Islam Doesn't Allow Nations to Have Constitutions?

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So I was reading an article by Daniel Pipes. He said an interesting about the ideology of Islamism, he said, "In particular, they seek to build an Islamic state in Turkey, replace Israel with an Islamic state and the U. S. constitution with the Koran. "

While I won't speak on the politics of the Arab Middle East, or Turkey, it's the last part of that sentence I find interesting. Pipes makes the inference that anyone who prefers "Islamic Laws" for the country in which they live (in his articles case, radical Islamists) are people who advocate replacing Democratically instituted Constitutional Laws with Quranic Laws.

Sidestepping the crazy Islamists for a second (mainly, but not limited to Wahhabi's and Salafi's), let's assume that Pipes is speaking about any and all Muslims here. Again, is he inferring that anyone who believes in a system of laws based on Islamically ideal principles are actively looking to replace Constitutional laws with Islamic laws? Does he think that there is nothing similar or compatible about Western Democratic rule of law and Islamic rule of law?

I would argue that any true Islamic country, whether democracy, theocracy, or theomocracy*, would not only require a constitution, but would need one to remain in accordance with the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). I'm not sure if Daniel Pipes doesn't know, or forgot when writing that article, but history agrees that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had established a social contract (and isn't that what a constitution essentially is? ) for the citizens of Medina after he was invited to Medina in 622CE.

Read ahead for yourself now and tell me if you think, based on the historical evidence, that a nation whose laws are based on Islamic principles are incompatible with a constitution.

The Skinny Towards the end of the 5th century, Jewish tribes of Yathrib* lost control of the city to two incoming Arab tribes from Yemen, the Banu Aus and Banu Khazraj. The opposing Arabs and Jews warred for 120 years. After the wars, the Jewish population lost and were subjected to become Clients of the Arab tribes. The Jewish tribes soon began a revolt that culminated with the Battle of Bu'ath in 620 C. E. This war involved all the clans and tribes in Yathrib. After the war, both sides agreed they needed a single authority to arbitrate conflicts if they were to ever maintain longstanding peace. In 620CE, a delegation from the 12 most important clans of Medina went to Mecca to invite Muhammad as the neutral party needed to serve as chief arbitrator for the city. Muhammad accepted, and in 622 the entire Muslim population of Mecca, followed by Muhammad (pbuh), emigrated in what became known as the Hijrah.

Here by, Kisah Islami for your enrichment of Islam.

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