Civil-Military Relations

Abstract

Some Western scholars have asserted that the high frequency of military coup d‘etats in Muslim countries is rooted in Islam. They claim that citizens of the Muslim world easily accept military rule because it does not run counter to the spirit of Islam. Is this true? Does Islam really allow military intervention into politics or coup d’etat? This article argues that in some contemporary Muslim countries the coup d’etat or military takeover has nothing to do with the basic spirit of Islam. Rather, in those countries, Western colonial rule laid the foundation for the subsequent takeover of civilian power by the army. Islam does not allow succession to power through force or coup d‘etat. This article clarifies the position of Islam on the question of civil-military relations. A systematic study on this issue has yet to be done, therefore, there is room for controversy. In order to explain the civil-military relations in an Islamic polity, this paper first examines Western perspectives on civil-military relations then highlights Islamic perspectives. Finally, it offers a brief explanation of military intervention into the politics of some contemporary Muslim countries.