates on specific abuses of the environment and their significance within the context of Islamic teachings. Problems cited include the excessive use of natural resources, industrial pollution of air and water, overcrowding, misuse of agricultural chemicals, and the production of hazardous wastes. The health effects of increasingly polluted air are described in detail. The final section cites religious teachings that offer guidance in ways to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.