Secularism Revised: Arab Islam, religious freedom and equidistance

The separation of religion and the state is called secularism, yet even in the most avowedly secular western democracies, the reality is more complex. The author examines the rich spectrum of configurations of religion and state in the former Christendom, and juxtaposes secular ideals and practices governing church and state with contemporary debates among Arab Muslims concerning mosque and state. It contends that no single model, including secularism, is universally appropriate or consistent with religious freedom. Instead, it moots equidistance – the principle of state impartiality towards religion.