The Chessboard

The most Islam aligned nations

The nations that meet both requirements of alignment — the sharia a main source of their law, and no war started, provoked or joined against another people — in order of how closely they hold to the principles of our policy reforms: justice, protection of life, no riba, circulation of wealth, common resources held in trust, accountable and consulted rule, kept covenants, independence, human dignity, religious freedom and the sharia. Every other nation is on the Non-Aligned Nations Ranking.

How each nation is scored — the twelve principles of our policy reforms
  1. Justice (adl). No one's land, life, rights or wealth taken unjustly; justice upheld for everyone, even enemies, and what was wrongly taken given back. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform
  2. Protection of life (hifz al-nafs). Life is sacred: non-combatants never targeted, war only against real aggression, and no help given to another's aggression. Political Policy Reform; the objectives of the sharia (maqasid)
  3. Prohibition of usury and speculation (riba, gharar). Public and private finance built on shared risk and real assets, not interest-bearing debt or speculative bets. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform
  4. Circulation of wealth and zakat (tadawul al-mal). Wealth must not circulate only among the rich; zakat, endowments and fair wages meet every person's basic needs. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform
  5. Trust over common resources (amana). Water, energy, minerals and public assets belong to the whole community — not privatised, monopolised or signed away for private or foreign gain. Economic and Financial Policy Reform
  6. Accountability and truthfulness (muhasaba, sidq). Rulers, security forces and firms answer to law and to the public; no coups, state capture, bribery or concealment. Economic, Political and National Policy Reform
  7. Legitimate authority by consultation (shura). Rule rests on the community's consent, given through consultation and a free pledge — not inheritance, force or foreign backing. Political and National Policy Reform
  8. Kept covenants and peacemaking (wafa bil-ahd, sulh). Treaties, contracts and rulings honoured; an offer of peace met with peace; disputes ended by reconciliation. Economic, Financial and Political Policy Reform
  9. Independence and self-reliance (izza). No foreign power or creditor in control of the nation's revenues or decisions; its own strength, industry and knowledge built. Financial and Political Policy Reform
  10. Human dignity and privacy (karama). Every person's dignity protected — citizen or migrant; no spying on private lives, no torture or humiliation. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform
  11. Religious freedom (la ikraha fi al-din). No compulsion in religion: every faith free to worship, build and keep its places of worship, dress and teach — Muslims and minorities alike — with no state persecution, bans on religious dress or forced conversion. The objectives of the sharia (maqasid): protection of religion (hifz al-din); Qur'an 2:256
  12. Implementation of the sharia (tatbiq al-sharia). The sharia a source of the nation's law — in family and personal status, finance free of riba, the courts and governance — applied with due process and its objectives (maqasid) in view, not as a slogan. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform

These are the principles the Policy Reform pages draw from the expert opinions. Each nation is marked 0–5 on each from its record as a state — its economy, government and treatment of its people, and its conduct in its wars — drawn from UN bodies, the ICJ and ICC, human-rights monitors and the reporting under each war. The twelve marks make the percentage; each war a nation started, provoked or joined against another people then takes 15 points off it, and an aggressor always ranks below every nation that started no war. The score judges a state's conduct, not its people or their faith.

Aligned Nations Ranking

  1. 1 MalaysiaHome to one of the largest Islamic finance sectors, with elections and no wars, but a vast graft scandal, race-based politics and detention-without-trial laws mar the record.
    Why 50%
    • Justice2/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba3/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources2/5
    • Accountability2/5
    • Consultation3/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence3/5
    • Dignity2/5
    • Religious freedom2/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Islamic banking holds about a third or more of banking assets; zakat collected by state bodies.
    • 1MDB fund scandal: Najib Razak convicted in 2020 on graft charges.
    • Peaceful transfer of power in 2018 and 2022 elections.
    • Sedition law and detention-without-trial provisions remain in force.
    50%
  2. 2 OmanStayed out of the Yemen war and mediates between Iran, the United States and Yemen's sides, with its oil in state hands, but a sultan rules without parties and its public debt is high.
    Why 50%
    • Justice2/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba2/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources3/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation2/5
    • Kept covenants4/5
    • Independence3/5
    • Dignity2/5
    • Religious freedom3/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Refused to join the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and has acted as a go-between for the United States, Iran and Yemeni parties.
    • Sultan Haitham bin Tariq took power in January 2020 under succession rules; a 2021 Basic Law created a consultative council with an elected lower house, but political parties are banned.
    • Islamic banking was introduced in 2013 beside conventional banks.
    • Ibadi, Sunni, Shia, Hindu and Christian communities worship openly, but online criticism of the sultan has been prosecuted.
    50%
  3. 3 BruneiA wealthy sultanate with state-held oil, welfare for all citizens and a large Islamic banking sector, but one man rules without consent and its new penal code threatens harsh punishments.
    Why 45%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba3/5
    • Circulation of wealth3/5
    • Common resources3/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation0/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence3/5
    • Dignity1/5
    • Religious freedom2/5
    • Sharia4/5
    • Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is head of state and government; parliament is appointed and the 1962 emergency law still applies.
    • Oil and gas are state-owned; free healthcare and education for citizens.
    • Islamic banking dominates; the state collects zakat.
    • Sharia Penal Code (phased in 2014–2019) allows stoning and amputation; a moratorium on the death penalty was announced in 2019.
    45%
  4. 4 MauritaniaHas seen its elections go ahead and even convicted an ex-president of corruption, but it is poor and dependent on foreign fishing and mining deals, slavery persists in practice and apostasy and blasphemy carry death.
    Why 40%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba2/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources2/5
    • Accountability2/5
    • Consultation2/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity1/5
    • Religious freedom1/5
    • Sharia4/5
    • Former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was sentenced to 15 years for corruption in 2023 (increased on appeal in 2025).
    • President Ghazouani took office in 2019 in the country's first peaceful transfer between elected presidents and was re-elected in 2024, with opposition disputing the result.
    • Fishing and mining rights are sold to foreign fleets and companies, including under EU and Chinese agreements.
    • Slavery was outlawed in 1981 but descent-based slavery persists in practice, and a 2018 law imposes death for apostasy and blasphemy.
    40%
  5. 5 SyriaRestrained towards Israel and making peace with the SDF, but massacres under its banner await justice and its rulers were chosen, not consulted.Syria after Assad
    Why 40%
    • Justice2/5
    • Protection of life2/5
    • No riba2/5
    • Circulation of wealth1/5
    • Common resources2/5
    • Accountability2/5
    • Consultation1/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence2/5
    • Dignity2/5
    • Religious freedom2/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • March 2025 coastal killings of Alawites and July 2025 Suweida violence (UN Commission of Inquiry); its own inquiry has named suspects.
    • Signed the January 2026 SDF integration deal; seeks Israel's withdrawal through mediation.
    • People's Assembly selected indirectly; a constitutional declaration gives the president wide powers.
    • About 90% of Syrians live in poverty; ports and energy offered to foreign investors.
    40%
  6. 6 JordanKeeps its treaty, shelters refugees and respects Christian places of worship, but a king appoints governments, its water and gas are tied to Israel and the IMF, and a cybercrime law narrows speech.
    Why 38%
    • Justice2/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba1/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources1/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation1/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity2/5
    • Religious freedom3/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Has kept the 1994 peace treaty with Israel and holds the Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem's holy sites.
    • Hosts well over a million refugees, mainly Syrians and Palestinians.
    • Relies on US aid, Gulf grants and IMF programmes; imports gas from Israel and has signed a water-for-energy plan with it.
    • The king appoints the government and the 2023 cybercrime law has been used to prosecute critics.
    38%
  7. 7 SomaliaA Muslim society where Islamic finance and zakat are everyday life, fighting a group that bombs its people — but power is held by clan selection and term extensions, and its finances depend on donors.Somalia and al-Shabaab
    Why 38%
    • Justice2/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba3/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources2/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation1/5
    • Kept covenants2/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity2/5
    • Religious freedom1/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Islamic finance dominates banking; remittances and zakat carry many households.
    • Parliament extended its own term to five years in March 2026 without consensus.
    • Among the lowest scores on corruption indices; dependent on AU troops and donor funding.
    • Offshore oil and gas terms with Turkey give a large share to the foreign partner.
    38%
  8. 8 MaldivesAn Islamic state that has changed its government by vote, but its citizenship is limited to Muslims, its debts to India and China weigh on its choices and a ruler's party has struggled to keep the courts and press free.
    Why 37%
    • Justice2/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba1/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources2/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation2/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity1/5
    • Religious freedom1/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • The constitution limits citizenship to Sunni Muslims and bars public worship of other faiths.
    • Heavily indebted to China and India; has sought currency swaps and bailouts.
    • Power has changed hands by election repeatedly since 2008, most recently in 2023.
    • Press and court independence has been under pressure under recent governments.
    37%
  9. 9 ComorosHas pursued its claim to Mayotte through law and diplomacy, not war, but the president has held power through contested votes, its family-ruled politics are fragile and it is poor.
    Why 35%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba1/5
    • Circulation of wealth1/5
    • Common resources2/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation1/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity2/5
    • Religious freedom2/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Claims Mayotte, which France has held since the 1975 vote; UN resolutions back the Comorian claim.
    • President Azali Assoumani was re-elected in January 2024 in a vote the opposition said was rigged, with deadly unrest after.
    • Remittances and donor funds carry the economy; the Comoros has sold passports in the past.
    • Islam is the state religion and zakat is widely observed, but public finance rests on conventional borrowing.
    35%
  10. 10 AfghanistanHas banned interest-based banking and holds its own course, but bars girls from school and women from most work, rules with no consultation or vote, and is accused of sheltering the armed groups that attack Pakistan.Pakistan and Afghanistan
    Why 33%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life2/5
    • No riba3/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources3/5
    • Accountability0/5
    • Consultation0/5
    • Kept covenants2/5
    • Independence3/5
    • Dignity0/5
    • Religious freedom0/5
    • Sharia4/5
    • Ordered banks to convert to interest-free Islamic banking; mines and resources held by the state.
    • Girls barred from secondary school and university, women from most work; the ICC issued arrest warrants for its leaders for gender persecution (2025).
    • Ruled by decree from Kandahar with no elections or consultative body.
    • Denies sheltering the TTP; answered Pakistan's February 2026 strikes with a four-hour border retaliation and accepted every pause since.
    33%
  11. 11 IraqHolds regular elections and keeps its oil in public hands, but corruption on a vast scale, militias outside the law, foreign influence from Washington and Tehran and weak protection for minorities hollow it out.
    Why 33%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life2/5
    • No riba1/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources2/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation2/5
    • Kept covenants2/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity1/5
    • Religious freedom2/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Voted in a series of multiparty elections since 2005; security forces killed hundreds of protesters in the October 2019 uprising.
    • The 'theft of the century' of about $2.5 billion from tax authority accounts was uncovered in 2022.
    • Armed factions, some tied to Iran, operate inside the state security structure; oil revenue is held in an account at the US Federal Reserve in New York.
    • Turkish dams have cut river flows, and Yazidi and Christian communities have not been fully restored after ISIS.
    33%
  12. 12 PalestineIs a people under occupation with no control of its borders, water or revenues, and its authority has avoided war and held to Oslo, but it has not held a vote since 2006 and polices its own critics.
    Why 33%
    • Justice2/5
    • Protection of life3/5
    • No riba1/5
    • Circulation of wealth1/5
    • Common resources1/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation1/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence0/5
    • Dignity1/5
    • Religious freedom3/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • No presidential or parliamentary election has been held since 2005 and 2006; President Mahmoud Abbas's term ended in 2009 and he rules largely by decree.
    • Israel controls the borders, water and the customs revenue it collects for the Authority, and has withheld clearance revenues, leaving public salaries unpaid at times.
    • Kept the Oslo security framework and sought recognition through the UN and ICJ rather than force.
    • Security services in the West Bank have detained critics and journalists; Hamas runs Gaza separately and its 7 October 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
    33%
  13. 13 LibyaHolds oil and a law banning interest, but the state is split between rival governments, elections have been postponed since 2021, armed groups and foreign forces hold real power, and migrants are held in abuse.
    Why 28%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life1/5
    • No riba2/5
    • Circulation of wealth2/5
    • Common resources2/5
    • Accountability0/5
    • Consultation1/5
    • Kept covenants2/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity0/5
    • Religious freedom2/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Law No. 1 of 2013 banned interest in banking, though implementation has been partial.
    • Presidential elections set for December 2021 were postponed and never held; rival administrations sit in Tripoli and the east.
    • Turkish, Russian and other foreign forces and mercenaries have been present; a UN arms embargo has been repeatedly breached.
    • The UN has documented torture, forced labour and killings of migrants in detention centres.
    28%
  14. 14 YemenThe recognised government has little of its own — its finances, army and decisions depend on Riyadh.The Iran war: Iran, Israel, Palestine, the United States and Yemen
    Why 28%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life2/5
    • No riba2/5
    • Circulation of wealth1/5
    • Common resources1/5
    • Accountability1/5
    • Consultation1/5
    • Kept covenants2/5
    • Independence0/5
    • Dignity2/5
    • Religious freedom1/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Asked for the July 2026 Saudi strike that ended the truce.
    • Depends on Saudi deposits and air power; unpaid public salaries for years.
    28%
  15. 15 EgyptKeeps its peace treaty and mediates between Israel and Hamas, but the army removed an elected president, jails critics in the tens of thousands, and has sold land and assets to Gulf buyers to pay its debts.
    Why 27%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life2/5
    • No riba1/5
    • Circulation of wealth1/5
    • Common resources1/5
    • Accountability0/5
    • Consultation0/5
    • Kept covenants3/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity1/5
    • Religious freedom2/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • The army removed elected president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013; Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has held power since and was re-elected in December 2023 with about 89% of the vote.
    • Has kept the 1979 peace treaty with Israel and hosted mediation over Gaza.
    • Repeated IMF programmes, Gulf deposits and the 2024 sale of the Ras El-Hekma development to the UAE for about $35 billion; the military runs a large share of the economy.
    • Rights groups document mass imprisonment of political prisoners and restrictions on press and worship.
    27%
  16. 16 SudanIts banking has been Islamic by law since 1984, but the army seized power in a coup, bombs its own towns and lets gold flow abroad.Sudan's civil war
    Why 25%
    • Justice1/5
    • Protection of life1/5
    • No riba3/5
    • Circulation of wealth1/5
    • Common resources1/5
    • Accountability0/5
    • Consultation0/5
    • Kept covenants1/5
    • Independence1/5
    • Dignity1/5
    • Religious freedom2/5
    • Sharia3/5
    • Islamic banking required by law since 1984.
    • The army's 2021 coup ended the civilian transition.
    • Retaliation against alleged collaborators, with torture and death sentences (HRW, 2026).
    • Gold smuggled out by both sides; famine in parts of the country.
    25%

The wars

  1. Russia and UkraineAggressor: RussiaDeaths: 525,000–600,000 soldiers and civilians, mostly Russian troops (CSIS, July 2026); the UN has verified about 15,000 civiliansEastern Europe · since February 2022 · 🇺🇦 Ukraine, 🇷🇺 RussiaIn its fifth year, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a stalemate on the ground while missile and drone strikes on cities grow deadlier; US-brokered talks have stalled.
  2. The Iran war: Iran, Israel, Palestine, the United States and YemenAggressor: Israel and the United States against Iran; Israel in Palestine as the occupying power; in Yemen, the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition as occupiersDeaths: More than 74,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023 (Gaza Health Ministry; a Max Planck study puts it at 100,000–126,000) and about 2,000 Israelis; about 4,500 in the war on Iran (3,468 in Iran in 2026 by the Iranian Martyrs Foundation, over 1,000 in June 2025, dozens in Israel), and about 150,000 in Yemen's fighting since 2014 — 377,000 counting hunger and disease (UNDP, to end 2021)Iran, Palestine, the Gulf and Yemen · since June 2025 (Gaza since October 2023, Yemen since 2014) · 🇾🇪 Yemen, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia, 🇺🇸 United States, 🇮🇱 IsraelOne war on several fronts: Israel's war on Gaza since October 2023, under a ceasefire aid groups say exists in name only; the US and Israel against Iran since June 2025; and Yemen's war — renewed in July 2026 between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition — fought from Gaza to the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
  3. Myanmar and the RohingyaAggressor: The Myanmar militaryDeaths: 100,114 since the February 2021 coup (ACLED, July 2026)Myanmar · since February 2021 · 🇲🇲 MyanmarFive years after its coup, Myanmar's military has made its leader president through a partial election and keeps bombing markets and villages, while the Rohingya are attacked from both sides and The Gambia's genocide case awaits judgment.
  4. Sudan's civil warAggressor: The Rapid Support ForcesDeaths: At least 59,000 by April 2026 (ACLED) — researchers say up to 100,000 in 2025 alone, and far more from famineSudan · since April 2023 · 🇸🇩 SudanIn its fourth year, the war between Sudan's army and the RSF has spread from Darfur — where El Fasher fell with 'hallmarks of genocide' — to Kordofan and Blue Nile, with famine and drone strikes on the displaced.
  5. The Sahel: Mali, Burkina Faso and NigerAggressor: JNIM and Islamic State SahelDeaths: Over 50,000 since 2012 — about 10,000 a year since 2022 (ACLED, Africa Center for Strategic Studies)West Africa · since 2012 · 🇲🇱 Mali, 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso, 🇳🇪 Niger, 🇷🇺 RussiaAl-Qaeda's JNIM has besieged Mali's capital with a fuel blockade since April 2026, while the juntas and Russia's Africa Corps massacre Fulani villagers in the name of fighting it.
  6. Kashmir, India and PakistanAggressor: India, as the occupying force in KashmirDeaths: About 47,000 since the 1989 insurgency (Indian officials; Kashmiri rights groups say over 70,000)South Asia · since 1947 (latest clashes May 2025) · 🇵🇰 Pakistan, 🇮🇳 IndiaA tense ceasefire has held since the May 2025 clashes that followed the Pahalgam massacre, but India still holds the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and rejected the court ruling that it binds both states.
  7. Somalia and al-ShabaabAggressor: Al-ShabaabDeaths: Over 40,000 in battle since 2006 (UCDP), with about 3,800 in 2025Horn of Africa · since 2006 · 🇸🇴 Somalia, 🇺🇸 United StatesA resurgent al-Shabaab has retaken much of the ground it lost in 2022–23 while Mogadishu quarrels with its regions over elections and the African Union mission runs short of money.
  8. Syria after AssadAggressor: IsraelDeaths: 10,672 from Assad's fall to September 2025, 8,180 of them civilians (SOHR)Syria · since December 2024 · 🇸🇾 Syria, 🇮🇱 IsraelSyria's transitional government has brought the Kurdish-led SDF into the army, but Suweida remains outside its control, the coastal and Suweida massacres await justice, and Israel occupies the south.
  9. Eastern DR CongoAggressor: Rwanda and M23Deaths: More than 7,000 in January–February 2025 alone, as M23 took Goma and Bukavu (DRC Prime Minister to the UN)Great Lakes, Africa · since 2021 (M23's latest offensive) · 🇨🇩 DR Congo, 🇷🇼 RwandaRwanda-backed M23 still holds Goma and Bukavu and keeps fighting despite the Washington and Doha peace deals, while minerals from the land it holds flow to Rwanda.
  10. Israel and LebanonAggressor: Israel, as the occupying forceDeaths: More than 4,300 in Lebanon by late August 2026 (Lebanese authorities)Lebanon · since March 2026 · 🇮🇱 IsraelHezbollah's March 2026 rocket fire in support of Iran brought an Israeli air campaign and ground invasion that has killed more than 4,300 people and displaced over a million; a June framework has not stopped the fighting.
  11. Pakistan and AfghanistanAggressor: Pakistan, which struck firstDeaths: About 900: at least 372 Afghan civilians killed by May 2026 (UNAMA), and hundreds of fighters on both sides by each side's disputed claims (Kabul says over 760 civilians)South and Central Asia · since February 2026 (border clashes since October 2025) · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan, 🇵🇰 PakistanPakistan has bombed Afghanistan since February 2026 — Kabul included — in a war UNAMA says has killed hundreds of Afghan civilians; it flared again in late September after three months of relative calm.

Armed groups (Hamas, Hezbollah, M23, JNIM, al-Shabaab and others) are described on each war's page but not ranked as nations. Last gathered 2026-10-12.