Dr. ʿIssām Aḥmad al-Bashīr, prominent leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan, was asked in an interview about the nature of the nation-state in Islam.  Is it religious or civil?  He responded saying, “The nation-state in Islam is civil with Islamic authority as Shaykh Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī says since the state which Islam produces is known by the history of Muslims as a civil state. Authority within it depends on allegiance, choice, and consultation, and the ruler within it is the representative for the Muslim nation [ummah] or its employee.  It is the right of the Muslim nation [ummah] to hold him accountable, supervise him, command him, and restrain him, and the Muslim nation [ummah] is to correct him when he strays.  Otherwise, it’ll depose him.”