Traditional Islam lacks any church or priesthood structure

Evidence

From the point of view of Muslim scholars, historians, the­ ologians, and others, who reject the idea of Islam’s being a theocracy, the meaning of the word is very clear. There is, as they rightly point out, no church in traditional Islam. There is no priesthood in the sense of an ordination and a sacred office. There is no Vatican, no pope, no cardinals, no bishops, no church councils; there is no hierarchy such as exists in Christendom. Consequently, they argue, since theocracy means government by the church, rule by the priests, and since Islam has neither church nor priests, it follows that Islam is not, indeed cannot be, a theocracy. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1480

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies why mainstream Muslim scholars deny Islam is a theocracy — no church, no ordained clergy, no hierarchy.