Secular state

This presentation contents include Definition
Former secular states
Constitutional secular states
Former secular states
Constitutional secular states
Ambiguous states
Origin
History
Pakistan as a secular state
Objectives of resolution of Pakistan
Critiques of concept.

1. SECULAR STATE

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS; Definition Former secular states Constitutional secular states Former secular states Constitutional secular states Ambiguous states Origin History Pakistan as a secular state Objectives of resolution of Pakistan Critiques of concept references

3. DEFINITION: A   secular state  is an idea pertaining to  secularity , whereby a  state  is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of  religion , supporting neither religion nor   irreligion . A secular state is one that does not confer any privilege or favor on any particular religion. It never punish or discriminate against people on the basis of religion they follow. Government cannot compel any person to pay any taxes for the promotion or maintenance of religion. There should be no  religious  instructions in educational institutions

4. According to Christopher Hitchens, an English intellectual,  polemicist , and socio-political critic, Secular state is: `` Secular state is the guarantee of Religious pluralism. This Apparent paradox, again, is the simplest and most elegant Of political truths.``

5. Cont.… A secular state is a concept of secularism, whereby a state or country purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion A secular state also claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion It claims to avoid preferential treatment for a citizen from a particular religion/non-religion over other religions/non-religion. Secular states do not have a state religion or equivalent although the absence of a state religion does not necessarily mean that a state is fully secular; however, a true secular state should steadfastly maintain national governance without influence from religious factions; i.e. Separation of church and state .

6. Example;

7. FORMER SECULAR STATE:   Confederate States of America  (1861–1865 )   Democratic Republic of Afghanistan  (1978–1980 )   Imperial State of Iran  (1925–1941, 1953–1979 )   Iraq  ( 1932–2005)   Samoa  (1962–2017) Samoa ( 1962–2017 )

8. CONTITUTIONAL SECULAR STATES; France Mexico South K orea Turkey These are considered constitutionally secular although their secularism varies.

9. AMBIGIOUS STATES;   Argentina   Armenia United States  United Kingdom   Tonga Thailand    Switzerland   Armenia EI Salvador Bangladesh Sri Lanka   Seychelles   Romania   Norway   India Nepal Nauru Myanm ar Malaysia Laos Kiribati Israel Ireland Indonesia Georgia Finland Canada Brazil

10. ORIGIN: The term " secularism " was first used by the  British writer George Holyoake in 1851. Holyoake invented the term " secularism " to describe his views of promoting a social order separate from religion, without actively dismissing or criticizing religious belief

11. HISTORY: Among the earliest documentations of a secular form of thought is seen in the  Charvaka system of philosophy in India, which held direct perception, empiricism, and conditional  inference as proper sources of knowledge, and sought to reject the prevailing religious practices of that time Secularism emerged in the West with the establishment of reason over religious faith as human reason was gradually liberated from unquestioned subjection to the dominion of religion and superstitions Charvaka also known as Lokāyata, is an ancient school of Indian materialism .

12. Cont.. Secularism first appeared in the West in the Classical philosophy and politics of ancient Greece. It disappeared for a time after the decline of the Classical world, but resurfaced after a millennium and a half in the  Renaissance  and the  Reformation . Renaissance was a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries REFORMATION was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in particular to papal authority, arising from what were perceived to be errors, abuses, and discrepancies by the Catholic Church

13. CONT.. Secularism is most often associated with the Age of Enlightenment in Europe and it plays a major role in Western society. Secular states also existed in the Islamic world   during the Middle Ages.

14. Cont.. A major impact on the idea of state religious liberty came from the writings of  John Locke  who, in his  A Letter Concerning Toleration , argued in favor of religious toleration.  He argued that government must treat all citizens and all religions equally, and that it can restrict actions, but not the religious intent behind them .

15. Separation of state from religion resulted in establishment of secularist organization. In accord with the belief in the separation of church and state, secularists tend to prefer that politicians make decisions for secular rather than religious reasons . In this respect, policy decisions pertaining to topics like, Abortion, Contraception, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Same-sex Marriage, Sex Education are prominently focused upon by American secularist organizations such as the Center for Inquiry

16. PAKISTAN; a secular state: The concept of the  Two-Nation Theory  on which  Pakistan was founded, was largely based on Muslim nationalism. Secularism  in Pakistan  went from being a matter of practice in law by the   Government of Pakistan to a political movement opposing the Islamization policies  of the military dictator General   Zia- ul - Haq in the 1980s. The supporters of Islamisation on the other hand assert that Pakistan was founded as a Muslim state and that in its status as an Islamic republic, it must thereby implement Islamic laws, known as  Shariat

17. Cont.. one of Pakistan's most popular media outlets,   Dawn , was originally founded by Jinnah and identifies as secular. Other popular media outlets like Express Tribune, Daily Times and Pakistan Today also identify on a liberal and progressive platform . In 1956, the state adopted the name of the "Islamic Republic of Pakistan", declaring Islam as the official religion, but did not take any further measures to adopt Islamic laws. The country's military rulers General Ayub Khan(1958–1969 ) and General  Yahya Khan (1969–1971 ) continued a secularist tradition and repressed much of Islamist political activism.

18. IS PAKISTAN A SECULAR STATE? In this context, it is imperative to understand the true meaning of the word “Secular ”.

19. CONT.. Having said this, we see three main features of western secularism : ( 1) freedom of religion, i.e., no compulsion of beliefs (2 ) equal status for all religions (3 ) no interference by the state in religious matters or by the church in the affairs of the state, in other words separation of the state and the church.

20. Objective resolution of Pakistan; Sovereignty belongs to  Allah  alone but He has delegated it to the State of Pakistan through its people for being exercised within the limits prescribed by Him as a sacred trust . The State shall exercise its powers and authority through the elected representatives of the people. The principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice, as enunciated by Islam, shall be fully observed .

21. Cont.. Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings of Islam as set out in the Quran and Sunnah . Provision shall be made for the religious minorities to freely profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures.

22. Advantages ; It allows people from different religions to exist together at the least common denominator, ensuring all their beliefs and rights. It allows government to function on the basis of rational discourse rather than religious dogma It allows more rights and freedoms to women, who are generally assigned to subservient roles in many belief systems.  A “secular” state, not discriminating between different beliefs unless they led to oppressive, discriminatory or murderous attacks on others enabled people to live in a degree of peace and freedom.

23. Cont.. It promotes scientific and material advancement as this requires free rational discourse Secular states provide guarantee of religious freedom to all sections of society . A secular state is great, because it allows all people, regardless of their religion to be equally part of the country. There is no institutional discrimination against a religious minority .

24. Modern secular countries are some of the most peaceful and tolerant societies. The top performing countries in the  Global Peace Index  all have a very strong emphasis on secular state. The Global Peace Index gauges global peace using three broad themes: T he level of safety and security in society T he extent of domestic and international conflict T he degree of militarization . Factors are both internal such as levels of violence and crime within the country and external such as military expenditure and wars. GLOBAL PEACE INDEX

25. SOCIAL SCIENCES and CONCEPT OF SECULAR STATE; In political terms, secularism is a movement towards the separation of religion and government (often termed the separation of church and state. This can refer to reducing ties between a government and a state religion, replacing laws based on scripture (such as  Halakha , and  Sharia ) with civil laws, and eliminating discrimination on the basis of religion .   Each state may find its own unique policy prescriptions. These may include separation, careful monitoring and regulation of organized religion such as in France, Turkey, and others .

26. CONT.. According to modern sociology, ``Most societies become increasingly secular as the result of social, economic development and progress, rather than through the actions of a dedicated secular movement``.

27. References: DEFINITION : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_state#:~:text=A%20secular%20state%20is%20an,supporting%20neither%20religion%20nor%20irreligion . VIDEO; https :// www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PFvdqmkoVo PAKISTAN AS A SECULAR STATE: https :// www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9789814282383_0012

28. Thank you