Islam

1. Statecraft and the unity of state and religion

In an Islamic state, Muslim people are required to abide by both state and religious laws. This is because the birth of Islam was brought about through Muhammad who was both a prophet (he said that he would be the last messenger of God) and a statesman. The holy scripture of Islam is called the Qur’an. (or Koran) Within this holy book is the word of God, rules, guidelines, and a doctrine of holy faith of how a person of the Muslim faith should ideally live their life. Since Islam is based on the unity of both state and religion, a Muslim person does not have to choose their allegiance to either one. Where as people of other faiths, for example Jehovah Witnesses, are forbidden to pledge allegiance to any state or flag. Also in an Islamic society where people of various religions including Muslim live, everyone is forced to pay taxes, one being the Zakat, which is a 2.5 percent charity tax. And finally as influenced by the Qur’an, a judge will base his case decisions fairly while dealing with issues regarding state and religion.

2. Absence of clergy

Muhammad viewed clergy as the parasites of society because they divided his people from god. There were many events that Muhammad endured and witnessed that influenced his beliefs which inevitably would shape the laws of Islam into what they are today. First and foremost, growing up in the city of Mecca, Muhammad dealt with many people (mostly Pagans) who scoffed at him and mocked his every word. It was a city of polytheism, and Muhammad, a young man hoping to spread the word of God, and the notion of there being only one supreme God, seemed ridiculous to many people living in Mecca (and other places where he preached) at the time. He was viewed as a threat, that would especially detriment the earnings of the clergymen who were make a living off believers who would pay for their services (according to them brought them “closer to God,” or “eliminated all of...