| Well, there is a degree of controversy, since the end of the Caliphate, about the application of the shari'ah to successor regimes. It is not universally recognized as necessary, no. But Islamicists aspire to recapture the glory of the Caliphate, and assume that they need to placate God by instituting theocracy. I should have said "Muslim Lands", since there are some from non- Arab countries, like Iran and Afghanistan, where some share this aspiration for a "reign of piety" according to ancient standards. However, I think it is more prevalent among the Arabs, because the high point of Arab civilization co-incided with the first period of Muslim triumph. Arab lands are generally defined by having Arabic as the native tongue, and extend from Northwest Africa to Iraq, and from the border with Turkey down through the Arabian peninsula. They would be contiguous, if it were not for Israel. |
