Bridging the Gap: A New Islamic Sustainable Development Model

This paper critiques the sustainable development concept and tries to tackle its limitations by defining a new model specific to the challenges and norms of the WANA region. It is argued that the forces likely to mobilise the citizens of the region and leverage the required political commitment might be found in the Islamic tradition. It concludes that maqasid al Shari’a (the objectives of Islamic law) provides a platform for a new regional definition of sustainable development.