Against the Grain

Secularism’s False Promise?

If the problem is religious polarization and inequality, isn’t the solution secular governance? Secularism, after all, promises the equality of citizens regardless of religious affiliation. In a 2016 interview, Saba Mahmood argued that modern secular governance, contrary to its grand claims, has in fact exacerbated religious inequalities. It has also, she said, constrained our political imagination to a significant degree.

Saba Mahmood, Religious Difference in a Secular Age: A Minority Report Princeton University Press

Obituary: Dr. Saba Mahmood, 1962-2018