Seriously???? When has any islamic state not needed a brutal dictator to keep even the slightest bit of piece??????
Oops...peace.
Erroneous thinking by us Westerners is that Islamic societies share fundamental root ideas with us, among them being this concept of "Equality."
Islamic societies do not share this concept. In fact, it is anathema to Islamic societies. The very idea of "equality" is anti-Islamic. In Islam, society is one giant unequal pecking order from the lowliest slave up to the King, then Mohammad , and finally Allah.
Piety and brutality determines where you fit in the Islamic Society pecking order, and if you are at the top of society, you will either be brutal, or you will be replaced because everyone will doubt your authority to rule. "Allah would not allow a weenie to rule us" an Islamic would say.
In Islam, Brutality is a measure of your legitimacy. If you aren't brutal, people will doubt you are the chosen servant of Allah.