Muslim societies are more likely to be authoritarian and marred in civil war. The big question is why?

Faisal Ahmed presents a new theory: “Conquest and Rents”.

He suggests that where Islam spread via military conquest, political authority was consolidated under a dictator. Political authority was then consolidated under a dictator, with elite slave soldiers, who were compensated with non-hereditary land grants. Absolutist rule was then legitimised by clerics.

Authoritarianism persists if propped up by rents (oil or foreign aid). Where rents declined, these societies erupted in civil war (like Somalia).

Where Islam spread through trade, these societies remained more cohesive. So when rents declined, they democratised.

It's one of the most fascinating books I've read in 2023. I strongly recommend it and hope you enjoy our podcast.

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