The Shifting boundaries between the State & Religion and its Impact on Society
Channel: OPP Netherlands
Date: 30/11/2020

The relationship between State and Religion has a significant impact on society - on the attitude of the people and their understanding of democracy. Secularism and democracy are variously interpreted and differently understood across the world. While democracy takes different forms in different countries, secularism is widely and often deliberately misinterpreted. It is confused with atheism, a society with no religion or even against religions. Fairness, freedom, equality, participation and co-existence are considered as essential elements of a democracy. Can they be guaranteed and freely practised in a theocratic state and society? The rise of extremism, nationalism and protectionism, inevitably a result of neoliberal policies, has unleashed a debate on whether democracies can only evolve and survive in a secular society. And whether non-secular societies are capable of treating all citizens equally, in particular those who do not belong to the religion of the State.   
 
This Dialogue/Webinar was designed to decompose the concept of secularism and deal with questions like, "Is equality, diversity, religious freedom, democracy and secularism inseparable? Is West’s argument justifiable that the lack of secularism is one of the reasons for the current situation in the Muslim world? Is secularism a prerequisite for economic and social development? etc."

Speaker: 
Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy - One of Pakistan's most prominent academics, Hoodbhoy is a well-known activist, in particular concerned with the promotion of freedom of speech, secularism, education and emancipation of women in Pakistan. Hoodbhoy extensively writes and speaks on topics ranging from science in Islam to education and arms disarmament issues around the world. He is author of "Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality", that has been translated into five languages. His articles on various issues related to science and social issues are often published in international media. His publications are repeatedly published in both technical and non-technical papers.
By profession, Hoodbhoy is a nuclear physicist. He did his graduation with double BSc in Electrical Engineering and mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1971, followed by MS in physics with a concentration in solid-state physics in 1973. After graduation, Hoodbhoy joined the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) as a researcher and renewed his scholarship to resume his studies in the United States. Hoodbhoy continued his research in doctoral studies in physics at the MIT and was awarded PhD in nuclear physics in 1978.