THE SHARIA AND THE STATE

Abstract

Abdullahi Al-Na’im reframes the discourse on Islam, the State and politics in the post-colonial context. Essentially, the author defends the right of Islamists to pursue an independent,
more endogenous, State project that does away with the residues of colonialism – but only
if they show a true commitment to constitutional democratic governance, in the name of
self-determination. The Sudanese philosopher recalls as well the fact that religion has always
been invoked to legitimize political power, and that this is the case in any religion. These
dangers are inherent in the use of religion for political ends, and must be of current concern.