Islamic Government and States - Coursework Example

Islamic Government and s Different religions exist in the world today, and one the largest is the Islamic religion. There are various methods that people can use religion as a means of coming together, sharing beliefs, norms and customs without judging each other. Islam has a following of about 1.6 billion across the world with different countries having different numbers in their midst. Those following the religion are called Muslims, and the name defines all those who consider the Quran as the verbatim of Allah - God who revealed it to Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad recorded these revelations in the Hadith and spread it to the rest of the world through Islam converts. This has led to the growth of the Islamic religion across the world and being one of the most vocal in various parts of the world. Some of the conservative adherents of the Islamic religion also insist on having a strong Islamic government that follows Sharia law as dictated by Prophet Muhammad according to the Quran. If such calls are successful, they form Islamic states. Research aims The objective of this report is to: 1. Come up with a definition of an Islamic state 2. Identify the main aspects of an Islamic government 3. Identify the main political aspects of Islamic governments 4. Identify the modern attributes inculcated into Islamic states and governments 5. Explain the different issues affecting the Islamic states in secular countries and how they deal with such issues Scope The report will examine Islamic states in various categories as well as examine their originality. Most of the states present today do not mirror the traditional forms of governance as those present in the caliphates. They have integrated various aspects that make it one of the most important in meeting the main demands of the society while also working towards the civilisation of their states given the current trends in the world. Islamic state An Islamic state is one that adheres to the primary laws and objectives as defined under the Sharia law. The Sharia law has been in existence since the time Muhammad existed, passing it on to other adherents who are expected to deal with it in accordance with the Quran (Naim 2008: 21). This would then ensure that the dispensation of justice took place, allowing the government of the time, under the Caliphate, to maintain law and order. However, the way these Islamic states are created has moved away considerably from the caliph-led governments that were common amongst the first rulers under the Islamic laws. The 20th century saw many changes in these governments as the new governments that shied away from monarchies and imperial despotisms to incorporate modern legal institutions and systems (Feldman 2008: 123). They have increased the use of elections as a means of passing power from one generation to the next as well as the use of parliamentary systems to ensure equitable representation across the state. The presence of judicial reviews has seen the increase in the use of Islamic rules and regulations as a means of maintaining law and order. Some of the sentences have drawn widespread criticism owing to the harshness involved, but these countries continue to make use of their laws to maintain peace and civility (Commins 2009: 133). Initially, the early Islamic states were under a caliphate system that was favoured by Prophet Muhammad in the early years of establishing the Islamic religion (Baer 2008: 156). The constitution that guided the caliphates was that of Medina which aimed at bringing together the warring groups in that region. They would then form one community allowed them to exercise freedom of religious beliefs. The main idea was to have peaceful coexistence with the rest of the society while making better choices when it came to the practices and beliefs of each religion (Baer 2008: 158). These religions included Islam, Jewish, Pagan, and various Muslim groups. Different caliphates made it their duty to see the Arabian empire spread in the Middle East, leading to the consolidation of power in these areas under caliphs (Gerges 2009: 33). Islamic government The essence of having an Islamic government at the time was to continue propagating the Islamic laws amongst the subjects. This meant having different meetings and consultations that would ensure the following and adherence of Islamic teachings across the empire. It also involved the consultations that would follow the Quran and Sunnah as a way of meeting the main ideals of the Islamic religion (Wright 2007: 99). Those elected to represent the people would also elect a leader to head these meetings as they discussed their issues based on the fairness expounded by the Quran. The idea was to ensure that the voices of all were heard before any decision was made (Raja 2010: 309). However, most of the noise regarding the use of Islamic state in political theory only became a serious issue in the 20th century. Most of the scholars before just referred to the caliphate of the Islamic governments rather than specific use of the term Islamic state. The notion was that most people were content with the term Islamic governments because they could not consider their states Christian states due to the increased calls by many of the political elite to differentiate and separate church from state (Ayoob 2007: 117). The main idea is that the Islamic movement would only be possible if the scholars would agree upon themselves to create principles that could be sold out as Islamic opinions in regard to the democratic and socialist government and notions spread across the world (Hashami 2012: 108). The main idea was to provide the world with an Islamic political system that would be a third option for many who did not like the idea of free markets and socialist interventions. This was however only possible amongst those countries that sought to adhere to Islamic religion (Raja 2009: 312). Others would only have an alternative form of government that would then see them offer Muslims an opportunity to enjoy the freedom of worship and association within the larger political system in place. Modern Islamic states One huge change that took place by the turn of the 20th century was the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate (Deringil 2007: 710). This was one of the largest in the world consisting of Islamic political aspects. Its abolition led to a new mode of political adherence that would then create new modernistic states that would still embrace some of the Islamic teachings and actions that were present before (Feldman 2008: 145). The aim was to continually resist the western imperialism by coming together and enforcing their rules and regulations, which would be completely different to those in western countries. These Islamic states have incorporated Islamic law into the legal systems whether in whole or partially (Ayoob 2007: 129). The aim is to have the civilisation that has caught with the age-old regulations match up to the current systems in the world that enhance accountability and transparency in the country (DeLong-Bas 2010: 216). However, some have refrained from having the Islamic law practiced in their courts because they understand that new changes in the world governing bodies such as the UN and the Human rights groups such as transparency international would cause much damage to their reputation in case of unfair rulings (Krifkovic 2006: 127). Those countries without Islamic monarchies refer to themselves as Islamic republics (Feldman 2008: 205). These include Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. These countries follow the main Islamic teachings but abstain from making reference to the Sharia law in the judicial system. Partially, such laws find themselves being quoted or used, but the countries try as much as possible to refrain from making use of them hugely (Dalin & Rothmann 2008: 39). Scholars opine that the growing need for a successful Islamic state was one of the main reasons that would see them grow their economies and enhance their civilisations without any western influence (Phillips 2006: 111). The idea was to create new platforms that would pre-empt the growth of the economy as it did under the Sharia law in the ancient caliphate systems, making them the ideal model for an Islamic state. The idea is to influence Muslim societies across the world to attach themselves to what makes them adhere to the Quran as opposed to the teachings of western colonialists (Inalcik 2013: 15). Several resistance groups came up after the Ottoman Empire was dissolved by the founder of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal (Deringil 2007: 710). The notion was that Islamic power and religion were under threat, hence concerns over how to reinstate their power and authority in these areas. This saw groups such as Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt created to resist the western control and entrench Arab nationalism (Hedayetullah 2006: 321). This nationalistic view shows that Muslims should glorify that which they consider as their own and be proud of it always. They should be ready to support and defend Islamic values no matter what this costs them (Kohn 2007: 4). Defending Islamic values has become one of the religious duties of a Muslim. The society understands that the Islamic state will only thrive if everyone stands behind the leaders of the Islamic states. Some of the people prefer to engage in jihads as a way of maintaining the level of Islamic growth as needed by the Sharia laws (Lloyd 2007: 151). Some have engaged in violent activities all in the name of sacrificing themselves for the sake of Islam. This has made more people refer to Muslims as violent and Islam as a violent religion (Inalcik 2013: 74). However, jihad is contrary to what many consider it to be. It means commitment to the religion and a struggle one has to go through for them to be closer to the Most High as noted in the Holy Book. It implies preaching peace and cooperation as people assist others in their midst. It implies living within the principles of Islam (Tausch 2009a: 101). This has made it difficult to change because most of the Islamic militant groups use the same word to inculcate fear in the other religions because they all think that Islam is about death and violence (Kohn 2007: 13). One thing that the Islamic states have held on to is the ability to come to consensus on various issues affecting the nations as a whole. In countries such as Iran, the Ayatollah is responsible for offering the religious view of whatever decisions are made by the political system (Ashgar 2006: 228). The political systems also have to respect the religious outcomes that define the stand of the religious leaders in the country. As such, Islamic states still value the input that religion has on the country and the running of the government (Turner 2006: 458). Secularism Secularism is in two folds amongst countries that have Islamic governments compared to those with Muslim majorities but not necessarily in Islamic states. The society understands that living together allows the people to make better utility of the diversity in the midst of all people. These attributes make cohesion possible (Ashgar 2006: 238). However, some of the intellectuals feel that secularism should be condemned and those who do not adhere to Islamic values killed. These are sentiments that many militants share and seek to make use of in their fight for Islamic states or those that adhere to Sharia law. The aim is to have a country that explicitly recognises Sharia as the only way of living an honest life. This means that the rest should be non-existent or should live elsewhere to avoid contaminating them (Morgan 2010: 149; Tausch 2009b:166). However, not all condemn secularism, provided it does not interfere with their freedoms and liberties. In essence, the idea is to co-exist with others despite having any notions of single religions in their states. The aim is to come up with states that respect the rule of law and which are fair to all others, granting them their rights, liberties and freedoms as expected (Commins 2009: 118). Conclusion The search about Islamic states and governments is overwhelming owing to the issues that each scholar concentrates on. Most of the Islamic scholars do not have the same kind of exposure as others, but within Islamic states, they are celebrated. The society should realise that all religions need to coexist, and the constitution of Medina was conclusive enough to provide the present religions a chance to live in the city without conflicts. This is a perfect way of understanding what Islamic states and governments are all about wherever they exist. References Ashgar, A. (2006) The State in Islam: nature and the scope, Upper Saddle: Pinnacle Technology. Ayoob, M. (2007) The many faces of political Islam: religion and politics in the Muslim World, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. Baer, M.D. (2008) Honored by the glory of Islam: conversion and conquest in Ottoman Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Commins, D. (2009) The Wahhabi mission and Saudi Arabia, Princeton, NJ: I.B.Tauris. Dalin, D.G. & Rothmann, J.F. (2008) Icon of Evil: Hitlers mufti and the rise of radical Islam, New York: Random House. DeLong-Bas, N. (2010) Jihad: Oxford bibliographies online research guide, Oxford: Oxford University Press Deringil, S. (2007) "The Turks and Europe: The Argument from History", Middle Eastern Studies, vol. 43, no.5, pp.709–723. Feldman, N. (2008) Fall and rise of the Islamic State, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Gerges, F.A. (2009) The far enemy: why Jihad went global, New York: Cambridge University Press. Hashami, S.H. (2012) Just wars, Holy wars, and jihads: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim encounters and exchanges, Oxford: Oxford University Press Hedayetullah, M. (2006) Dynamics of Islam: an exposition, New York: Trafford Publishing. Inalcik, H. (2013) The Ottoman Empire: 1300–1600, Hachette UK: McGrawHill Kohn, G.C. (2007) Dictionary of wars, New York: Infobase Publishing. Krifkovic, S. (2006) Defeating Jihad, Boston, MA: Regina Orthodox Press Lloyd, S.L. (2007) Holy War, just war: exploring the moral meaning of religious violence, London: Rowman& Littlefield. Morgan, D. (2010) Essential Islam: a comprehensive guide to belief and practice, Washington, D.C.: ABC-CLIO. Naim, A.A. (2008) Islam and the secular state: negotiating the future of Shariʻa, Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Phillips, M. (2006) Londonistan: how Britain is creating a terror state within, London: Encounter books. Raja, M.A. (2009) "Jihad in Islam: Colonial Encounter, the Neoliberal Order, and the Muslim Subject of Resistance", The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences vol. 26 no.4, pp.25-30 Raja, M.A. (2010) "Muslim Modernity: Poetics, Politics, and Metaphysics.” Muslim societies and the challenge of secularisation: an interdisciplinary approach. Gabriele Marranci. Ed. Aberdeen: Springer Tausch, A. (2009a) Muslim Calvinism (1st ed.), Amsterdam: Rozenberg Publishers. Tausch, A. (2009b) What 1.3 Billion Muslims really think: an answer to a recent Gallup Study, based on the "World Values Survey”, New York: Nova Science Publishers. Turner, C. (2006) Islam: the basics, London: Routledge (UK). Wright, S. (2007) The United States and Persian Gulf Security: The Foundations of the War on Terror, New York: Ithaca Press. Read More