"Scruton notes that during the time of the Ottomans, Islam moved towards the Western notion that human societies should be governed by human laws, and these laws must take precedence over religious edicts. But "after the Ottoman collapse the Muslim sects rebelled against the idea, since it contradicts the claims of the Shariah to be the final legal authority."

In my view, the recent success of this rebellion stems mostly from the failure of secular leaders in the Middle East from Nasser on to satisfy Arab ambitions, including territorial ones. If so, it may be that the best thing the West can do to promote democracy and the rule of human law in the region is to make sure that the fundamentalists don't satisfy Arab ambitions either."