Revisiting European Secularism in the Light of Immigrants' Religion

Since the publication of the Satanic Verses in 1988, a series of controversies have re-opened the debate on  secularism and  on the role of religion in European public space: the September 2005 Danish cartoon incident; the November 2009 minaret ban in Switzerland; and the 2010 to 2011 wave of niqab prohibitions in France, Belgium, Spain.

This paper will analyze the  ongoing redefinition  of secular principles in European political cultures in the light of these controversies. Equality of all religions in public spaces and political neutrality of the state vis-à-vis all religions constitute the corner stones of secularity. They can be implemented in multiple legal ways according to the specific political culture and history of each country, as the differences among European nations attest. Through the case studies of the cartoons crisis, the legitimacy of crucifixes in public schools and the inclusion of Sharia in legal systems, this paper will discuss how the necessary accommodation of Islam as a new religion is affecting the implementation of the secular principles for all religions. It will also discuss the consequences of this redefinition at the European level by presenting decisions of the European court of Human Rights that reveal the shaping of an “ideal” European secularism.