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Work · Structuralism & Poststructuralism

Religious Difference in a Secular Age: A Minority Report

2016 · by Saba Mahmood

The situation of Copts and Bahais in Egypt shows that the modern secular state does not stand above religion but regulates it, and in doing so sharpens conflicts between majorities and minorities.

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Introduction

Mahmood’s second book appeared in 2016. Through the situation of Copts and Bahais in Egypt, it argues that the modern secular state does not simply stand above religion but regulates it, defining what counts as religion, as a minority and as religious freedom. The concepts of minority rights and religious liberty, which have their history in colonial and international law, have in this view helped to sharpen conflicts between majority and minorities.

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