Daily Times

These are difficult times for Muslims. The murderous campaign launched by Daesh or Islamic State (IS) has intensified the friction between Muslims and the west. There is also trouble within Islam itself, the Shia-Sunni schism having widened due to the conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The Islamic ummah or nation that comprises a fifth of humanity is in trouble. In the incessant turmoil, it is not a radical idea for Muslims to dream of a reunified Islam. As such, a great many long for such unity in the form of a global Islamic caliphate.
Muslims see the sorry state of Muslim countries as symptomatic of the sorry state of Islam. The caliphate is being viewed as a panacea for the continuing instability, wars, poverty and dictatorships that plague the Muslim world. Many Muslims are eager to live under a caliphate, even if it is a mirage of one. Even ‘progressive’ Muslims, who find merit in democracy, denounce its implementation in the west. Their view is that western capitalism, secularism and materialism lack spiritual and ethical values. A caliphate is deemed more in line with the beliefs and values of Muslims. Past caliphates have been described by some historians as “leading the world in discovery, art and culture”. The last widely recognised caliphate — that of the Ottomans — was abolished over 90 years ago by Kemal Ataturk.
Traditionally, the caliphate is a distinguishing term for political ruler-ship in Islam. It signifies a system of governance that not only manages the civil and economic affairs of a people but also represents an ethical code the ruler adheres to, which is be based on Islam. In other words, it respects no borders. It is a religious and political state where sharia is practiced, ruled by a legitimate caliph. It is not a democracy; there is no need for a legislature since all the necessary laws are encompassed in sharia. There is need for a judiciary, staffed by clerics, to adjudicate sharia and an executive to enforce sharia. The reason all Muslims should live in a legitimate caliphate is to ensure salvation. Since following sharia leads to salvation, living in a state where it is enforced is required for religious purposes.
In June 2014, Daesh jumped onto the caliphate bandwagon, formally declaring the establishment of a ‘legitimate’ global, Islamic caliphate in the lands within their control and beyond. Muslim extremists have long dreamed of recreating the Islamic state, or caliphate, that ruled over the Middle East, North Africa and beyond in various forms over the course of Islam’s 1,400-year history. Daesh exploited the nostalgia of past caliphates in its declaration and dedicates a great deal of it to citations from various Muslim scholars and passages in the Quran to give religious legitimacy to their caliphate. But it all seems a cynical ploy to garner political legitimacy.
However, it is important to recognise that Daesh is not drawing religious rhetoric for a caliphate from a vacuum. In spite of the schisms between different Muslim sects today and throughout history, one issue Muslim scholars past and present have unanimously agreed upon is the necessity for political unity among Muslims. When it comes to the caliphate, Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), the Muslim historian and sociologist, said, “The purpose of the caliphate is the unity of Muslims and abandoning division.” Similarly, the poet, Allama Iqbal, called for a unified ummah and a caliphate that surpassed the idea of artificial boundaries.
It is easy to challenge the legitimacy of a future caliphate espoused by Daesh, as their concept of governance is barbaric and their positions on women and other faiths is reactionary and regressive. But is a legitimate caliphate, in which Muslims are apparently duty bound to live, the way forward for political, social and economic progress? Is a future caliphate guaranteed to be tolerant, progressive and democratic? Will a caliphate allow equal rights and freedom of expression and religious practice, support gender equality, believe in freedom of expression, a free media and elections, and accept the utility of secularisation? Will a future caliphate help reduce the growing civilisational divide in the world? Based on available evidence, the answer to the above questions is a resounding ‘no’.
Nostalgia apart, it seems that Muslim thought is on the wrong track in arguing in favour of a caliphate. The past caliphates were fine in their respective eras but their authoritarian and exclusive character appears out of place in modern times. At present, the necessary ingredients to build a just society, such as consultation, consensus and independent judgment are hard to find in Muslim countries. As the effort to create more effective democratic structures continues apace throughout the world, the challenge is to unite Islam and democracy. Hopefully, this will encourage more Muslims to join the mainstream of the global democracy movement. An effective case can be made on how liberal democracy, rather than a caliphate, is the way forward for the Muslim world. Evolving democracies in key Muslim states like Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia are good examples for the rest of the Islamic world. Arguably, a functioning democratic system is the best bulwark against extremism, sectarianism and anarchy.

The writer can be reached at shgcci@gmail.com