Defining Islamic Statehood ─ Measuring and Indexing Contemporary Muslim States

What is the real definition of an Islamic state? How do the majority of Muslims govern themselves? How much do Muslims and non-Muslims really understand about the elements of an Islamic state? How can a true Islamic state function in a modern world? These questions bear heavily on the international community. They dominate the news. They spawn conflict. They generate misinformation. The answers are complex, but finding them is critical. Harnessing the expertise of leading Sunni and Shia academics, Defining Islamic Statehood searches for answers through dialogue, and seeks to define how an Islamic state forms and functions. It examines how Islamic principles bear on a nation's governance, jurisprudence, culture and policies, and measures how Muslim-majority countries meet the definition by analyzing how they deal with the aspects of modern life.

Together with a group of eminent contributors, ranging from a retired Prime Minister, a former Chief Justice, and internationally recognized academics and experts on Islamic law and governance, Imam Fesial Abdul Rauf identifies and fulfils the critical need to determine the right balance between institutions of political authority and institutions of religious authority within the context of modern day governance.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is the founder and chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving relations between Muslims and non-Muslims and promoting moderation. For over twenty-five years he was the imam of Masjid al-Farah in New York City. He has been ranked among the '100 Most Influential People of the World' by TIME magazine, 'Top 100 Global Thinkers' by Foreign Policy, and 'Top 50 Arabs' by The Middle East Magazine.