Arab Countries Between Secular and Religious Narrative

By Leila Hoballah --

Introduction
One of the most important features of this era, one could say, is the arguments about culture, It’s relativity, plurality and even the possibility of culture to lead to “The Clashes of Civilization” as appeared in Samuel Huntington book, or the domination of one culture overall human cultures, as reflected by the work of Francis Fukuyama in “The End of History and The Last Man”. Culture does not seem to have a real essence, its definition has been a controversy and the term is used in a variety of representations. It could be referred to the ‘societies ways of life’ or as have been defined by the UNESCO “[Culture] is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [a human] as a member of society”( UNESCO 2009-2014).
And if we want to accept this definition of culture, we could claim that different societies are characterized by different cultures, but this difference is not in the essence of the culture itself but in its representation in reality, since the only subject of culture is the human being, which has “a fundamental element of human nature [which is] need for creative work, creative inquiry for free creation, […] so any decent society should maximise the possibilities for this fundamental human characteristic to be realised”(Chomsky 1971). And if we are looking for the non-static feature of human culture, we could be related to the human intellectual activity that refuses any culture that did not satisfy his needs, so the ‘enlightenment’ west will try to make a discectomy with the medieval ages, as well as the middle east ‘will try to make’ this intellectual discectomy between Islamic and pre Islamic era.
In this paper, I will argue the importance of understanding the intellectual formation of Arab mentality, in order to understand the debate about secular or religious society in the Arabic countries. Articulating two recent articles one by Gudrun Kramer, Freie University in Berlin, 2013, and the second by Barbara Di Politica’ Foscari University in Venice,2014, regarding the ‘civil society’ dilemma in the Arabic perception.

To continue reading download the paper

secularism

 

Arthur Blok

Veteran journalist, author, moderator and entrepreneur. The man with the unapologetic opinion who is always ready to help you understand and simplify the most complex (global) matters. Just ask.
See full bio >
The Liberum runs on your donation. Fight with us for a free society.
Donation Form (#6)

More articles you might like

Spirituality has not failed: Why humanity needs Humanocracy

In recent years, some thinkers have declared that the age of spirituality is over. They […]

The New Iraq: A war simmering on a low flame

The 2006 bombing of the al-Askari shrine in Samarra by an unidentified party ignited a […]

After October 7, there is no ‘Normal’ to return to

Two years on, the day remade the moral map, and the tremors have only begun. […]
- by The Liberum on 07/10/2025

When Speech Becomes a Crime: The Global Assault on Freedom of Expression

Despite the formal guarantee of freedom of expression and speech, it has become increasingly dangerous […]
- by The Liberum on 03/10/2025

Asylum in Europe: a Lubricant for Jihadi Terrorism

More than 75% of all asylum seekers (excluding Ukraine) in Europe are Muslim. Yet, these […]
- by Ahsan Ali on 01/10/2025

Ongoing youth protests in Morocco likely to further escalate

The wave of anti-government protests that began over the weekend in Morocco has been largely […]