There exists a difference of perspective between Muslim scholars and their Western counterparts on the nature and characteristics of Islamic Government. According to the former, Islam advocates a limited and responsible system of government, whereas the latter, on the whole, maintain that it is patently autocratic and totalitarian. The sharp difference of opinion can be partially explained by the different frames of reference with wich each side tends to substantiate its views.

Islamic Studies, Vol. 28 (1989), 323-353.