Running a country (well) requires agile thinking based on real world facts.
*No* religion fits that bill as they are based around power and dogma.
The history of religion and governance shows that only secular systems actually work. God helps those who help themselves...secularity is the process of helping oneself via real facts, real skills and real knowledge. God's Truth is, by definition, available to everyone...which is why the exclusionary dogma based on ancient manuscripts is unlikely to be helpful (or true).
It appears most moderate followers of Islam have come to the same conclusion that the secular west used to. Only now are some ignorant folks returning to the "if only religions ran things" mentality. We have a minor renaissance in anti-truth in the form of anti-evolution, anti-climate science and pro-dogma...which Asian countries are cashing in on as the West suffers declines in maths, science and manufacturing. Part of the rise and fall of civilisations I guess.

Naser Ghobadzadeh

Thanks for your clear exposition of the state of Islam in the world and within the Islamic States; clear and chilling.

“Islam is the solution”, Christianity is the solution”, “Buddhism is the solution”…are the refrains heard while the planet hopelessly sinks under the weight of an overgrowing humanity.

“Beware of servants”! I was told in my childhood and sometime later “Beware of Prophets”!.

On the light of these two warnings I can only see ‘political Ideologies’ and ‘religious policies’ combining in the quest for the control of humanity.

To paraphrase Kipling;

If Man can meet with Prophet and Politician and treat those two impostors just the same, he will have a chance of a longer life on the only planet that can support his existence.

Ouch!

>>To paraphrase Kipling; If Man can meet with Prophet and Politician and treat those two impostors just the same, he will have a chance of a longer life on the only planet that can support his existence<<

That whirring noise is Kipling revolving in his grave, skeptic.

Neat article.

Thoroughly disappointing, though, for those who get a kick from spreading fear and loathing amongst their fellow-countrymen, with the bogey-man "beware the coming Islamic Caliphate!" as their rallying cry.

Running a country ,
Ozandy,
Is there actually a country that is indeed being run ? The evidence suggests a mere stumbling from day to day & hoping for the best. The really hopeless ones just have riot after riot. Singapore is about the only one that is being run.

>>There is no evidence that the majority of muslims in the middle east want an Islamic state, not even the Muslim Brotherhood.>>

I know a number of Iranians.

Guess what?

Most of them did not want an Islamic state back in 1979 either. At least not in the form they got it which is a theocratic dictatorship.

Most Germans back in 1933 did not want World War 2.

And I doubt whether in 1917 most Russians wanted a Bolshevik dictatorship either.

When societies under stress experience sudden change it's hard to know how things will turn out; but often things get worse, sometimes a lot worse, before they get better.