Holistic healing and permaculture: Exploring the role of personal transformation and collective healing in contemporary Islamic permaculture initiatives

While there are numerous studies regarding the role of Muslims in the environmentalism movement as it globally continues to gain momentum, we've witnessed a development of transformative ecology in recent years that has resulted in practical activism through the emergence of Islamic permaculture initiatives in Muslim-majority societies. This study attempts to explore the motivations of 10 founders of permaculture initiatives that incorporate healing from Morocco, Turkey, Tanzania, Jordan, Indonesia, and Egypt. It seeks to understand the role of personal transformation on an individual level, and whether it is a pre-requisite to identifying a collective approach to heal their communities, society and ultimately the Earth. The analysis found that much of the framing around permaculture fits within commonly cited Islamic principles about the environment and an already existing framework of collective healing in Islam and thereby reflects an attempt to understand permaculture not just as an ecological trend but as an invitation to reflect on spiritual concerns and metaphysical issues. It concludes that further research conducted could lead to a larger uptake of permaculture and other sustainable solutions to the climate crisis within Muslim communities globally.