Pooyan Tamimi Arab, assistant professor of religious studies at Utrecht University, highlighted the centrality of secularism in plural societies at the"Transition and Safeguarding Citizens’ Rights in Iran" conference in Oslo on 31 August 2024. “Every democratic society must accept that pluralism is a permanent condition,” he said.
Tracing ideas from John Locke to John Rawls, Tamimi Arab noted that thinkers across centuries have regarded diversity not as a temporary phenomenon but as a constant, continually reproduced. Any democratic system, he argued, must recognise and institutionalise this plurality if it is to endure.
He pointed to South Africa’s transition from apartheid as a vivid example. Apartheid, he reminded the audience, was justified not only on racial grounds but also through religious doctrine, drawing on Calvinist teachings espoused by leaders like Daniel Malan. By the 1990s, both F.W. de Klerk’s National Party and Nelson Mandela’s ANC (African National Congress) agreed that a secular constitution was indispensable for dismantling apartheid.
South Africa’s secularism, Tamimi Arab explained, did not mirror the French or American models but resembled Germany’s, where religious education in schools was permitted while no single faith was granted official status. The 1996 constitution ultimately enshrined the separation of religion and state.
To illustrate, he cited a 1997 case in which a small Islamic radio station attempted to exclude women’s voices from its broadcasts. The secular state responded that such restrictions violated human rights and constitutional principles: state licences and financial support would only be granted if women’s voices were included. This, he said, showed that secularism protects religious freedom while also drawing clear boundaries against infringements of fundamental rights.
Tamimi Arab concluded that secularism in plural societies is not a tool for erasing religion but a framework ensuring equality. “In a diverse society,” he said, “all faiths must be free to express themselves. But where human rights are violated, the secular state is obliged to set limits.”
Translated from Farsi via machine translation and lightly edited for clarity.