So, via Instapundit, I found this article at Gateway Pundit on a rally in Indonesia where people planned the next Islamic caliphate. The event brought in 100,000 people, which is pretty impressive, and it got me thinking:

What was so great about the Caliphate, anyways?

In theory, the original Caliphate was the only state governed by the laws of Allah instead of man. Of course, being an atheist and all, I think that’s a load of bunk, and besides, I don’t see any Catholics calling for the return of the Papal States. So, what makes the Caliphate so special?

Thankfully, we have Wikipedia to the rescue… yes, I know it’s not a good primary source, but when you need basic information in a hurry, it works just nicely. Long story short, caliphates have two rather interesting features:

1. They’re the descendant political structure left from Mohammed’s absolute rule and as such are meant to be a marriage between church and state. A western equivalent might be Deseret or, taking a more period example, the aforementioned Papal States. Other possible parallels include the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, both of which used the church to provide legitimacy for monarchic rule.
2. Each caliphate was essentially the major power in the world during their period of reign. For example, during the Umayyad Dynasty, the Caliphate stretch from Spain to Pakistan. The Ottoman Caliphate went as far north as the gates of Vienna.

So, what happened to these powers? The same thing that happens to all empires - they began to splinter. The Umayyad Dynasty began to collapse; the attempt to find a replacement for it led to the creation of the Shia sect of Islam that is predominant in Iran and southern Iraq. The Ottoman Empire was caught flat-footed by a sudden burst of European innovation, as the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution kicked in, fueled in part by resources from the New World. Eventually, the Ottoman Empire picked the wrong side in World War I, Kemal Ataturk took control over Turkey, the French and English divided up the Middle East amongst themselves, and the rest is history.

In this light, it’s pretty obvious why many Muslims would like to see a caliphate come back. Each caliphate (Arab or Turkish) corresponded to a time when Islam was ascendant in the world. However, what those who pine for a new caliphate don’t get is that each caliphate was the direct result of the Islamic culture being better organized and more technologically advanced than its neighbors, something which hasn’t been true in over 200 years now. In fact, if it weren’t for the fortuitous discovery of oil in the Middle East, the former areas of the caliphates would be completely irrelevant today.

As others have had to learn the hard way, governing according to medieval nostalgia is a very quick way to become disappointed. If they really wish to create a new caliphate, one that would compete with the West, then they need to outdo the west. They certainly have the oil reserves for it.

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