30different. For example, I think Muslims have
tended to integrate better in Ame rica than they
have in Britain. I don’t want our readers to think
that the vast majority of American Muslims must
be conservative. There is a strong reform strand
within US Muslim discourse, and it may be that
most American Muslims support it.
Another, smaller group is what I would call “citi-
zens who happen to be Muslim.” The difference
between them and reformist Muslims is that many
people out there don’t identify primarily as Muslim
when interacting with society. It happens to be one
of their cultural identities, but it’s not fi rst and fore-
most. I’m deliberately not using the term “secular
Muslim” here, because of course conservative and
reformist Muslims may be secular too.Harris In fact, you’re using a more precise defi nition
of the word “secular” than is common in this con-
text. To spell it out for our readers: secularism is
simply a commitment to keeping religion out of
politics and public policy. Your religion is your busi-
ness, and my religion, or lack of one, is mine. A
willingness to build a wall of separation between
church and state is what defi nes secularism— but,
as you point out, behind that wall one may be
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