The End of Secularism?

Now profane is the opposite of sacred.

Oh, but, Edith, I am not a cynic, only a realist.

The Algerian secularists strategy of exclusion, fraud, cheating, and gerrymandering backfired badly Islamists were perceived as victims, while secularists with some exceptions were cast as unprincipled opportunists. Enforcing a secular constitution before elections does not guarantee a secular outcome.

37. The award of prizes is a tradition in many countries of the world.

In other countries for example India and Sri Lanka the constitutions may have remained secular in nature but in practice colonial elites took over State apparatuses and entrenched their own power.

The Federal and State Governments are secular in this country.

When Turkey became a democracy in 1950, the previous system s secular Kemalist elites attempted to harness the power of the military and the bureaucracy to control the elected government. In fact, the Turkish military, with the judiciary s support, explicitly intervened in the civilian government s functioning in 1960, 1971, 1980, and 1997, each time in the name of protecting secularism.

As the political philosopher Larry Siedentop has argued, secularization is Christianity s gift to the world. According to Siedentop, features specific to Christianity led to liberal individualism, and they are absent from the other great world religions.

The deliberate weakening of secular democratic forces in many parts of the world over decades left the fundamentalists as the only vehicle for popular dissent.

Don't listen to him, he's a cynic.

And Jackson Pollock also.

Successive European and American governments share an atavistic fear of the Islamic alternative to Arab secular nationalists like Fatah, and so have defended the status quo. But repression of all Arab opposition movements by the region s monarchs and secular dictators meant that protection of the Mosque became the only umbrella under which to engage politically.

The debate between religious fundamentalism and secular democracy is not a new one on the subcontinent. But the issue of justice for the crimes of 1971 has brought the divide into sharp relief.

But the issue of justice for the crimes of 1971 has brought the divide into sharp relief. The Shahbag protesters reject Islamic extremists influence in Bangladesh, and even call for organizations like Jamaat e Islami to be banned, while Hifazat e Islam and its supporters want the country s liberal forces repressed, secularist bloggers arrested, and strict Islamism imposed on Bangladeshi society.

Liberty, equality, and fraternity are enemies of the nationalist, extremist, and europhobic visions benighting Europe today. These dark visions must be met with France s commitment to integration, the rule of law, and secularism.

How to bridge the gap in developing countries between secular, more or less Westernized urban elites and the rural poor is an old question. One solution is to enforce secular modernization by oppressing the poor and their religious organizations.

They ensure that India remains secular, democratic and pluralistic.

They argue that if the AKP comes to control the presidency, it may no longer pursue moderate policies. Secularists point with concern to other AKP, such as Speaker of the Parliament Bulent Arinc, who are noted for their pronounced religious and social conservatism.

The nationalist regimes thus gradually lost domestic popular legitimacy, creating a vacuum that non state actors have now largely filled. The ideological forces and the currency of power have also changed, with political Islam replacing secularism while skillfully integrating social issues and revolutionary, anti Western nationalism.

It has been observed that in the formative phases of the new States almost all the constitutions were secular in nature.

No, brothers... don't be bothered by those nasty neorealists.

Why has religion returned to secular and democratic politics?

Every country has its own customs.

In doing so, Qatar is destabilizing several countries and threatening the security of secular democracies far beyond the region. For the sake of regional and international security, this elephant must be tamed.

This dynamic extends even to officially atheist China. Orthodox Communism, a perfect secular simulacrum of religion, has been the primary victim of development since China launched its market reforms in 1979.

Terrorism was a worldwide phenomenon which afflicted developed and developing countries without distinction.

In particular, Turkey should clarify the relationship between the concept of secularism and article 40 of the Constitution on individual rights and freedoms.

These naturalist constructions were founded upon the notion of a higher authority and divine reason, and rooted in morality.

Kazakhstan is a secular State, and any discrimination against women based on sex is prohibited.

Different countries, different customs.

The fight against international terrorism concerns all of the world's countries, because terrorism is a scourge that we all face it crosses all cultures, borders and civilizations.

But genuine realism, unfortunately, is beside the point. Given the inherent tension implied by neo conservatism s simultaneous embrace of secular free market capitalism and traditional values, its strategy, perfected since the Reagan era, has been to re draw the lines of division then, as now, the West is at risk, which requires nurturing a strongly emotional distinction between us and them.

There are more suicides in developed individualistic countries than in any other part of the world.

At direct stake today is Pakistan s future, but its future may determine the political fates of neighboring countries that are also struggling with violent Islamic fundamentalism. Will Pakistan be dragged along the path of Islamic extremism and emergency rule, or finally achieve modernity as a secular nation under civilian leadership?

Latin American countries that embraced free market policies in the 1990 s rejected them in the mid 2000 s, as a new wave of left leaning leaders came to power. Russia, which adopted market oriented reforms in the 1990 s, moved to a managed form of state capitalism in the 2000 s with oligarchs forced to submit to state control.

5. The preamble to the Constitution solemnly proclaims India apos s commitment to democracy and secularism, guaranteeing to all citizens freedom of religion and belief as well as the right freely to practise religion.

The AKP s resounding victory means that the Turkish republic originally shaped as a secular state by Kemal Ataturk in the 1920 s is dead. However, this does not necessarily mean that Turkey will become an Islamic, must less an Islamist, country.

We had the First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War and the rise of the communist nations.

In parallel with the WTO process many Asian and Pacific countries are pursuing a path of regionalism and bilateralism as a complementary strategy.

Within the framework of joint Arab action to combat terrorism in the Arab world

Your interests are worldly only.

Now, I'm going to move now from this kind of the sublime in the traditional sense of the word, that is to say, awe inspiring, terrifying to the somewhat more mundane.

That Iran was once a secular society, and we had democracy, and this democracy was stolen from us by the American government, by the British government.

The ACSJC works together with other religious and secular organizations whose purposes are similar or complementary to those of the ACSJC. The ACSJC is an active participant in public policy debate in Australia.