Islam and Sustainable Development ─ New Worldviews

Al-Jayyousi (vice president of science and research at Jordan's Royal Scientific Society) seeks to construct a paradigm for sustainability that is guided by Islamic principles of justice (adl), inner/outer beauty (ihsan), social capital (arham), and a society without corruption (fasad). He begins by critiquing the Western model of sustainability, arguing that it is missing cultural and spiritual components and mistakenly bases its economic pillar on growth and overconsumption. He then details his Islamic model, offering a chapter on each of the above-mentioned principles and how they should inform sustainability. Finally, he addresses education for sustainable development. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Odeh R. Al-Jayyousi is the Vice President, Science and Research, of Jordan's Royal Scientific Society. Prior to taking his current post, Professor Al-Jayyousi was the Regional Director at the West Asia/ Middle East Regional Office, of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He was awarded his Masters and then in 1993 his PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago, in Urban Planning and Public Policy Analysis. He taught for 10 years at the Applied Science University, Jordan, where he became Professor of Water Resources and Environment and Dean of Research. Professor Al-Jayyousi has worked in the US, at the City of Chicagoa€?s Department of Planning, and at the University of Illinoisa€? Center for Urban Economic Development. As a consultant, he has advised EU and UN agencies, the World Bank, and GTZ. He has published several scientific articles in international journals.