Blue Economy Practices in Muslim-Majority Countries: Are They Sharia-Compliant?

The expansion of the Blue Economy in Muslim-majority countries has intensified debates over marine economic development, environmental sustainability, and Islamic economic principles, yet whether sustainable marine practices satisfy Sharia requirements remains insufficiently examined. This study investigates the alignment of Blue Economy practices with Sharia principles through a comparative analysis of coastal contexts in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed, integrating qualitative cross-case analysis with Delphi expert validation and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) weighting; 30 academic and professional experts evaluated 20 indicators across five Sharia-oriented dimensions. Delphi results demonstrated consensus on all indicators, with relevance medians of 3 to 4 and interquartile ranges not exceeding 1. Provisional AHP weights prioritized Economic and Transactional Legitimacy (21.88%), followed by Distributive Justice (19.92%), Environmental Stewardship (19.83%), Social Welfare (19.59%), and Participatory Accountability (18.79%), although 121 of 180 comparison matrices exceeded the conventional consistency threshold, limiting conclusiveness. Cross-country findings revealed ecological responsibility and community participation alongside socioeconomic and governance challenges, while insufficient transaction-level evidence prevented comprehensive determinations of Sharia compliance.