In the study of sociology and politics of religion, Islam has been
integral in analyzing how the unification of the church and state can be
made possible under the Islamic setting. Indeed, Islam as one of the most
dominant world religion, is more than a socio-political and religious
philosophy; Islam is vital in that it is considered a society that has its
own unique culture. Islamic society and culture has the social, political,
and cultural components that allows it to establish its own institutions,
governing people in accordance to the religion's ideology and philosophy.
In order to provide a thorough discussion of Islam as a religion and nation-
state, this paper discusses the essential components that determine Islam's
unidimensionality in the domain of social and political structure and
dynamics.
One of the primary components that determine Islam as a religion is
based on ethnicity, wherein people who share common norms and traditions
group together. Ethnicity is vital in the formation of Islam religion
since it (ethnicity) is significant to the political structure and dynamics
of a society. As a religion, Islam is characteristically dominant among
Arab nations, who share a commonality of being in the same territory and
race. In the case of Muslims in Asia, commonality is once again based on
territory, although religion plays a vital role in uniting Islam nations in
Asia, like Indonesia and Malaysia. In effect, nationality, race, and
especially religion all play essential roles in defining Islam as a society
and culture. Because of commonalities in culture and social
characteristics, Islam has become an example of a nation built on religion
(culture). More importantly, it has evolved into becoming a nation-state
built on religion, similar to the cases of Asian countries like Indonesia
and Malaysia and Arab nations in the Middle Eastern region.
It is thus evident that since Isl...