Abstract

This paper identifies and interrogates a novel theoretical lens to address environmental ‘crime’ understood as a ‘composite critical criminological’ approach (Quraishi, 2020:90) incorporating three main conceptual strands: 1)Evaluating pertinent scholarship under the umbrella of zemiology and its addressing of social harms and the holistic approach to crime (Tombs, 2018); 2)Ultra Realist (UR) scholarship, particularly the notion of ‘special privilege’ (Winlow & Hall, 2016; Boukli & Kotzé, 2018) and Islamic Critical Realism (ICR) (Wilkinson, 2015; 2019); 3)Eco-theology and collective stewardship, the relationships and duties between individuals, states and corporations and scholars to prevent environmental harm with specific attention to the Islamic theological concept of Khalifa and the broader lens of eco-theology (Haleem, 2001)

The discussion and analyses are presented via a case study of Malaysia which represents a nation in the Global South with a pluralistic legal system experiencing significant environmental degradation against ambitious policies to counter the same. The case study examines a range of environmental harms, including those from petrochemical production and conspicuous consumption, whilst also advocating for the serious utilisation of an active Malaysian Islamic jurisprudence. Having set out a conceptual stall, the paper links this to a suggested model for future empirical work in this field. The model seeks to identify how social harm caused by environmental ‘crime’ is understood and articulated by three groups (often with different vested interests) to identify priorities for collective environmental stewardship

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Keywords

Collective Stewardship, Zemiology, Ultra Realism, Islamic Critical Realism, Eco-Theology, Malaysia.