The Sharia State

This book examines the Islamist concept of political order. Islamists themselves have given it the name: 'the Islamic state'. This order is based on a new interpretation of sharia. This concept has been elevated to a political agenda. The shariastate is analysed in the context of the 2011uprising, dubbed Arab Spring, against authoritarian regimes. The book challenges the unchecked assumption that the seizure by Islamists of leadership in the Arab Spring is a part of the democratization of the Middle East, and of a moderation of Islamism. This unchecked assumption presupposes the compatibility of the shariastate and democracy; the author shows why he believes this to be a fallacy.