Dr. Hossam Badrawi Official Website
Differences in meanings and conflicts in definitions
Enlightenment, secularism, and liberalism
By
Hossam Badrawi
Translated by Chat GPT
Painting by me
On the occasion of the holiday, I wrote a message of congratulations to my family and friends wherein I said:
“I hope everyone enjoys a holiday full of beauty and love, and that we reconnect with those we have forgotten, even with those we have had disagreements with, with humility and affection.”
I had a conversation with “Dreamers of the Future” about communicating with those we have had disagreements with, and one of them said to me: Two of my friends had a disagreement years ago, and they used to be close. I tried using your approach to make them reconnect, but surprisingly, they don’t even remember the real reason for their dispute, yet they continue to argue with each other for years…
Another young woman said that she had a conflict with her friend despite her love for her. How can they communicate and compromise?
I said: Let us join you in the dialogue, perhaps there is a way out.
She said: “I was accused of disbelief and atheism because I said that I am secular and support a civil state, which she did not accept from me because I believe in my Lord and my religion. I considered her accusation as injustice and not just a difference of opinion.”
I said: “Dear young people, what your colleague is saying is not far from the reasons for conflicts between nations, even wars. Merely disagreeing on the definition of a word, without knowing its origin or adhering to an ideological or religious concept, can lead to disasters if the heart and mind are not open to understanding first, and if we do not research the meanings and definitions of words before jumping to the conclusion that there is a difference or not. And even if there is, it should not sever the bond of love and hinder communication.”
Another young man said, “What are the most misunderstood definitions, doctor?”
I replied, “I can mention three: Enlightenment, liberalism, and secularism.”
He asked, “Can you clarify?”
I answered, “Before clarifying, I remind you that the label itself is not the most important element in expressing the truth. If you call a rose by any other name, it will still smell and appear beautiful. So, you should search for the meaning that the name implies in your minds to give words their proper context. For example, I see the reality of Egyptian society as secular, liberal, and enlightened according to my understanding and conscience. However, the trend of political Islam has been able to distort the meanings of these words, so that liberal, enlightened, secular, and civil all became synonymous with someone who does not adhere to religion, although the reality is the opposite. Let us delve into the meanings…”
The Enlightenment is an intellectual, cultural, and philosophical movement that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and earlier in Al-Andalus. It advocated for rationality and logic, emphasizing the power of reason as a primary source of knowledge. Its ideals included freedom, progress, and tolerance, as well as the separation of religious institutions from political administration.
The philosopher Immanuel Kant explained the nature of the Enlightenment in his article “Dare to Know,” stating that it is the attainment of human maturity or the age of enlightenment.
Human limitations, according to Kant, involve blind subordination to others, an inability to think independently, and an inability to make decisions without consulting a guardian. From this perspective, his cry of enlightenment came to say: “Use your minds, O humans, have the courage to use them. Do not be idle, submissive to fate or the written word. Move, be active, engage in life positively and insightfully, and beware of blind obedience to political leaders or religious men.”
Protecting and educating humans lies in their ability to become mature and self-reliant, using their minds to free themselves from instinctual beliefs in given facts.
Secularism, also known as worldly or scientific secularism, is an intellectual approach that sees human interaction with life as being based on worldly foundations and governed by a constitution agreed upon by people, rather than the interpretations of religious men of divine scriptures.
Secularism separates religion from the affairs of state governance but does not reject or prohibit religion.
The same concept and scientific approach apply to the view of the universe and celestial bodies. Secularism calls for interpreting the cosmic order in a purely worldly and scientific manner, in an attempt to find an explanation for the existence of the universe and its components. These explanations are subject to updates and adaptation according to the progress of scientific knowledge, rather than merely accepting allegorical interpretations as scientific facts.
As for describing secularism by its opponents as atheism, that is a definition that only exists in the philosophy of its opponents who oppose the idea of separating religion from politics and associate it with atheism in order to rally citizens against a political idea by turning it into a religious one, manipulating the definition to influence human emotions towards political orientations on the basis that they deny the existence of God. This does not differ whether it is in Christianity, Islam, or Judaism, as religious extremists throughout history are closer to each other in their approach. Most of them seek power and control over others under the pretext that they are absolutely right and everyone else is wrong. In political action, there is pluralism of opinions and means, and circumstances change with changing conditions.
It is the same mistake made by opponents of Islam who describe it as an inherently terrorist religion because some Muslims engage in acts of terrorism in this era, just as Christian extremists did in the past. Islam is fundamentally a religion of tolerance and peace.
As for liberalism, it is a political philosophy founded on ideas of freedom, equality, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, religious freedom, free markets, and civil rights. Liberalism rejects the rule of the church in the name of religion and the divine right of kings and rulers, and the caliphate that calls for religious Islamic rule, which requires the people to listen to and obey it.
John Locke is often credited with establishing this philosophy, considering that every individual has a natural right to life, liberty, choice, and property.
Liberalism, secularism, and civil society all call for not using religion to gain political gains, and their foundations are to respect the beliefs of all citizens. Religion is a relationship between the individual and God, and it deserves respect for its principles and practices. The state cannot have a religion, but it can be a state in which the majority of its citizens have a religion, such as the Islamic religion in our case. However, some of its citizens have different beliefs, and yet everyone has the same rights and responsibilities towards society.
Moreover, I would go further and say that respecting religion and freedom of belief is an authentic liberal principle, and I affirm that it is also an authentic Islamic principle, contrary to what extremists propagate. In a liberal state, it is not possible to impose a religion on individuals or compel citizens to adopt it.
For me, it suffices to quote the Quran: “And say, ‘The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve.” And Allah says, “And if your Lord had willed, those on earth would have believed – all of them entirely. Then, would you compel the people in order that they become believers?” And He says, “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.”
Isn’t all of this, and more, a respect for the freedom of belief and diversity?
As for the economic policy in liberalism, it means a free economy or market economy, which is the economic system of classical liberalism. The concept of a free economy means that the state does not interfere in economic activities and leaves the market to regulate itself.
As for social liberalism, which is the concept I embrace, it supports partial state intervention in the economy and takes a moderate position between extreme capitalism and extreme leftism. It believes in the role of the state in providing social rights such as education and healthcare and understands the role of the state as a coordinator and guarantor of justice and regulation.
This philosophy is also called social justice liberalism or welfare state liberalism, which means its inclusiveness of the concept of social justice. This is my approach and what I believe in. When a political liberal alliance is formed, it must clarify its orientations, i.e. what kind of liberalism it intends.
Social liberalism emphasizes the government’s obligation to create an environment that builds individuals’ capabilities and provides them with equal opportunities. It considers the right to work and a fair wage to be equally important as the right to property.
However, state intervention in the economy must have limits and requires a conviction of the primary role of the private sector in development, investment, and job creation. It is not a gift from the government that it gives or withdraws as it pleases. It is a philosophical right for citizens’ economic freedom, not a choice imposed by circumstances.
Experience tells us that when the ownership of one or more state institutions of the means of production expands without accountability, it ends up just like the greatest public ownership ideology in history. Communism withdrew individual rights, killed individual initiative, and seized all means of production, only achieving equality in poverty and corruption before it collapsed and ended.
From all definitions, you will see that the disputes, excommunication, and attacks on those who speak about the civility of the state, secularism, and liberalism are disputes about the concept of political governance, not about religion. Religion belongs to God, and the nation belongs to everyone.
