The term "secularism" has historical roots tracing back to Europe’s religious wars in the 17th century and the emergence of the modern nation-state, where power shifted to civil governance, away from the dominance of the Church.

The late scholar Dr. Abdelwahab Elmessiri distinguishes in his encyclopedia "Partial and Comprehensive Secularism" between two approaches to understanding secularism. One confines it to the separation of religion from politics and economics, meaning the separation of religion from the state. This type of secularism does not oppose religious and moral principles but prefers not to involve them in worldly matters subject to experimentation.

Then there is comprehensive secularism, which rigorously seeks to neutralize the relationship between religion and values in all aspects of life. It sees materialism as the sole means of interpreting the world and places it at the center of existence. This perspective emerged alongside the development of secularism itself, the rise of nation-states, European colonialism, increased production, and the erosion of intermediary institutions like the family. It was fueled by utilitarianism devoid of values, rampant consumerism, and phenomena like postmodernism, transnational corporations, sexual deviance, the nuclear family, and the misuse of science in medicine and research.

Secular states, along with their educational, entertainment, and media institutions, have infiltrated human consciousness, dreams, and behavior, undermining what remains of religious or even human ethics.

When Socialism and Liberalism Converged

Elmessiri points to the convergence of Western philosophies in their materialistic essence, regardless of surface differences. The Soviet Union, deeply rooted in comprehensive communism, hastened to adopt liberal values and American consumer goods with fervor after its collapse. On the other hand, the United States, which once allowed religious freedom and Protestant missionary work, became deeply entrenched in secularism and atheism due to the expansion of industrialization and urbanization. The commodification of everything—even humanity—became an American hallmark, exported globally as "Americanization." Symbols like McDonald's, Pepsi, hamburgers, sexualized advertisements, war films, the American lifestyle, and art focused on mundane realities rather than ideals became the most dominant worldwide. This was despite their embedded racism, particularly against the Third World, Arabs, and Muslims.

Globalization has dismembered the world—quite literally—through its colonial expansion and the emergence of Westernized elites in the Third World, ruling through oppression with Western (democratic secular) support. Alternatively, phenomena like Nazism and Zionism dismantled the human spirit, whether it was the Polish and Russian Jews in Europe or Palestinians in the Arab East. It is impossible to separate the history of secularism from the history of modern Western colonialism.

The Nazi and Zionist Models

Modern secularism manifests as the disappearance of values and the sacred from human life, glorifying only commodities and materialism. This led to the digitization of everything, as Elmessiri puts it. He draws a parallel between how European Jews were once treated as disposable objects and deported eastward via "transfer," and how today’s Zionists, backed by America, expel and exterminate Palestinians.

Elmessiri compares Nazi concentration camps and gas chambers to the oppression, extermination, and arrests Palestinians face today at the hands of contemporary Zionist Nazis. These acts are carried out by cold bureaucrats who believe such systematic steps are necessary for the security of “Israel,” the offspring of Western colonialism. For them, it’s a rational matter, devoid of emotions or even historical acknowledgment, as they erase history itself, adhering to Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest logic.

In his renowned book "Modernity and the Holocaust", Polish-English sociologist Zygmunt Bauman links modernity with the collapse of values. With increasing moral relativism and the erosion of religious absolutes, humanity has become fixated on the body, devoid of standards or principles, focusing instead on pragmatic rationalization concerned only with processes, not ends. This is reminiscent of the Nazis, who used "euthanasia" to kill the mentally ill and disabled before advancing to gas chambers for Jews, seeing both as unproductive classes.

Some have linked Turkey’s secular forces during Erbakan’s rule to this trend, as they militarily overthrew the public’s choice of a moderate Islamic party—Welfare Party—turning secular forces into the biggest opponents of democracy. This became a form of fascist secularism until the scales tipped toward moderation later.

Elmessiri highlights the influence of Western pragmatism on Arab political elites over past decades. The Palestinian cause, once centered on land stolen from its people and handed to Jews through massacres and destruction, gradually transformed into reclaiming the 1967 borders. Concessions continued, shifting the discourse post-Camp David agreements toward economic rather than pan-Arab issues. The ultimate hope has now become merely halting the killing of innocents or curbing settlement expansion.

Looking at “Israel,” it becomes clear that it is merely a practical application of Western imperialism, which has historically exterminated millions and plundered resources in Africa and Latin America for its benefit. Zionism, as a secular Darwinian movement, commodified Jews and Palestinians to serve its ends, much like it did in Vietnam, Bosnia, Chechnya, and other operations led by American intelligence.

Secularism from Within

Secularism has never upheld dreams of peace, justice, or equality as it claims. The French Revolution marked an era of sacred violence, Napoleon’s armies wrought destruction and death in Eastern lands, the British Empire looted and enslaved nations, and the Bolshevik Revolution gave rise to Stalin in Russia. Thus, secular regimes around the world share a similar trajectory.

In his encyclopedia, Elmessiri dedicates sections to the grim models produced by secularism. These include:

• The Singaporean hero, reduced to a production machine in a market driven by consumption.
• The Thai hero, turned into a marketable sexual commodity.
• The Zionist hero, characterized by brute materialistic force devoid of any value, who decides on the annihilation of others in camps.

Colonialism, with its "transfer" ideology, created human beings devoid of loyalty to culture or place. It relocated surplus populations to serve its interests, such as Chinese to Malaysia, Jews to Palestine, and even Jews to Argentina. This logic of uprooting extended to human identity itself.

The idea of transition and instability has evolved to encompass even human genders, with men transforming into women and vice versa. Advocacy now supports free choice in partnerships, allowing same-sex marriages, plunging humanity into a quagmire of deviation from any values or natural instincts.

Thus, comprehensive secularism has dehumanized people, treating them as raw materials, cheap labor, and guaranteed markets for the benefit of the superior and more dominant races in its biased colonial view. It has encouraged the division of the world into small nation-states, fueled conflicts to maintain its dominance, and simultaneously elevated consumption rates. Through Americanization, it eradicated cultural distinctiveness, celebrated immediate gratification of desires outside traditional frameworks, and denied the sanctity of humanity while idolizing materialism.

Our duty is to confront secularism with a comprehensive project that expresses our open, civilized, and authentic Arab-Islamic identity, instilling it in future generations.

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