Key Regions & Countries

Is there such a thing as an ‘Islamic’ political system? What are the key issues surrounding the debate about unity and authority in Islam? What would governance “in the name of Islam” look like today? What does the concept of a Caliphate mean in modern times? To what extent are some looking for it to be revived? How does the concept of a revived Caliph resonate throughout the Muslim world? What are the various voices weighing in on this issue saying about the concept of a modern-day Caliph? What are the different regional views on the Caliphate? What are the perspectives of minority or diaspora Muslim populations compared with those in majority Muslim countries? What would a modern Caliphate look like? How would issues of succession, legitimacy, political vs. spiritual leadership be dealt with? Can an in-depth understanding of calls for a modern-day Caliphate by extremist groups be used to inform policy-makers with regards to countering extremism and terrorism?

Download the conference programme
(PDF 76Kb approx) - published 01/05/2007

Download the report of this conference
(PDF 112Kb approx) - published 01/05/2007