When Islamic belief opened the gate to independent inquiry and research concerning the rules of justice in any situation within the unified framework of values disciplined by the religious texts and universal principles derived from them, it set down the firm rule upon which justice between men is established, and on which the claimant bases his claim. Therefore, the law requires hearing the claim just as it grants opportunity to respond to it. Thus, humanity opened for the first time, the gate of complementarity and mutual responsibility to protect the dignity of each human being, by granting the right to anyone –whoever he may be- to bring suit against anyone –whomever he may be. Not on an abstract, literary basis as is the case of international human rights organizations, but on a compulsory, enforced basis that could not be violated even by the supreme leader of all the Muslims.

Thus, Islam made the entire Islamic society something closer to a universal organization for human rights. Because of this, Islamic society avoided –despite its vast territory- the type of factional quarreling represented by the formation of pressure groups such as unions, parties and organizations for each faction, trade, or class, let alone the war between the sexes!

It also avoided much of the tension in international relations which constantly produces wars that deplete both sides. The nation which has this for its law must be as far removed as possible from the “theocracy” which drowned Europe during the Middle Ages. Insomuch as theocracy, as a license to kill from God –as happened to ___________ as well as to the Muslims in the name of the Crusades, is considered apostasy in Islam in the case of those who believe in it, and an attack on the exclusive attributes of divinity for those who make such a claim. The Prophet –blessing and peace be upon him- himself is only conveys a message from God, and clearly and unequivocally stated that he judged according to his opinion in a case, and that his judgment may coincide with what is actually just in the case, or it may not. He did not know the unseen, and therefore, he could not responsible: “You come to me with your disputes, and perhaps one of you is more convincing in argument than the other so I judge in his favor according to what I hear from him. If I ever grant to someone what is rightly his brother’s, I am only granting to him a piece of Hellfire.” (1)

Thus, the discussion of the advantages of American secularism over theocracy becomes meaningless if it is connected with Islam, since identical or superior advantages are found in and encouraged by Islam in its universal summons to search for truth wherever it may be found, to fight superstition, blind traditionalism and bias for one’s own opinion, and to discard tyranny and despotism in every form, while preserving the greatest of divine blessings upon mankind and the greatest human achievement: faith in God and obedience to his perfect and just world law.

Secularism may be the better of the two evils in the case of the West, but none of its causes exist in Islam.

Thus, Islamic civilization was the vessel for many different examples of civilization, not only during its golden age, but even in recent eras. In all due humility, nobody from this civilization claimed that it represents the end of history, or that it exemplifies universal values. Rather, these values flow within the universal entity of the Islamic community as blood flows within the body.

Let us take India and Spain as examples, since original Islamic principles were preserved in both places despite the severe decline from the peak of justice at the time of the Orthodox Caliphate. Muslims ruled India for eight centuries in which all people were equal there before the Islamic Law, free in practicing their beliefs. Neither Hindu nor