Islam and Governments

by Larry Rouse

Here is the simplest way to explain what makes Islam fundamentally different from every other major religion, and why it is uniquely destabilizing.

Judaism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions, meaning they teach belief in one deity.

Islam adds a second, inseparable layer, and that is exactly what makes it problematic.

In Judaism, Sikhism, and Christianity, you are only required to believe in one God to be considered a monotheist. You can believe in God while living under any number of political arrangements without ceasing to be Jewish, Sikh, or Christian.

In Islam, you are required to believe in one God, Allah (monotheism) and one governing authority, Sharia (mono-cracy).

If you believe in one God but reject one governing authority, you are not considered a Muslim, even if you believe in Allah; this is called Alhakimiyya.

To be Muslim is not only to believe in one God (Allah), but also to affirm one governing authority, sharia.

Belief in God without submission to God’s law as governing authority is insufficient. A person may believe in Allah, pray, fast, and still be considered outside Islam if they reject the idea that only divine law should rule. In that sense, Islam is not just monotheistic, it is mono-cratic.

Under this framework, Muslims who reject the rule of sharia, Kurds, secular Arabs, or “moderate” leaders can be declared apostates or unbelievers.
This is also why figures like Mohammed bin Zayed can be labeled infidels despite being Muslim: political sovereignty, not personal belief, is the dividing line.

Most Muslims believe in one God and accept sharia as the ideal governing authority. What separates them from jihadists is not theology, but strategy and timing.

They may not seek to impose sharia themselves, but they accept its legitimacy, which is why jihadists are frequently rejected tactically while being defended ideologically.

This monocratic principle is not a fringe interpretation. It is what the Qur’an commands: “And whoever does not rule by what Allah has revealed, they are the disbelievers” (5:44) and what Muhammad, his companions, and the Islamic caliphates practiced throughout history.