Until his death in AD 632, the Prophet Mohammed was the acknowledged leader of all Muslims in the world. When he died, somebody was needed to replace him as the religious and political leader of the Muslim world. There was no distinction between temporal and spiritual authority at that time; the Prophet’s successor would both rule Muslims in this world and also guide them as to the requirements and wishes of the Deity. This then is Islamism; a union of religious and political power so firm and indissoluble that the one cannot be separated from the other. Some Muslims today dream of restoring
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