The Rule is for None but Allah: Islamist Approaches to Governance

The last four decades have been shaped by the rise of Islamist politics across significant swathes of the globe. Whether by gun or by ballot box, various Islamist movements–from as far and wide as the Malian desert and Indonesia’s archipelagos–have sought to obtain power and govern territories, in a bid to revive an Islamic ancien régime. With the regional privations produced by the ‘War on Terror’ and the political unrest following 2011’s Arab uprisings, the global march of Islamism has only accelerated in the twenty-first century. Building on an established literature on rebel governance, ‘The Rule is for None but Allah’ examines fifteen cases from around the world to consider the different ways Islamists have approached and implemented governance; the challenges they have faced; and how they have responded to obstacles. It brings new detail and insights on a wide range of themes, including legitimacy, constitutionality and social-welfare activism.