Lessons from the Historical Structures of Muslim Society:

This essay is about how there are multiple authorities in Muslim societies or “partial control,” “control had to be shared with other networks of religious authorities, tribal notables, merchant guilds, Sufi orders, and vast networks of extended families.” Generally control was established in and around the city centers but it did not go much beyond the borders of the cities. Some Middle Eastern governments, particularly Saudi Arabia and Iraq “the state expanded into society through a mixture of extreme repression and patronage” this system worked for some countries but not for others. Muslim society was built around a common religion rather than a state. Another offshoot from this style of governing was to give everyone in the Arab world free movement in all of its territories.

I find it particularly interesting how the Islamic societal control was at one time so fragmented. It’s hard for someone living in the west to comprehend a society that is not built around a particular piece of ground.

I think an interesting question is how should have they have split the Middle Eastern territories after colonialism? For instance, the country of Iraq has three major ethnic groups Sunni, Shia and Kurdish all battling one another for control of various areas. How could this have been avoided?

Sorry this one is late.

Lou Coban