Sharia Oikonomia Law Journal
Vol. 3 No. 4 (2025)

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) CRITERIA IN SHARIA-COMPLIANT STOCK SCREENING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF GLOBAL ISLAMIC INDICES

Daniyar Satybaldy (Al-Farabi Kazakh National University)
Azamat Nazarov (Tashkent State Technical University)
Henrik Johansen (University of Oslo)
Aryo Prakoso (Universitas Jember)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Dec 2025

Abstract

The convergence of Islamic finance and sustainable investing presents a significant area of interest, driven by shared ethical principles. However, the extent to which Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria are formally integrated into sharia-compliant stock screening remains unclear across global indices. This study aims to comparatively analyze the methodologies of leading global Islamic stock indices to determine the scope and nature of ESG integration within their sharia screening frameworks. A qualitative comparative analysis was conducted on the methodology documents of major indices, including MSCI, FTSE, S&P, and Dow Jones Islamic Markets. The findings reveal significant heterogeneity. While all indices inherently cover certain social and governance aspects through traditional sharia screening (e.g., excluding sin stocks, debt limits), explicit and comprehensive ESG frameworks are not uniformly applied. Environmental criteria, in particular, are often not systematically integrated. The study concludes that while a natural alignment between sharia principles and ESG values exists, the formal integration of ESG criteria into global Islamic indices is still nascent and inconsistent. This highlights an opportunity to develop a more holistic screening framework that explicitly combines both ethical paradigms, enhancing the appeal of Islamic finance to sustainable investors.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

solj

Publisher

Subject

Description

The Sharia Oikonomia Law Journal explores various aspects of Sharia economic law and the evolving economic challenges. Its primary focus includes the impact of digital transformation on Islamic finance, such as fintech and blockchain, as well as the role of Sharia financial instruments (zakat, waqf, ...