Secularism
According to Oxford dictionary the term "secularism" means the belief that religion should not be involved in the organisation of society, education, etc.
In our country, most of the common people usually consider secularism as being "Anti-Islam" which is nothing but the result of their ignorance.
From the socio-political history of England, we come to know about the supremacy of orthodox Anglican Church over the common people. Moreover, the Church of England was the all in all in those days. But during the time of renaissance, and the times that followed, a new movement called "secularism" arose to curtail the powers of the church. At that time the people demanded that the church refrain from interfering in political and other affairs of the state. Again, there would not be any influence of religion in case of the administration of the state.
Well, let's see how Islam played its role in favour of good governance. The Charter of Medina is the living example of the liberal views of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). In this charter, he ensured equal rights, participation and judgment of all the people.
To sum up, I would request people to define the term secularism rightly.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments