Islam as you must know by now, is based on one fundamental principle: which is that there is only one God, who has no daughters, no sons, no partners, no likeness; who is not like anything we know or can imagine, and who alone is worthy of worship. One of the consequences of this belief is that a Muslim must try to observe the guidelines given by his Creator in every sphere of life. In this sense, Islam is not merely a religion but is in fact a way of life. Devotion to God is not restricted to praying, fasting and charity. Rather, anything a Muslim does is considered a good deed if he carries it out in accordance with God's commands. These commands have been communicated to us through the Final Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who was sent to all mankind.

Thus, it is quite natural that Islam lays down guidelines for politics and war. Islam is not merely a system for the betterment of the individual, but is also concerned with the welfare of society at large. Islam prescribes that the Muslims should have a leader, or Caliph, whose duty is to protect the interests of the citizens. This duty has six basic components:

1. He must safeguard their religious interests.
2. He must protect their life and security (punishing murderers and highwaymen; providing defense from enemy).
3. He must protect their morality. (encouraging marriage; punishing adultery)
4. He must protect their reputations. (punishing slander)
5. He must protect their property and homes. (foster safety, punish thieves)
6. He must protect their mind. (education, routing out alcohol and drugs).

The leader is answerable to God for these duties. It has been reported that one of the early caliphs could not sleep well by night due to the fear that somewhere on the streets of Baghdad, a camel might lose its footing, and he (the Caliph) would then be responsible on the Day of Judgement as to why he did not improve the condition of that street.

In return, the people's duty is to give him their loyalty and obedience, as long as he does not violate the orders of God. Abu Bakr, the First Caliph, addressed the people when he took on leadership after the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He said,
"Oh people! I am one of you whom God has appointed in authority over you, though I am no better than you. You are obliged to obey me, but only as far as I act according to God's laws, for otherwise you must remove me."

The Islamic political system, then, is a means for implementing the political system and socio-economic order prescribed by God. This is necessarily the best system for mankind, because God in His Wisdom does not prescribe anything other than what is best for us.

I mentioned already that the Islamic state is obliged to protect the interests of society at large. This includes not only the Muslims, but also the non-Muslim subjects of the state, such as the Jews, Christians, and so on. These latter people are called "dhimmis", which means "covenanted people", and they are not forced to convert to Islam. They are allowed to practice their religion, and even to implement their own laws and courts in personal dealings, such as marriage. However, they are forbidden from openly committing (i.e. in public) any deeds which are prohibited in Islam, such as adultery and drinking alcohol. They are not required to pay the religious tax (Zakat), but instead they pay a special poll-tax called the "jizyah" in return for the privileges of citzenship. Obviously, they may not harbor spies or commit treason. In return, the Caliph must safeguard their rights, so much so that if some of them are captured by the enemy in war, the Caliph is obliged to obtain their release just as he is compelled to do for Muslims who have been captured.

Now we move on to a somewhat related topic which very often misunderstood and mis-portrayed; this is the concept of jihad. Jihad does not mean "holy war"; it is an Arabic word, which essentially means "striving". It can take a number of forms, for example the striving of an individual against the desires of his lower self is a form of jihad; striving against the temptations of Satan is also a jihad, as is speaking out against injustice. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has said that "The best jihad is to speak a true word before a tyrant ruler."

In some cases, certainly, jihad may involve physical fighting and warfare. When the Muslims are being attacked by an enemy, or their lands are being invaded and occupied, they are obliged to defend themselves. The Qur'an tells us to "fight, in the path of God, against those who fight you, but do not exceed the limits." The other case in which jihad must involve fighting is in order to remove oppression and injustice from a land. "Fight them until there is no more persecution."

Even these cases of fighting, there are very specific guidelines. The Muslims should not kill civilians, women, children or religious men such as priests and monks. They should not destroy trees or property unnecessarily. Thus, terrorism is not neither sanctioned nor approved by Islam; in fact it is condemned.

I have attempted to address the major issues of Islamic politics and jihad, and I hope my talk has been beneficial. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to answer them.