Anybody following the ISIS crisis in Iraq and Syria? The leader, Abu Bakr, just declared himself Caliph Ibrahim of the Islamic State, a formal caliphate in their eyes. I cant even begin to note how crazy this is, and how often it has happened in the past. For those unaware—or who only read what the media had to say—a Caliphate is not simply an Islamic state, it is a monarchic, often tyrannical, theocratic, usually-Sunni, and heavily centralized state that uses Islam and Sharia law as its basis. The Ottoman Empire was the last official Islamic caliphate but prior to them, there were three in succession since Muhammeds death. There have also been numerous rival caliphates including a few Shia ones. The concept of a Caliphate in the Middle East is perhaps the most hoped-for sign of progress among Sunni Muslims. A well-respected caliph could unify many of the Turko-Afro-Arab Muslims of the Middle East under an umbrella that could achieve world wide success, probably at the expense of foreigners, Jews, Kurds, Shia, and other minority groups. The United States and the Western world, which have done a terrible job dealing with the Middle East since, well, forever, need to be especially cautious now. The Arab Spring of two years ago may have just entered a whole new stage and the slightest flame could cause the Middle East to explode. As a historian, I watch excitedly; as a citizen of the Western world, I am afraid.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 01:54:10 +0000
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