Islamic+Government

__**By John Borelli**__ =__**EGYPT**__= Following the departure of president Hosni Mubarak Egypt is in a state of unrest and people wonder and worry what type of government will emerge. However those fears may be groundless because most egyptians are religiously conservative and have no interest in creating a theocracy. A theocacy is when god is recognized as the supreme power in government. Mubarak was in power for nearly thirty years until he finally stepped down, he along with his two sons Alaa and Gamal stood trial May 24th 2011 for the deaths of anti government protesters, Mubarak now lives in exile.Egypt is currently trying to create a more democratic state one where someone like Mubarak would never be in power. Egypt is currently using a different set of laws to run the country, it is a combination of the Sharia and civil code. (above: Hosni Mubarak, below: protest against him) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgTsASj2agc (riots in Egypt)

**__SHARIA__**
Sharia means "path to water" and it influences lagal codes in most Islamic countries, some Islamic countries follow it to the extreme (like Afghanistan under the Taliban's rule) while other countries (like Egypt) follow it loosely. The Sharia is derived from four main sources the Quaran (Islam's holy book), the Hadith (record of Muhammad's actions and sayings), the Ijma (consensus of muslim scholars), and the qiyas (reasoning that uses analogies to apply Islam to situations not covered in the Quaran). The Sharia governs all aspects of life, however there is five major interpretations of it. Five schools developed after Muhammad's and each interpret the Sharia differently. The schools are Hanafi doctrine, Maliki doctrine, Shafii doctrine, Hanbali doctrine and the Shiite Jafari school (only one of the five that is shiite).

__ISLAM POLITICAL SYSTEM__
The Islamic poltical system is based on three principals Tawhid, Risalat and Caliphate. First the Tawhid (unity of Allah), simply means no one is above Allah so those in power only have that power because Allah permits them, but they are the only one responsible for their actions. Second the Risalat (prophethood) is another term for Sharia. Thirdly the Caliphate (vicegerency) is the "representation" of Allah on earth. The Caliphate is the equivalant to a president or prime minister, all that is required to be a Caliphate is an understanding of Islam and a large group of supporters. The Caliphate is advised by a shura which is a council elected by the people. Muslim states are required to base its politics on justice and truth. (above: government structure)

**__AFGHANISTAN'S GOVERNMENT AND THE TALIBAN__**
toc The Afghan government from 1996 to 2001 was ruled by the Taliban, an Islamic extremist regime that oppressed the people with psychotic laws. For instance if a woman was outside her home accompanied by a man not related to her she'd be stoned to death. Even though they are no longer in power they still terrorize Afghanistan (as well as other countries) with suicide bombers, car bombs and other forms violence. September 20th 2011, high ranking Pakistani official Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed in his home by a Taliban suicide bomber posing as a peace emissary from the Taliban. Recently Afghanistan has tried to negotiate peace with, but the Taliban has declined. Information gathered from imprisoned Taliban soldiers suggest that they're confident they'll take over Afghanistan as soon as international troops leave. The Taliban has been having preliminary talks with the US, but there is no telling where that'll lead.

(above: Taliban soldiers)

Works Cited //680news//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2012. . //BBC//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. . //islam101.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. . “Islam and politics in Egypt.” //cfr.org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2012. . //radical islam .org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2012. .