Secular state

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A secular state is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion.^[1] A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and claims to avoid preferential treatment for a citizen based on their religious beliefs, affiliation or lack of either over those with other profiles.^[2]

Although secular states have no state religion, the absence of an established state religion does not mean that a state is completely secular or egalitarian. For example, some states that describe themselves as secular have religious references in their national anthems and flags, laws that benefit one religion or another, or are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.

Secularity can be established at a state's creation (e.g., the

This is the list of countries that are explicitly described as secular in their constitutions or other official state documents.

• Bangladesh (1972–1977)
  • The current Constitution of Bangladesh declares Islam as the state religion,^[169] but also accepts the secularism as one of the fundamental principles of state policy.^[170]
  • In 1977, secularism was removed from the constitution by a
    Bangladesh Supreme Court
    ruled that the removal of secularism in 1977 was illegal because it was done by an unconstitutional martial law regime.
• Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978–1987)
  • Afghanistan became a secular state following the Saur Revolution however Sunni Islam was briefly reinstated as the state religion under General Secretary Hafizullah Amin until his assassination in December 1979. President Mohammad Najibullah would reinstate Sunni Islam as the state religion in 1987.^[171]
• People's Republic of Kampuchea (1979–1993)
  • Kampuchea was a secular state from 1979 until the restoration of its monarchy in 1993.
• Djibouti (1977–2010)
  • Djibouti became a secular state after gaining independence from France in 1977. Islam was installed as the state religion in 2010.

• Imperial State of Iran (1925–1979)
  • Iran became a de facto secular state following the 1921 Persian coup d'état with the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty as the ruling house of the country in 1925, until the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
• Iraq (1932–1993)
  • Iraq became a secular state in 1932 after its independence. However, the
    Return to Faith campaign in 1993 and placed significant emphasis on Islam within all sectors of state and public life.^[172]
• Monaco (1999–2020)
  • In 2020, Monaco government re-established
    Catholicism
    as state religion.
• Myanmar (formerly Burma) (1885–1961; 1962–2008)
  • Myanmar was a secular state during the
    post-independence period until 1961 and again under the socialist regime, and the military regime
    until 2008.
• Samoa (1962–2017)
  • In 2017, the Samoan legislative assembly approved a constitutional amendment that instituted Christianity as the state religion.^[173]
•  Syria (1946–2025)
  • Syria had been a secular state from its independence in 1946. After the collapse of the Ba'athist Government in 2024, the new Syrian transitional government, formerly the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham rebels, placed significant emphasis Islam within the country's social fabric.^[174][175]

• Bangladesh
  • There is constitutional ambiguity whether Bangladesh is a secular country or an Islamic country. In 2010, the high court of Bangladesh reinstated secularism as a part of the Bangladesh constitution after terming the 1977 constitutional amendment done by then Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman as illegal.^[176] Political leaders and experts have expressed uncertainty if Bangladesh is a secular state or an Islamic state.^[177]Bangladesh regime changes often advocate for different type of religious freedom as in secularism or pluarism.^[178]

• Malaysia
  • In Article 3 of the
    White Paper), specifically quoted in paragraph 57: "There has been included in the proposed Federal Constitution a declaration that Islam is the religion of the Federation. This will in no way affect the present position of the Federation as a secular State...."^[181] The Cobbold Commission also made another similar quote in 1962: "....we are agreed that Islam should be the national religion for the Federation. We are satisfied that the proposal in no way jeopardises freedom of religion in the Federation, which in effect would be secular."^[182] In December 1987, the Lord President of the Supreme Court, Salleh Abas described Malaysia as governed by "secular law" in a court ruling.^[183]

• Syria
  • The 2025 Interim Constitution of Syria carries much of the same context of religion as prior constitutions, albeit with a slight wording change regarding the influence of Islamic jurisprudence on legislation. The new constitution however does not explicitly designate a State Religion in the same way as various other Middle Eastern countries do. Article 3 states "The religion of the President of the Republic is Islam; Islamic jurisprudence is the principal source of legislation.^[184]

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