Publication

Secularism and Islam: The false appearances of incompatibility

05 May 2025

by Toufik Bouarfa, Territorial Civil Servant at the City of Reims, Senior Fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy (EFD)

 

ABSTRACT

This article explores the question of the compatibility between Islam and secularism. It challenges the widely held belief that Islam is intrinsically incompatible with secular modernity. Through a historical and philosophical analysis, it highlights the diversity of Islamic interpretations regarding the relationship between religion and politics, emphasizing the contributions of thinkers such as Averroes, Al-Ghazali, and Ali Abdel Raziq. The article also examines the role of the Nahda and contemporary Arab revolutions in reinterpreting the relationship between Islam and secularism, suggesting that these two concepts can coexist harmoniously.

The paper can be read in both English and French.