ABSTRACT
Many regimes in the Muslim Middle East are currently under pressure by Islamic forces to become Islamic. Only history will tell whether the present regimes will be able to withstand the forces of change and whether genuine Islamic systems are attainable in the contemporary conditions of Muslim societies. Underscoring the role of authority in the community, Islam has indeed provided instructions regarding the nature and characteristics of the Islamic system. The Islamic economic system also bears significant similarities with socialism and capitalism. The Islamic social system accepts the equality of believers regardless of their race and ethno-national origins. Resorting to the Quranic stipulations, Muhammad’s traditions and sayings and pre-Islamic Arab traditional practices, the Sunni majority have taken the position that leadership is a communal affair and as such should be left to the community. Islamic sectarianism and, to a lesser extent, juridical disputes have been conducive to divergent leadership doctrines.
