ABSTRACT
The artificial distinction between moderate Islam and extreme Islam is unknown in the Islamic world. The moderate Muslims belong to the silent majority, who hail Islamic successes when they occur but usually prefer to stay on the side-lines and deal with their personal business. From its historical inception, the Islamic government had to learn from the great imperial experiments of its time: the Sassanids in Persia and the Byzantines in Anatolia, which combined empire and religion. The authoritarian rule in Islam naturally followed on the footsteps of the Prophet, who was, and still is, considered infallible and the most perfect of men. In the modern Arab and Islamic worlds, most dictators put themselves at the head of the high military command in their country, either because they have mounted a coup as military men or because they wish to appear as generals, marshals, or admirals in their military uniforms.
