Separation of Religion and State in the Twenty-First Century: Comparing the Middle East and Western Democracies

Abstract

While religion has often been ignored as an important political factor, it is becoming increasingly clear that it plays a substantive role in world politics, both international ly and locally.1 Fundamentalist movements, such as the religious right in the U.S. and the numerous Islamic movements in Islamic states, have had a significant impact on domestic politics. Many localized disputes with religious elements have had international implications due to the spread of conflict across borders and increasing international involvement in solving local disputes. They include conflicts in Israel, Chechnia, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Sri Lanka. In addition, the interna tional network of Al-Quaeda has demonstrated the potential international impact of religious movements, though it is likely an extreme example. This article reexamines the relationship between religion and politics using the recently compiled Religion and State (RAS) dataset, which is the most detailed data on the separation of religion and state. The focus here is on domestic politics, specif ically the extent or lack of separation of religion and state in western democracies and the Middle East.2 The correlation between religion and democracy is examined implicitly through the comparison of the Middle East, the world's most autocratic region, with western democracies, the most democratic states in the world.3 Theoretically, this study also asks whether the predictions of eighteenth and nine teenth century philosophers like Voltaire and Nietzsche that religion's influence on public life would decline in modern times have come true.4 While many western democracies like the U.S. have official separation of religion and state, others like Denmark and the U.K. have established religions. Some countries like Austria and Belgium give different official statuses to different religions, officially recognizing some but not others. Some European countries restrict minority religions. For instance, France and Germany restrict proselytizing. Also, every western democracy other than the U.S. provides funds for religious education, and for most of them this funding includes religious education in public schools. Is the U.S. model of separa tion of religion and state the norm for western democracies or the exception? In order to answer these issues, this study examines five aspects of the separation of religion and state: the structural relationship between religion and the state (the existence of an official religion or the legal position of religion within the state); the