The debate on Islam and secularism can be considered as the most important issue facing Muslim intellectuals in Egypt. Christian writers, many of whom were Syrians who had immigrated to British-occupied Egypt to escape Ottoman rule, were the first to champion the concept secularism. Shaykh Ali Abd al-Raziq, whose famous book ‘al-Islam wa ‘Usul al-Hukm’ was published in 1925, was the first Muslim scholar to uphold the concept of the separation of religion and state. The resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism, the use of violence and emotionalism only serves to complicate this intense debate.
