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Abstract:
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This thesis project addresses Islamic water management by presenting case studies on regional water issues and analyzing the extent to which Muslim -majority states behave in a way consistent with Islamic shariah law . The case studies presented in this thesis address both international cooperation related to the management of trans -boundary water basins (the Nile and Tigris -Euphrates River Basins ) and domestic water management strategies employed by Muslim -majority states in the MENA region (Jordan and Yemen ) . In each case , it is not clear that there is consistency between the Islamic ideals discussed by academics and the actual techniques employed by various states . In international attempts at managing the shared waters of the Nile and Tigris -Euphrates Basins , the fact that many riparian states have Muslim -majority populations does not appear to make the management of trans -boundary resources any easier or more successful . The implications for Islamic water management at the domestic level is also unclear – with shariah playing a positive role in Jordanian attempts at water conservation but promoting the over -exploitation of resources in Yemen . Although shariah appears to play a limited role in the management of trans -boundary water resources , it seems to be better suited for informing how states internally manage their endowments of freshwater resources . |