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 claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and claims to avoid preferential treatment for a citizen based on their religious beliefs, affiliation or lack of either over those with other profiles.
Although secular states have no state religion, the absence of an established state religion does not mean that a state is completely secular or egalitarian. For example, some states that describe themselves as secular have religious references in their national anthems and flags, laws that benefit one religion or another, or are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
Origin and practice Secularity can be established at a state's creation (e.g., the Soviet Union, the United States) or by it later secularizing (e.g., France or Nepal). Movements for laïcité in France and separation of church and state in the United States have defined modern concepts of secularism, the United States of America being the first explicitly secular government in history. Historically, the process of secularisation typically involves granting religious freedom, disestablishing state religions, stopping public funds being used for religion, freeing the legal system from religious control, freeing up the education system, tolerating citizens who change religion or abstain from religion, and allowing political leaders to come to power regardless of their religious beliefs.Jean Baubérot The secular principle
In France, Italy, and Spain, for example, official holidays for the public administration tend to be Christian feast days. Any private school in France that contracts with Éducation nationale means its teachers are salaried by the state—most of the Catholic schools are in this situation and, because of history, they are the majority; however, any other religious or non-religious schools also contract this way. In some European states where secularism confronts monoculturalist philanthropy, some of the main Christian denominations and sects of other religions depend on the state for some of the financial resources for their religious charities. It is common in corporate law and charity law to prohibit organized religion from using those funds to organize religious worship in a separate place of worship or for conversion; the religious body itself must provide the religious content, educated clergy and laypersons to exercise its own functions and may choose to devote part of their time to the separate charities. To that effect, some of those charities establish secular organizations that manage part of or all of the donations from the main religious bodies.
Many states that are nowadays secular in practice may have legal vestiges of an earlier established religion. Secularism also has various guises that may coincide with some degree of official religiosity. In the United Kingdom, the head of state is still required to take the Coronation Oath enacted in 1688, swearing to maintain the Protestant Reformed religion and to preserve the established Church of England. The UK also maintains seats in the House of Lords for 26 senior clergymen of the Church of England, known as the Lords Spiritual. In Canada the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms affords secular freedoms of conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression, including communication, assembly and association yet the Charter's preamble maintains the concept of "the supremacy of God" which would appear to disadvantage those who hold nontheistic or polytheistic beliefs, including Atheism and Buddhism.Hogg, Peter W. Canada Act 1982 Annotated. Toronto, Canada: The Carswell Company Limited, 1982.Paul Russell, "The supremacy of God" does not belong in the Constitution": The Globe & Mail, June 11, 1999 Italy has been a secular state since the enactment of the Constitution in 1948 (stressed by a Constitutional court's decision in 1989),Articles 3, 7, 8, 19, 20 of the Constitution of Italy; Constitutional Court's Decision n. 203/1989 but still recognizes a special status for the Catholic Church. The reverse progression can also occur, however; a state can go from being secular to being a religious state, as in the case of Iran where the secularized Imperial State of Iran was replaced by an Islamic Republic. Nonetheless, the last 250 years has seen a trend towards secularism.
List of secular states by continent
This is the list of countries that are explicitly described as secular in their constitutions or other official state documents.
Africa
, Article 8: "The Republic of Angola shall be a secular State..." : "The Republic of Benin shall be one - indivisible, secular, and democratic." Leaders say Botswana is a secular state : "Burkina Faso is a democratic, unitary and secular state." Article 4 of Constitution : "Le Burundi est une République unitaire, indépendante et souveraine, laïque et démocratique." : "... the State shall be secular." Article 24 of the Central African Republic's Constitution of 2016, constituteproject.org: "The Central African Republic is a State of law, unitary, sovereign, indivisible, secular and democratic." : "Chad is a sovereign, independent, secular, social, and indivisible ..."
, Article 30: "The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is one and indivisible, secular, democratic and social." , article 1er: "République Démocratique du Congo est, dans ses frontières du 30 juin 1960, un État de droit, indépendant, souverain, uni et indivisible, social, démocratique et laïc." , Article 1: "The Republic of the Congo is a sovereign and independent State, decentralized, indivisible, secular, democratic, and social."
Article 1 of Constitution : "La Guinée est une République unitaire, indivisible, laïque, démocratique et sociale." Article 1 of Constitution : "Guinea-Bissau is a sovereign, democratic, secular and unitary republic."
, Article 1: "The Malagasy People constitute a nation organized as a sovereign, unitary, republican and secular State."
Constitution , Article 25: "Mali is an independent, sovereign, indivisible, democratic, secular, social Republic."
, Article 1: "The Republic of Namibia is hereby established as a sovereign, secular, democratic and unitary State ..."
Article 4 of the Rwanda's Constitution of 2003 with Amendments through 2015, constituteproject.org, Article 4: "The Rwandan State is an independent, sovereign, democratic, social and secular Republic." Article 154 of the Sao Tome and Principe's Constitution of 1975 with Amendments through 2003, constituteproject.org, "The following may not be the subject of a revision to the Constitution: [...] b. The secular status of the State;" Article 1 of the Senegal's Constitution of 2001 with Amendments through 2016, constituteproject.org, "The Republic of Senegal is secular, democratic, and social."
Article 3 of the Tanzania (United Republic of)'s Constitution of 1977 with Amendments through 2005, constituteproject.org, "The United Republic is a democratic, secular and socialist state which adheres to multi-party democracy" Article 1 of the Togo's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2007, constituteproject.org, "The Togolese Republic is a State of law, secular, democratic and social."
Americas
Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Paraguay Panama Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela
Asia
(Marxist–Leninist atheist state)
, "We, The People of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its..."
Article 1 of Constitution , Article 1: "The Kyrghyz Republic (Kyrghyzstan) shall be a sovereign unitary democratic republic created on the basis of a legal secular state."
: "After 2005, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Nepal declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."
(Juche state) , "The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable." See Declaration of Religious Harmony, which explicitly states the secular nature of society
, Article 1: "The Republic of Tajikistan is a sovereign, democratic, law-governed, secular, and unitary State." Preamble to the Constitution, "The elaboration and adoption of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor is the culmination of the secular resistance of the Timorese People ..." , Article 1: "Turkmenistan is a democratic secular state ..."
(Marxist–Leninist atheist state): "After 1975, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Vietnam declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."
Europe
In Belgium, Article 20 of the Constitution provides: No one can be obliged to contribute in any way whatsoever to the acts and ceremonies of religion, nor to observe the days of rest.
Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms
Fifth Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1972. Articles 3, 7, 8, 19, 20 of Constitution; Constitutional Court's Decision n. 203/1989
Article 11 of the Constitution
The Swedish head of state must according to the Swedish Act of Succession adhere to the Augsburg Confession
, article 35: "The Church and religious organisations in Ukraine are separated from the State, and the school - from the Church."
Oceania
Article 4 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji explicitly provides that Fiji is a secular state. It guarantees religious liberty, while stating, "religious belief is personal", and, "religion and the State are separate." Constitution of the Republic of Fiji , 2013
Section 2 of Article IV of the Micronesian constitution provides, "no law may be passed respecting an establishment of religion or impairing the free exercise of religion, except that assistance may be provided to parochial schools for non-religious purposes."
Transcontinental countries
Formerly secular states (1972–1977) Bangladesh was founded as a secular state by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman following the Liberation War. In 1977, secularism was removed from the constitution by a martial law directive during the Ziaur Rahman government. In 1988, the Parliament of Bangladesh declared Islam as the state religion during the presidency of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. In 2010, the Bangladesh Supreme Court ruled that the removal of secularism in 1977 was illegal because it was done by an unconstitutional martial law regime. The current Constitution of Bangladesh declares Islam as the state religion,Article 2A:The state religion of the Republic is Islam, but the State shall ensure equal status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other religions. but also accepts the secularism as one of the fundamental principles of state policy.Article 8:(1) The principles of nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism, together with the principles derived from those as set out in this Part, shall constitute the fundamental principles of state policy.(2) The principles set out in this Part shall be fundamental to the governance of Bangladesh, shall be applied by the State in the making of laws, shall be a guide to the interpretation of the Constitution and of the other laws of Bangladesh, and shall form the basis of the work of the State and of its citizens, but shall not be judicially enforceable. Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978–1987)