I have written before about the trials and tribulations of Nawal el Saadawi – the Egyptian writer, feminist and secularist – at the hands of Islamists. She recently formed a new organisation, “Egyptian Solidarity with Civil Society”, which will be based on "scientific reason". 

Yesterday she had an article published by Almasri Alyoum, headed "Why a global solidarity movement for secular society?" Much as I sympathise with her intentions, I fear she's set off on the wrong track.

She starts the article with an exaggerated view of religion's influence on western foreign policy: "The big economic-military-nuclear powers in the United States, Europe and Israel need religion to establish their control over the world".

Her aim, presumably, is to show that she is not anti-Islam by pointing to the negative effects of politicised religion worldwide. But I can imagine Egyptian Muslims objecting: "If the western powers can play that game, why shouldn't we? After all, we have the true religion and theirs is false."

I can't see anybody being swayed by Saadawi's article. In the Arab countries religion has become such a dominant feature of everyday life that secularists need a much more subtle approach, demonstrating how separation of religion from the state can benefit Muslim believers. That is what Abdullahi An-Na’im does in his book, Islam and the Secular State, which begins with words: “In order to be a Muslim by conviction and free choice, which is the only way one can be a Muslim, I need a secular state.” 

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 16 October 2009.