Secularism And The Arab World

This book attempts to demonstrate that secular Arabic thought is not a novelty. Although much of what is being written in the Arab world today is of a religious and traditional nature, the beginnings of secularism can be traced back to the writings of various thinkers, mainly from Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. This study spans the period from the mid-19th century – when the first Arab intellectuals came into contact with Western thought and civilization – to the mid-20th century when secularism became part of the political, social and educational systems in many Arab countries.