Foes of science, secularism

Live and let live

TBy Ahmad Al-Sarraf

hose who hate secularism are either ignorant of its meaning or have interest in its non-application and prosperity. Secularism, as the experiences of many countries have shown, is more conservative and religious than the religious authority itself.

In the absence of secularism, the clerics impose their thought, ideas and interpretations on everyone and the people are obliged to adopt one single faith because they have no other option. The people take a path to a single faith due to social pressures or physical force, as we have seen in many coun- tries.

The experiences of secular states, often Western, have shown that religious practices and embracing a certain religion is left for the conscience, education and disposition of the individual, and this makes faith deeper, more honest, and more deep-rooted in the mind, than if it was a result of beating or threatening by parents or functional or material deprivation.

It is obvious that democratic states with liberal regimes do not oppose religions, but rather oppose the role of clergy in influencing citizens, preventing their interference in politics, and in advocating hatred of followers of any other religion they do not represent, and preventing them from using violence against the followers of any sect or other religion.

If we look at the history of the world in the last 100 years, we find the failure of the religious state and

Al-Sarraf

the failure of all clerics’ attempts to confront the government, even behind the scenes, although there is little success for the religious state. It is often temporary and fades away with the decline of the authority of the cleric.

It is noted that the people who agreed to the control of the clergy in their capabilities was easy to accept political tyranny. The former often pave the way for the second, and make it ‘legitimate’ and acceptable, and the result of this domination of the cultural and political vacuum it leads to the backwardness of society and its transformation into a herd, and silence the opposition voice that the authority or the cleric does not want to hear!

It is secularism that has made it possible for Muslims to reach higher positions as ministers and politicians in various secular democracies, such as Britain, Sweden, Australia, Canada, even America, and dozens of other countries without paying attention to their race, religion or creed.

Recently, the great Republic of Singapore, with its many ethnic and multi-religious backgrounds, has chosen Halima Yacoub, the wife of Muhammad Abdullah Al-Habashi, of Yemeni descent, a president of the country. It is a protocol position, however it is high.

The mere presence of a Muslim woman means a lot about the tolerance of others among us and our lack of interest in minorities and respect for those who embrace other doctrines. Let us stand by the followers of other religions, which we owe to all of them the greatest credit in all that we enjoy the welfare, health, wellness, freedom, science, electricity, water, food, medicine, housing and everything.

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