The Debate of Procedural versus Programmatic Secularism

Reflections from Constitutionalism in Pakistan

  • Muhammad Danyal Khan Research Fellow, Brunel University London, UK
Keywords: Constitutionalism, programmatic Secularism, procedural secularism, secular, Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract Views: 216

Basic structure of Constitution of Pakistan has always been a source of debate among the academic, parliamentary and judicial circles. The arguments are divided in secular and religious notions. The same debate is going on parallel in United Kingdom and across the world to define the domain of religion in modern constitutionalism. The author aspires to deal with the question of domain of religion in Constitutionalism of Pakistan by conducting a comparative analysis of various on-going identical debates in the United States, the United Kingdom and Egypt. The paper will aim at synthesising the debate of domain of religion in constitutionalism by defining potentials and limitations of religion in modern constitutionalism. This will be done by theoretical analysis of arguments of both parties; people who think religion as potential and the people who wish to put a limit to the role of religion in working constitutionalism. Most significantly the work will
incorporate the innovative terminological differentiation of ‘Procedural Secularism’ from ‘Programmatic Secularism’ as defined by 104th Arch Bishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams in 2006.

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Published
2018-04-03
How to Cite
Muhammad Danyal Khan. 2018. “The Debate of Procedural Versus Programmatic Secularism”. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 8 (1), 60-71. https://journals.umt.edu.pk/index.php/JITC/article/view/92.
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