Secular state: Difference between revisions

What links here Related changes Page information Get shortened URL
Created by ImportMaster
Last edited March 28, 2026
VisualWikitext
robot: Import missing articles
 
add content additionally and cleaned formatting based on references
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|State or country without a state religion}}
{{short description|State or country without a state religion}}
{{Original research|date=September 2016}}
[[File:Secular States Map.svg|thumb|500x500px|{{legend|#0093AF|Secular states}}{{legend|#EB151C|States with [[state religion]]}}{{legend|#ACACAC|Ambiguous states or no data}}]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Status of religious freedom|expanded=concepts}}
[[File:Map of secular states.svg|thumb|500x500px|{{legend|#0093AF|States with no state religion}}{{legend|#EB151C|States with [[state religion]]}}{{legend|#dedede|Ambiguous states or no data}}]]
{{Status of religious freedom|expanded=concept}}


A '''secular state''' is an idea pertaining to [[secularity]], whereby a [[State (polity)|state]] is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of [[religion]], supporting neither religion nor [[irreligion]].<ref name="MadeleyEnyedi2003">{{cite book|author-first1=John T. S.|author-last1=Madeley|author-first2=Zsolt|author-last2=Enyedi|title=Church and State in Contemporary Europe: The Chimera of Neutrality|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5Brda6FmswC|year=2003|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-7146-5394-5|page=14}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is Secularism? |url=https://www.secularism.org.uk/what-is-secularism.html |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=www.secularism.org.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>
{{nowrap|A '''secular state'''}} is an idea pertaining to [[secularity]], whereby a [[State (polity)|state]] is or purports to be officially [[Separation of church and state|neutral in matters of religion]], supporting neither religion nor [[irreligion]].<ref name="MadeleyEnyedi2003">{{cite book|author-first1=John T. S.|author-last1=Madeley|author-first2=Zsolt|author-last2=Enyedi|title=Church and State in Contemporary Europe: The Chimera of Neutrality|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5Brda6FmswC|year=2003|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-7146-5394-5|page=14}}</ref> A secular state claims to [[Social equality|treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion]], and claims to avoid [[Religious discrimination|preferential treatment for a citizen based on their religious beliefs, affiliation or lack of either over those with other profiles]].<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Secularism? |url=https://www.secularism.org.uk/what-is-secularism.html |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=www.secularism.org.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>


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


==Origin and practice==
==Origin and practice==
Secularity can be established at a state's creation (e.g., the [[Soviet Union]], the [[United States]], [[India]]) or by it later [[secularization|secularizing]] (e.g., [[France]] or [[Nepal]]). Movements for ''[[laïcité]]'' in France and [[separation of church and state]] in the United States have defined modern concepts of secularism, the United States of America being the first explicitly secular nation in Western history. Historically, the process of secularisation typically involves granting religious freedom, disestablishing state religions, stopping public funds being used for religion, freeing the legal system from religious control, freeing up the education system, tolerating citizens who change religion or abstain from religion, and allowing political leaders to come to power regardless of their religious beliefs.<ref>Jean Baubérot [http://www.ambafrance-us.org/atoz/secular.asp The secular principle] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080222013645/http://www.ambafrance-us.org/atoz/secular.asp |date=22 February 2008 }}</ref>
Secularity can be established at a state's creation (e.g., the [[Soviet Union]], the [[United States]]) or by it later [[Secularization|secularizing]] (e.g., [[France]] or [[Nepal]]). Movements for [[Secularism in France|''laïcité'' in France]] and [[Freedom of religion in the United States|separation of church and state in the United States]] have defined modern concepts of secularism, the United States of America being the first explicitly secular government in history. Historically, the process of secularisation typically involves granting [[religious freedom]], disestablishing state religions, stopping public funds being used for religion, freeing the legal system from religious control, [[Secular education|freeing up the education system]], tolerating citizens [[Apostasy|who change religion]] or [[Irreligion|abstain from religion]], and allowing political leaders to come to power regardless of their religious beliefs.<ref>Jean Baubérot [http://www.ambafrance-us.org/atoz/secular.asp The secular principle] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080222013645/http://www.ambafrance-us.org/atoz/secular.asp |date=22 February 2008 }}</ref>


In France, [[Italy]], and [[Spain]], for example, official holidays for the public administration tend to be Christian [[feast day]]s. Any private school in France that contracts with ''Éducation nationale'' means its teachers are salaried by the state—most of the [[Catholic school]]s are in this situation and, because of history, they are the majority; however, any other religious or non-religious schools also contract this way.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Teese |first1=Richard |title=Private Schools in France: Evolution of a System |journal=Comparative Education Review |date=1986 |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=247–259 |doi=10.1086/446591 |jstor=1188531 |s2cid=144698211 }}</ref> In some European states where secularism confronts [[monoculturalism|monoculturalist]] [[philanthropy]], some of the main [[Christianity#Churches and denominations|Christian sects]] and [[List of religions and spiritual traditions|sects of other religions]] depend on the state for some of the financial resources for their [[Private foundation (United States)|religious charities]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Twinch|first=Emily|title=Religious charities: Faith, funding and the state|url=http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/914534/religious-charities-faith-funding-state/|work=Article dated 22 June 2009|publisher=Third Sector – a UK Charity Periodical|access-date=3 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510221443/http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/914534/religious-charities-faith-funding-state/|archive-date=10 May 2013}}</ref> It is common in [[corporate law]] and [[charity law]] to prohibit [[organized religion]] from using those funds to organize religious worship in a separate [[place of worship]] or for [[Religious conversion|conversion]]; the religious body itself must provide the religious content, educated clergy and [[lay preacher|laypersons]] to exercise its own functions and may choose to devote part of their time to the separate charities. To that effect, some of those charities establish secular organizations that manage part of or all of the donations from the main religious bodies.
In [[France]], [[Italy]], and [[Spain]], for example, [[Public holiday|official holidays]] for the [[public administration]] tend to be [[Calendar of saints|Christian feast days]]. Any private school in France that contracts with [[Ministry of National Education (France)|''Éducation nationale'']] means its [[teacher]]s are salaried by the state—most of the [[Catholic school]]s are in this situation and, because of history, they are the majority; however, any other religious or non-religious schools also contract this way.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Teese |first1=Richard |title=Private Schools in France: Evolution of a System |journal=Comparative Education Review |date=1986 |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=247–259 |doi=10.1086/446591 |jstor=1188531 |s2cid=144698211 }}</ref> In some [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe|European states]] where secularism confronts [[Monoculturalism|monoculturalist]] [[philanthropy]], some of the main [[Christian denomination]]s and [[List of religions and spiritual traditions|sects of other religions]] depend on the state for some of the financial resources for their religious [[Charitable organization|charities]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Twinch|first=Emily|title=Religious charities: Faith, funding and the state|url=http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/914534/religious-charities-faith-funding-state/|work=Article dated 22 June 2009|publisher=Third Sector – a UK Charity Periodical|access-date=3 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510221443/http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/914534/religious-charities-faith-funding-state/|archive-date=10 May 2013}}</ref> It is common in [[corporate law]] and [[charity law]] to prohibit [[organized religion]] from using those funds to organize religious worship in a separate [[place of worship]] or for [[Religious conversion|conversion]]; the religious body itself must provide the religious content, educated [[clergy]] and [[Lay preacher|laypersons]] to exercise its own functions and may choose to devote part of their time to the separate charities. To that effect, some of those charities establish secular organizations that manage part of or all of the donations from the main religious bodies.


Religious and non-religious organizations can apply for equivalent funding from the government and receive subsidies based on either assessed social results{{clarify|date=February 2017}} where there is indirect religious state funding, or simply the number of [[beneficiary|beneficiaries]] of those organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.education.gov.uk/|title=Department for Education|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref> This resembles [[charitable choice]] in the United States. It is doubtful whether overt direct state funding of religions is in accordance with the [[European Convention on Human Rights]]. Apparently, this issue has not yet been decided at a supranational level in [[European Court of Human Rights|ECtHR case law]] stemming from the rights in the [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]], which mandates [[non-discrimination]] in affording its co-listed basic social rights.{{clarify|date=February 2017}}{{Fix|text=gobbledegook}} Specifically, funding certain services would not accord with non-discriminatory state action.<ref>[Sejdic and Finci v. Bosnia and Herzegovina (application nos. 27996/06 and 34836/06) found a violation of the non-discrimination overarching right [[wikt:vis-à-vis|vis-à-vis]] all other rights on a wider subject from often arbitrary funding of social charities viz. rights afforded by law Art. 1 of Prot. No. 12, namely protecting "any right set forth by law".{{clarify|date=February 2017}}{{Fix|text=plain English please}} The convention introduces a general prohibition of discrimination in legally enshrined state action, as well as where rights under the convention such as education or health care are funded. A superior level of services supported by religious bodies is permitted.]</ref>
Many states that are nowadays secular in practice may have legal vestiges of an earlier [[State religion|established religion]]. Secularism also has various guises that may coincide with some degree of official [[religiosity]]. In the [[United Kingdom]], the [[head of state]] is still required to take the [[Coronation Oath Act 1688|Coronation Oath enacted in 1688]], swearing to maintain the [[Reformed Christianity|Protestant Reformed religion]] and to preserve the established [[Church of England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/royaleventsandceremonies/coronation/coronation.aspx|title=Coronation Oath|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref> The UK also maintains seats in the [[House of Lords]] for 26 senior clergymen of the Church of England, known as the [[Lords Spiritual]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/members-and-their-roles/how-members-are-appointed/#jump-link-3|title=How members are appointed|work=UK Parliament|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref> In [[Canada]] the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]'' affords secular freedoms of conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression, including communication, assembly and association yet the [[Preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|Charter's preamble]] maintains the concept of "the supremacy of God" which would appear to disadvantage those who hold [[Nontheism|nontheistic]] or [[Polytheism|polytheistic]] beliefs, including [[Atheism]] and [[Buddhism]].<ref name="Hogg, Peter W. 1982">Hogg, Peter W.  ''Canada Act 1982 Annotated''.  Toronto, Canada:  The Carswell Company Limited, 1982.</ref><ref name="Paul Russell">[http://www.academia.edu/16378297/_The_supremacy_of_God_does_not_belong_in_the_Constitution_ ''Paul Russell''], "The supremacy of God" does not belong in the Constitution": The Globe & Mail, June 11, 1999</ref> Italy has been a secular state since the enactment of the [[Constitution of Italy|Constitution]] in 1948 (stressed by a [[Constitutional Court of Italy|Constitutional court]]'s decision in 1989),<ref>Articles 3, 7, 8, 19, 20 of the Constitution of Italy; Constitutional Court's Decision n. 203/1989</ref> but still recognizes a special status for the [[Catholic Church]]. The reverse progression can also occur, however; a state can go from being secular to being a [[State religion|religious state]], as in the case of [[Iran]] where the secularized [[Pahlavi Iran|Imperial State of Iran]] was replaced by an [[Islamic Republic]]. Nonetheless, the last 250 years has seen a trend towards secularism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 |title=Harris Interactive: Resource Not Found |access-date=18 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723125147/http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 |archive-date=23 July 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=300|title=A Portrait of "Generation Next"|date=9 January 2007|work=Pew Research Center for the People and the Press|access-date=18 March 2015|archive-date=24 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524055917/http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=300|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
Many states that are nowadays secular in practice may have legal vestiges of an earlier [[established religion]]. Secularism also has various guises that may coincide with some degree of official religiosity. In the United Kingdom, the head of state is still required to take the [[Coronation Oath Act 1688|Coronation Oath enacted in 1688]], swearing to maintain the Protestant Reformed religion and to preserve the established [[Church of England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/royaleventsandceremonies/coronation/coronation.aspx|title=Coronation Oath|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref> The UK also maintains seats in the [[House of Lords]] for 26 senior clergymen of the Church of England, known as the [[Lords Spiritual]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/members-and-their-roles/how-members-are-appointed/#jump-link-3|title=How members are appointed|work=UK Parliament|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref> In Canada the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]'' affords secular freedoms of conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression, including communication, assembly and association yet the [[Preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|Charter's preamble]] maintains the concept of "the supremacy of God" which would appear to disadvantage those who hold [[nontheism|nontheistic]] or [[polytheism|polytheistic]] beliefs, including [[atheism]] and [[Buddhism]].<ref name="Hogg, Peter W. 1982">Hogg, Peter W.  ''Canada Act 1982 Annotated''.  Toronto, Canada:  The Carswell Company Limited, 1982.</ref><ref name="Paul Russell">[http://www.academia.edu/16378297/_The_supremacy_of_God_does_not_belong_in_the_Constitution_ ''Paul Russell''], "The supremacy of God" does not belong in the Constitution": The Globe & Mail, June 11, 1999</ref> Italy has been a secular state since the enactment of the [[Constitution of Italy|Constitution]] in 1948 (stressed by a [[Constitutional Court of Italy|Constitutional court]]'s decision in 1985),<ref>Articles 3, 7, 8, 19, 20 of the Constitution of Italy; Constitutional Court's Decision n. 203/1989</ref> but still recognizes a special status for the Catholic Church. The reverse progression can also occur, however; a state can go from being secular to being a [[state religion|religious state]], as in the case of [[Iran]] where the secularized [[Pahlavi dynasty|Imperial State of Iran]] was replaced by an [[Islamic Republic]] (list below). Nonetheless, the last 250 years has seen a trend towards secularism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 |title=Harris Interactive: Resource Not Found |access-date=18 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723125147/http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 |archive-date=23 July 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=300|title=A Portrait of "Generation Next"|date=9 January 2007|work=Pew Research Center for the People and the Press|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://science.jrank.org/pages/11240/Secularization-Secularism-History-Nature-Secularization-Secularism-1914.html|title=Secularization and Secularism – History and Nature of Secularization and Secularism to 1914|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>


==List of secular states by continent==
==List of secular states by continent==
This is the list of countries that are explicitly described as secular in their constitutions or other official state documents.
{{See also|Constitutional references to God}}
This is the list of countries that are explicitly described as secular in their [[constitution]]s or other official state documents.


===Africa===
===Africa===
Line 30: Line 26:
* {{flag|Burkina Faso|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/Burkina%20FasoC%20(englishsummary)(rev).doc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009112408/http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/Burkina%20FasoC%20(englishsummary)(rev).doc|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2006|title=Article 31 of Constitution}}: "Burkina Faso is a democratic, unitary and secular state."</ref>
* {{flag|Burkina Faso|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/Burkina%20FasoC%20(englishsummary)(rev).doc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009112408/http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/Burkina%20FasoC%20(englishsummary)(rev).doc|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2006|title=Article 31 of Constitution}}: "Burkina Faso is a democratic, unitary and secular state."</ref>
* {{flag|Burundi|size=23px}}<ref>[http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/CAFRAD/UNPAN004624.pdf Article 4 of Constitution] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007195330/http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/CAFRAD/UNPAN004624.pdf |date=7 October 2006 }}: "Le Burundi est une République unitaire, indépendante et souveraine, laïque et démocratique."</ref>
* {{flag|Burundi|size=23px}}<ref>[http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/CAFRAD/UNPAN004624.pdf Article 4 of Constitution] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007195330/http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/CAFRAD/UNPAN004624.pdf |date=7 October 2006 }}: "Le Burundi est une République unitaire, indépendante et souveraine, laïque et démocratique."</ref>
* {{flag|Cameroon|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://confinder.richmond.edu/admin/docs/Cameroon.pdf|title=Preamble of Constitution}}: "... the State shall be secular."</ref>
* {{flag|Cameroon|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://confinder.richmond.edu/admin/docs/Cameroon.pdf|title=Preamble of Constitution|access-date=1 March 2007|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215062653/http://confinder.richmond.edu/admin/docs/Cameroon.pdf|url-status=dead}}: "... the State shall be secular."</ref>
* {{flag|Central African Republic|size=23px}}<ref>Article 24 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Central_African_Republic_2016.pdf?lang=en Central African Republic's Constitution of 2016], constituteproject.org: "The Central African Republic is a State of law, unitary, sovereign, indivisible, secular and democratic."</ref>
* {{flag|Central African Republic|size=23px}}<ref>Article 24 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Central_African_Republic_2016.pdf?lang=en Central African Republic's Constitution of 2016], constituteproject.org: "The Central African Republic is a State of law, unitary, sovereign, indivisible, secular and democratic."</ref>
* {{flag|Chad|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/ChadC%20(english%20summary)(rev).doc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009114533/http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/ChadC%20(english%20summary)(rev).doc|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2006|title=Article 1 of Constitution}}: "Chad is a sovereign, independent, secular, social, and indivisible ..."</ref>
* {{flag|Chad|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/ChadC%20(english%20summary)(rev).doc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009114533/http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/ChadC%20(english%20summary)(rev).doc|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2006|title=Article 1 of Constitution}}: "Chad is a sovereign, independent, secular, social, and indivisible ..."</ref>
*{{flag|Comoros|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Comoros_2018 | title=Comoros 2018 Constitution - Constitute }}</ref>
* {{flag|Côte d'Ivoire|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Cote_DIvoire_2000.pdf?lang=en|title=Côte d'Ivoire's Constitution of 2000}}, Article 30: "The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is one and indivisible, secular, democratic and social."</ref>
* {{flag|Côte d'Ivoire|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Cote_DIvoire_2000.pdf?lang=en|title=Côte d'Ivoire's Constitution of 2000}}, Article 30: "The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is one and indivisible, secular, democratic and social."</ref>
* {{flag|Congo DR|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_de_la_R%C3%A9publique_d%C3%A9mocratique_du_Congo#Article_1er|title=Constitution de la République démocratique du Congo|access-date=18 March 2015}}, article 1er: "République Démocratique du Congo est, dans ses frontières du 30 juin 1960, un État de droit, indépendant, souverain, uni et indivisible, social, démocratique et laïc."</ref>
* {{flag|Congo DR|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_de_la_R%C3%A9publique_d%C3%A9mocratique_du_Congo#Article_1er|title=Constitution de la République démocratique du Congo|access-date=18 March 2015}}, article 1er: "République Démocratique du Congo est, dans ses frontières du 30 juin 1960, un État de droit, indépendant, souverain, uni et indivisible, social, démocratique et laïc."</ref>
* {{flag|Congo|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/cf00000_.html#A001_|title=ICL - Congo-Brazzaville - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}, Article 1: "The Republic of the Congo is a sovereign and independent State, decentralized, indivisible, secular, democratic, and social."</ref>
* {{flag|Congo|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/cf00000_.html#A001_|title=ICL - Congo-Brazzaville - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}, Article 1: "The Republic of the Congo is a sovereign and independent State, decentralized, indivisible, secular, democratic, and social."</ref>
* {{flag|Gabon|size=23px}}<ref>[http://droit.francophonie.org/doc/html/ga/con/fr/2000/2000dfgacofr1.html Article 2 of Constitution] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051019075526/http://droit.francophonie.org/doc/html/ga/con/fr/2000/2000dfgacofr1.html |date=19 October 2005 }}: "Le Gabon est une République indivisible, laïque, démocratique et sociale."</ref>
* {{flag|Equatorial Guinea|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/equatorial-guinea/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Equatorial Guinea|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Equatorial Guinea|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/equatorial-guinea/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Equatorial Guinea|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Eritrea|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/eritre/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Eritrea|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Eritrea|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/eritre/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Eritrea|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
Line 65: Line 61:
* {{flag|Tanzania|size=23px}}<ref>Article 3 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Tanzania_2005.pdf?lang=en Tanzania (United Republic of)'s Constitution of 1977 with Amendments through 2005], constituteproject.org, "The United Republic is a democratic, secular and socialist state which adheres to multi-party democracy"</ref>
* {{flag|Tanzania|size=23px}}<ref>Article 3 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Tanzania_2005.pdf?lang=en Tanzania (United Republic of)'s Constitution of 1977 with Amendments through 2005], constituteproject.org, "The United Republic is a democratic, secular and socialist state which adheres to multi-party democracy"</ref>
* {{flag|Togo|size=23px}}<ref>Article 1 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Togo_2007.pdf?lang=en Togo's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2007], constituteproject.org, "The Togolese Republic is a State of law, secular, democratic and social."</ref>
* {{flag|Togo|size=23px}}<ref>Article 1 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Togo_2007.pdf?lang=en Togo's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2007], constituteproject.org, "The Togolese Republic is a State of law, secular, democratic and social."</ref>
* {{flag|Tunisia|size=23px}}<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://groundreport.in/why-tunisia-abandoning-islam-as-a-state-religion/|title=Why Tunisia abandoning Islam as a state religion?|website=GR}}</ref>
* {{flag|Uganda|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/uganda/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uganda|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Uganda|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/uganda/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uganda|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Zimbabwe|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/zimbabwe/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Zimbabwe|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Zimbabwe|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/zimbabwe/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Zimbabwe|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
Line 71: Line 68:
===Americas===
===Americas===
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
* {{flagicon|Antigua and Barbuda}} [[Antigua and Barbuda]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/antigua-and-barbuda/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Antigua and Barbuda|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Antigua and Barbuda}} [[Antigua and Barbuda]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/antigua-and-barbuda/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Antigua and Barbuda|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flag|Argentina}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/argentina/ |title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Argentina|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 July 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Argentina]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/argentina/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Argentina|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Bahamas}} [[Bahamas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/bahamas/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bahamas|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Bahamas}} [[Bahamas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/bahamas/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bahamas|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Barbados}} [[Barbados]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/barbados/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Barbados|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Barbados}} [[Barbados]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/barbados/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Barbados|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Belize}} [[Belize]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/belize/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Belize|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Belize}} [[Belize]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/belize/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Belize|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Bolivia}} [[Bolivia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/bolivia/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bolivia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Bolivia}} [[Bolivia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/bolivia/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bolivia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Brazil]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/brazil/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Brazil|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Brazil]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/brazil/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Brazil|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/canada/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Canada|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]]<ref>{{multiref2
* {{flagicon|Chile}} [[Chile]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/chile/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Chile|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
| {{cite book |first1=Paul |last1=Bramadat |first2=David |last2=Seljak |title=Religion and Ethnicity in Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VymssyK1Hs0C&pg=PA3 |year=2009 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-1-4426-1018-7 |page=3 |ref=none}}
* {{flagicon|Colombia}} [[Colombia]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=García Jaramillo |first1=Leonardo |title=El Influjo del Principio de Laicidad en el Constitucionalismo Colombiano |journal=Estudios Constitucionales |date=2013 |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=425–450 |doi=10.4067/S0718-52002013000200011 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
| {{cite book |first=Kurt |last=Bowen |title=Christians in a Secular World: The Canadian Experience |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=__38sGZLrvYC&pg=PA174 |year=2004 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press |isbn=978-0-7735-7194-5 |page=174 |ref=none}}
* {{flagicon|Cuba}} [[Cuba]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cuba/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Cuba|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
| {{cite book |first1=Derek |last1=Gregory |first2=Ron |last2=Johnston |first3=Geraldine |last3=Pratt |first4=Michael |last4=Watts |first5=Sarah |last5=Whatmore |title=The Dictionary of Human Geography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5liCbG4J9LYC&pg=PT672 |year=2009 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4443-1056-6 |page=672 |ref=none}}
* {{flagicon|Dominica}} [[Dominica]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/dominica/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Dominica|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
|{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/canada/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Canada|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023 |ref=none}}
* {{flagicon|Dominican Republic}} [[Dominican Republic]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/dominican-republic/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Dominican Republic|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Ecuador}} [[Ecuador]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asambleanacional.gob.ec/documentos/constitucion_de_bolsillo.pdf|title=Articles 1, 11, 26, and 66.8 of the Ecuadorian Constitution}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Chile}} [[Chile]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/chile/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Chile|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|El Salvador}} [[El Salvador]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/el-salvador/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: El Salvador|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Colombia}} [[Colombia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/colombia/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Colombia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Guatemala}} [[Guatemala]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/guatemala/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Guatemala|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Cuba}} [[Cuba]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cuba/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Cuba|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Guyana}} [[Guyana]]<ref>Article 1 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Guyana_2016.pdf?lang=en Guyana's Constitution of 1980 with Amendments through 2016], https://constituteproject.org/</ref>
* {{flagicon|Dominica}} [[Dominica]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/dominica/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Dominica|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Haiti}} [[Haiti]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/haiti/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Haiti|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Dominican Republic}} [[Dominican Republic]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/dominican-republic/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Dominican Republic|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Honduras}} [[Honduras]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/honduras/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Honduras|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Ecuador}} [[Ecuador]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/ecuador/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Ecuador|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Jamaica|size=23px}} [[Jamaica]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/jamaica/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Jamaica|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|El Salvador}} [[El Salvador]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/el-salvador/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: El Salvador|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico]]<ref>Article 40 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Mexico_2015.pdf?lang=en Mexico's Constitution of 1917 with Amendments through 2015], constituteproject.org: "It is in the will of the Mexican people to constitute into a representative, democratic, secular, federal, Republic ..."</ref>
* {{flagicon|Grenada}} [[Grenada]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/grenada/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Grenada|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Nicaragua}} [[Nicaragua]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/nicaragua/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nicaragua|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Guatemala}} [[Guatemala]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/guatemala/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Guatemala|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Paraguay}} [[Paraguay]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/paraguay/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Paraguay|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Guyana}} [[Guyana]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/guyana/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Guyana|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Panama}} [[Panama]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/panama/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Panama|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Haiti}} [[Haiti]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/haiti/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Haiti|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Peru}} [[Peru]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/peru/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Peru|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Honduras}} [[Honduras]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/honduras/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Honduras|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/saint-kitts-and-nevis/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Kitts and Nevis|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Jamaica|size=23px}} [[Jamaica]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/jamaica/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Jamaica|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Saint Lucia}} [[Saint Lucia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/saint-lucia/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Lucia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/mexico/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mexico|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}} [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Nicaragua}} [[Nicaragua]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/nicaragua/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nicaragua|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Suriname}} [[Suriname]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/suriname/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Suriname|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Paraguay}} [[Paraguay]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/paraguay/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Paraguay|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}} [[Trinidad and Tobago]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/trinidad-and-tobago/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Trinidad and Tobago|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Panama}} [[Panama]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/panama/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Panama|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Peru}} [[Peru]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/peru/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Peru|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/saint-kitts-and-nevis/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Kitts and Nevis|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Saint Lucia}} [[Saint Lucia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/saint-lucia/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Lucia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}} [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Suriname}} [[Suriname]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/suriname/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Suriname|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}} [[Trinidad and Tobago]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/trinidad-and-tobago/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Trinidad and Tobago|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/religion_and_the_constitution|title=Religion and the US Constitution: The First Amendment|publisher=[[Cornell Law School]]|access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/religion_and_the_constitution|title=Religion and the US Constitution: The First Amendment|publisher=[[Cornell Law School]]|access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Uruguay}} [[Uruguay]]<ref>Article 5 of the [https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Uruguay_2004.pdf?lang=en Uruguayan Constitution of 1966], https://constituteproject.org/</ref>
* {{flagicon|Uruguay}} [[Uruguay]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/uruguay/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uruguay|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Venezuela}} [[Venezuela]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/venezuela/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Venezuela|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Venezuela}} [[Venezuela]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/venezuela/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Venezuela|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>
{{colend}}
{{colend}}


===Asia===
===Asia===
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
{{colbegin|colwidth=18em}}
*{{Flag|China|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/china/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: People's Republic of China|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|China|size=23px}} ([[Atheist country]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/china/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: China|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=24 October 2023}}</ref>
** {{Flag|Hong Kong|size=23px}} {{smallsup|2}}
* {{Flag|Cyprus}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cyprus/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Cyprus|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
** {{Flag|Macau|size=23px}} {{smallsup|2}}
*{{flag|Indonesia|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/indonesia/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Indonesia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref>  
* {{Flag|India|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend42.htm|title=THE CONSTITUTION (AMENDMENT)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328040620/http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend42.htm|archive-date=28 March 2015}}, "WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its..."</ref>
* {{Flag|India|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend42.htm|title=The Constitution (Amendment)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328040620/http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend42.htm|archive-date=28 March 2015}}, "We, The People of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its..."</ref>
* {{Flag|Indonesia|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/240282-INDONESIA-2020-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf |title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Indonesia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=18 July 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Japan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/japan/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Japan|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Israel|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/israel-west-bank-and-gaza/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Israel|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
*{{Flag|Japan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/ja00000_.html#A020_|title=ICL - Japan - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}, Article 20 is titled "Freedom of Religion, Secularity of the State"</ref>
* {{Flag|Korea DPR|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/north-korea/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Korea Republic|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/south-korea/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: South Korea|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Kyrgyzstan|size=23px}}<ref>[http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Legal_co-operation/Foreigners_and_citizens/Nationality/Documents/National_legislation/Kyrgyzstan%20Constitution%20of%20the%20Kyrghyz%20Republic.asp Article 1 of Constitution] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204064819/http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Legal_co-operation/Foreigners_and_citizens/Nationality/Documents/National_legislation/Kyrgyzstan%20Constitution%20of%20the%20Kyrghyz%20Republic.asp |date=4 February 2007 }}, Article 1: "The Kyrghyz Republic (Kyrghyzstan) shall be a sovereign unitary democratic republic created on the basis of a legal secular state."</ref>
* {{Flag|Kyrgyzstan|size=23px}}<ref>[http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Legal_co-operation/Foreigners_and_citizens/Nationality/Documents/National_legislation/Kyrgyzstan%20Constitution%20of%20the%20Kyrghyz%20Republic.asp Article 1 of Constitution] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204064819/http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Legal_co-operation/Foreigners_and_citizens/Nationality/Documents/National_legislation/Kyrgyzstan%20Constitution%20of%20the%20Kyrghyz%20Republic.asp |date=4 February 2007 }}, Article 1: "The Kyrghyz Republic (Kyrghyzstan) shall be a sovereign unitary democratic republic created on the basis of a legal secular state."</ref>
* {{Flag|Laos|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/laos/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Laos|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Laos|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/laos/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Laos|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Mongolia|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/mongolia/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mongolia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Mongolia|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/mongolia/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mongolia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Nepal|size=23px}}<ref>{{harvnb|Dodd|2003|p=571|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wImNYmmgcA0C&pg=PT571 The rough guide to Nepal]}}: "After 2005, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Nepal declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."</ref>
* {{Flag|Nepal|size=23px}}<ref>{{harvnb|Dodd|2003|p=571|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wImNYmmgcA0C&pg=PT571 The rough guide to Nepal]}}: "After 2005, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Nepal declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."</ref>
* {{Flag|Philippines|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/1987-constitution/|title=Article II Section 6 of the Constitution of the Philippines|access-date=12 March 2021}},  "The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable."</ref>
* {{flag|Northern Cyprus}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ombudsman.gov.ct.tr/Portals/20/Constitution%20of%20TRNC.pdf|title=Northern Cyprus Constitution|access-date=29 January 2022}}</ref>{{efn|name=fn1}}
* {{Flag|North Korea|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/democraticpeople'srepublicofkorea/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: North Korea|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=24 October 2023}}</ref> ([[Juche]] doctrine)
* {{Flag|Philippines|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/1987-constitution/|title=Article II Section 6 of the Constitution of the Philippines|access-date=12 March 2021|archive-date=5 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105085906/https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/1987-constitution/|url-status=dead}},  "The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable."</ref>
* {{Flag|Singapore|size=23px}}<ref>See [[Declaration of Religious Harmony]], which explicitly states the secular nature of society</ref>
* {{Flag|Singapore|size=23px}}<ref>See [[Declaration of Religious Harmony]], which explicitly states the secular nature of society</ref>
* {{Flag|Taiwan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/taiwan/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Taiwan|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>{{smallsup|1}}
* {{Flag|Republic of Korea|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/south-korea/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: South Korea|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flag|Syria|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sana.sy/?p=2198312|title=Constitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic|publisher=[[Syrian Arab News Agency]]|access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref>
* {{flag|Taiwan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/taiwan/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Taiwan|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>{{efn|name=fn1|State with limited recognition.<ref name="autogenerated2011">{{Citation |title=Introduction: Secular State and Pious Muslims |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781137010643.0003 |work=Secular State and Religious Society |year=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |doi=10.1057/9781137010643.0003 |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |isbn=9781137010643 |access-date=2022-04-11|url-access=subscription }}</ref>}}
* {{Flag|Tajikistan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Tajikistan_2003.pdf?lang=en|title=Tajikistan's Constitution of 1994 with Amendments through 2003}}, Article 1: "The Republic of Tajikistan is a sovereign, democratic, law-governed, secular, and unitary State."</ref>
* {{Flag|Tajikistan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Tajikistan_2003.pdf?lang=en|title=Tajikistan's Constitution of 1994 with Amendments through 2003}}, Article 1: "The Republic of Tajikistan is a sovereign, democratic, law-governed, secular, and unitary State."</ref>
* {{Flag|Thailand|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/thailand/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Thailand|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Timor-Leste|size=23px}}<ref>[https://constituteproject.org/constitution/East_Timor_2002.pdf?lang=en Preamble to the Constitution], "The elaboration and adoption of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor is the culmination of the secular resistance of the Timorese People ..."</ref>
*{{Flag|Timor-Leste|size=23px}}<ref>[https://constituteproject.org/constitution/East_Timor_2002.pdf?lang=en Preamble to the Constitution], "The elaboration and adoption of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor is the culmination of the secular resistance of the Timorese People ..."</ref>
* {{Flag|Turkmenistan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uta.edu/cpsees/TURKCON.htm|title=Constitution of Turkmenistan|access-date=18 March 2015|archive-date=14 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414030847/http://www.uta.edu/cpsees/TURKCON.htm|url-status=dead}}, Article 1: "Turkmenistan is a democratic secular state ..."</ref>
* {{Flag|Turkmenistan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uta.edu/cpsees/TURKCON.htm|title=Constitution of Turkmenistan|access-date=18 March 2015}}, Article 1: "Turkmenistan is a democratic secular state ..."</ref>
* {{flag|Uzbekistan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/uzbekistan/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uzbekistan|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
*{{flag|Uzbekistan|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/uzbekistan/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uzbekistan|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Vietnam|size=23px}} ([[Atheist country]])<ref>{{harvnb|Dodd|2003|p=571|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wImNYmmgcA0C&pg=PT571 The rough guide to Vietnam]}}: "After 1975, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Vietnam declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."</ref>
* {{Flag|Vietnam|size=23px}}<ref>{{harvnb|Dodd|2003|p=571|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wImNYmmgcA0C&pg=PT571 The rough guide to Vietnam]}}: "After 1975, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Vietnam declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."</ref>
{{colend}}
{{colend}}
<sup>1</sup> State with limited recognition.<ref>{{Citation |title=Introduction  Secular State and Pious Muslims |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781137010643.0003 |work=Secular State and Religious Society |year=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |doi=10.1057/9781137010643.0003 |isbn=9781137010643 |access-date=2022-04-11}}</ref><br />
<sup>2</sup> [[Special Administrative Regions]].


===Europe===
===Europe===
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
* {{flag|Albania}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/al00000_.html#A007_|title=ICL - Albania - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Albania}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/al00000_.html#A007_|title=ICL - Albania - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Andorra|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/andorra/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Andorra|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Andorra}}<ref>{{cite web | title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom:Andorra| website=United States Department of State | date=12 May 2021 | url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/andorra/ | access-date=29 December 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Austria}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/au00000_.html|title=ICL - Austria Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Austria}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/au00000_.html|title=ICL - Austria Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Belarus}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ia5AAQAAQBAJ|title=Yearbook of Muslims in Europe|first1=Jørgen|last1=Nielsen|first2=Samim|last2=Akgönül|first3=Ahmet|last3=Alibašić|first4=Egdunas|last4=Racius|date=19 September 2013|publisher=BRILL|via=Google Books|isbn=9789004255869}}</ref>
* {{flag|Belarus}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ia5AAQAAQBAJ|title=Yearbook of Muslims in Europe|first1=Jørgen|last1=Nielsen|first2=Samim|last2=Akgönül|first3=Ahmet|last3=Alibašić|first4=Egdunas|last4=Racius|date=19 September 2013|publisher=BRILL|via=Google Books|isbn=9789004255869}}</ref>
* {{flag|Belgium}}<ref>In Belgium, Article 20 of the Constitution provides: No one can be obliged to contribute in any way whatsoever to the acts and ceremonies of religion, nor to observe the days of rest. {{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/be00000_.html|title=ICL - Belgium - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Belgium}}<ref>In Belgium, Article 20 of the Constitution provides: No one can be obliged to contribute in any way whatsoever to the acts and ceremonies of religion, nor to observe the days of rest. {{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/be00000_.html|title=ICL - Belgium - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}<ref name="USDS B&H 2021">{{cite web | title=United States Department of State | website=United States Department of State | date=12 May 2021 | url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/bosnia-and-herzegovina/ | access-date=10 Feb 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}<ref name="USDS B&H 2021">{{cite web | title=United States Department of State | website=United States Department of State | date=12 May 2021 | url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/bosnia-and-herzegovina/ | access-date=10 Feb 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bulgaria}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.bg/?page=const&lng=en|title=National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bulgaria}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.bg/?page=const&lng=en|title=National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015|archive-date=10 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110001510/http://www.parliament.bg/?page=const&lng=en|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Croatia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usud.hr/sites/default/files/dokumenti/The_consolidated_text_of_the_Constitution_of_the_Republic_of_Croatia_as_of_15_January_2014.pdf|title=The consolidated text of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia as of 15 January 2014|access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>
* {{flag|Croatia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usud.hr/sites/default/files/dokumenti/The_consolidated_text_of_the_Constitution_of_the_Republic_of_Croatia_as_of_15_January_2014.pdf|title=The consolidated text of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia as of 15 January 2014|access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>
* {{flag|Czechia}}<ref>[http://angl.concourt.cz/angl_verze/rights.php Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430034320/http://angl.concourt.cz/angl_verze/rights.php |date=30 April 2008 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Czechia}}<ref>[http://angl.concourt.cz/angl_verze/rights.php Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430034320/http://angl.concourt.cz/angl_verze/rights.php |date=30 April 2008 }}</ref>
Line 150: Line 150:
* {{Flag|Germany}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/germany/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Germany|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Germany}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/germany/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Germany|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Hungary}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/hungary/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Hungary|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Hungary}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/hungary/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Hungary|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Ireland}}<ref>[[Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Fifth Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1972]].</ref>
* {{flag|Italy}}<ref>Articles 3, 7, 8, 19, 20 of Constitution; Constitutional Court's Decision n. 203/1989</ref>
* {{flag|Italy}}<ref>Articles 3, 7, 8, 19, 20 of Constitution; Constitutional Court's Decision n. 203/1989</ref>
* {{flag|Kosovo}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1vU9p9ftlsC&q=kosovo+constitution+article+7&pg=PA235|title=Legislating for Equality: A Multinational Collection of Non-Discrimination Norms. Volume I: Europe|first1=Talia|last1=Naamat|first2=Dina|last2=Porat|first3=Nina|last3=Osin|date=19 July 2012|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|via=Google Books|isbn=978-9004226128}}</ref>{{smallsup| 1}}
* {{flag|Kosovo}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1vU9p9ftlsC&q=kosovo+constitution+article+7&pg=PA235|title=Legislating for Equality: A Multinational Collection of Non-Discrimination Norms. Volume I: Europe|first1=Talia|last1=Naamat|first2=Dina|last2=Porat|first3=Nina|last3=Osin|date=19 July 2012|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|via=Google Books|isbn=978-9004226128}}</ref>{{efn|name=fn1}}
* {{flag|Latvia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/lg00000_.html#A099_|title=ICL - Latvia - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Latvia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/lg00000_.html#A099_|title=ICL - Latvia - Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Lithuania}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/lithuania/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Lithuania|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Lithuania}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/lithuania/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Lithuania|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Luxembourg}}
* {{Flag|Luxembourg}}
* {{Flag|Moldova}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/moldova/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Moldova|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Moldova}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/moldova/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Moldova|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Netherlands|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/netherlands/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Netherlands|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Kingdom of the Netherlands|name=Netherlands|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/netherlands/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Netherlands|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Norway}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/norway/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Norway|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Poland}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/poland/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Poland|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Poland}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/poland/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Poland|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Portugal}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dre.pt/part-i|title=Constitution|access-date=30 November 2020}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Portugal}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dre.pt/part-i|title=Constitution|work=Diário da República Eletrónico |access-date=30 November 2020}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Romania}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/romania/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Romania|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Romania}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/romania/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Romania|work=United States Department of State |publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Serbia}}<ref>[http://www.srbija.gov.rs/cinjenice_o_srbiji/ustav_odredbe.php?id=217 Article 11 of the Constitution] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616134133/http://www.srbija.gov.rs/cinjenice_o_srbiji/ustav_odredbe.php?id=217 |date=16 June 2013 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Serbia}}<ref>[http://www.srbija.gov.rs/cinjenice_o_srbiji/ustav_odredbe.php?id=217 Article 11 of the Constitution] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616134133/http://www.srbija.gov.rs/cinjenice_o_srbiji/ustav_odredbe.php?id=217 |date=16 June 2013 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Slovakia}}<ref name="concourt1">{{cite web|url=http://www.concourt.sk/en/A_ustava/ustava_a.pdf|title=Article 1 of Constitution}}</ref>
* {{flag|Slovakia}}<ref name="concourt1">{{cite web|url=http://www.concourt.sk/en/A_ustava/ustava_a.pdf|title=Article 1 of Constitution}}</ref>
* {{flag|Slovenia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.us-rs.si/en/about-the-court/legal-basis/constitution/|title=Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Slovenia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.us-rs.si/en/about-the-court/legal-basis/constitution/|title=Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015|archive-date=21 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221092416/http://www.us-rs.si/en/about-the-court/legal-basis/constitution/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Spain}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.congreso.es/portal/page/portal/Congreso/Congreso/Hist_Normas/Norm/const_espa_texto_ingles_0.pdf|title=Article 16 of Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Spain}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.congreso.es/portal/page/portal/Congreso/Congreso/Hist_Normas/Norm/const_espa_texto_ingles_0.pdf|title=Article 16 of Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Sweden}}<ref>The Swedish head of state must according to the [[Swedish Act of Succession]] adhere to the [[Augsburg Confession]]</ref>
* {{flag|Sweden}}<ref>The Swedish head of state must according to the [[Swedish Act of Succession]] adhere to the [[Augsburg Confession]]</ref>
Line 169: Line 171:
the school - from the Church."</ref>
the school - from the Church."</ref>
{{colend}}
{{colend}}
<sup>1</sup> [[List of states with limited recognition|State with limited recognition]].


===Oceania===
===Oceania===
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
* {{flag|Australia|size=23px}}<ref>Section 116 of the [[Constitution of Australia]] provides, "the Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth. {{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/as00000_.html#S116_|title=ICL - Australia Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>  
* {{flag|Australia|size=23px}}<ref name="f234">{{cite web | last=Barker | first=Renae | title=Is Australia a secular country? It depends what you mean | website=The Conversation | date=October 9, 2024 | url=https://theconversation.com/is-australia-a-secular-country-it-depends-what-you-mean-38222 | access-date=November 3, 2024}}</ref>{{efn|Section 116 of the [[Constitution of Australia]] provides, "the Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/as00000_.html#S116_|title=ICL - Australia Constitution|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref> However, the states retain the power to pass religiously discriminatory laws.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/FedLRev/1998/6.pdf|journal=Federal Law Review|last=Puls|first=Joshua|year=1998|title=The Wall of Separation: Section 116, the First Amendment and Constitutional Religious Guarantees|page=160}}</ref>}}
* {{flag|Fiji|size=23px}}<ref>Article 4 of the [[2013 Constitution of Fiji]] explicitly provides that Fiji is a secular state. It guarantees religious liberty, while stating, "religious belief is personal", and, "[[Separation of church and state|religion and the State are separate]]." [http://www.fiji.gov.fj/getattachment/8e981ca2-1757-4e27-88e0-f87e3b3b844e/Click-here-to-download-the-Fiji-Constitution.aspx Constitution of the Republic of Fiji] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206063023/http://www.fiji.gov.fj/getattachment/8e981ca2-1757-4e27-88e0-f87e3b3b844e/Click-here-to-download-the-Fiji-Constitution.aspx |date=6 February 2016 }}, 2013</ref>  
* {{flag|Fiji|size=23px}}<ref>Article 4 of the [[2013 Constitution of Fiji]] explicitly provides that Fiji is a secular state. It guarantees religious liberty, while stating, "religious belief is personal", and, "[[Separation of church and state|religion and the State are separate]]." [http://www.fiji.gov.fj/getattachment/8e981ca2-1757-4e27-88e0-f87e3b3b844e/Click-here-to-download-the-Fiji-Constitution.aspx Constitution of the Republic of Fiji] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206063023/http://www.fiji.gov.fj/getattachment/8e981ca2-1757-4e27-88e0-f87e3b3b844e/Click-here-to-download-the-Fiji-Constitution.aspx |date=6 February 2016 }}, 2013</ref>
* {{Flag|Kiribati|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/kiribati/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kiribati|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Kiribati|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/kiribati/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kiribati|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Marshall Islands|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/marshall-islands/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Marshall Islands|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Marshall Islands|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/marshall-islands/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Marshall Islands|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
Line 181: Line 182:
* {{Flag|New Zealand|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/new-zealand/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: New Zealand|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|New Zealand|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/new-zealand/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: New Zealand|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Palau|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/palau/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Palau|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Palau|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/palau/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Palau|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Papua New Guinea|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/papua-new-guinea/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Papua New Guinea|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Solomon Islands|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/solomon-islands/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Solomon Islands|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Vanuatu|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/vanuatu/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Vanuatu|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Vanuatu|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/vanuatu/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Vanuatu|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
{{colend}}
{{colend}}


===Transcontinental countries===
===Transcontinental countries===
''Secular countries straddling both Europe and Asia:''
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
* {{flag|Armenia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/armenia/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Armenia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Armenia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/armenia/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Armenia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flag|Azerbaijan}}<ref name="Article 7.1 of Constitution">[http://azerbaijan.az/portal/General/Constitution/doc/constitution_e.pdf Article 7.1 of Constitution], "The Azerbaijan State is a democratic, law-governed, secular, unitary republic."</ref>
* {{flag|Azerbaijan}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/azerbaijan/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Azerbaijan|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Cyprus|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cyprus/|title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Cyprus|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Georgia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/georgia/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Georgia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kazakhstan}}<ref name="akorda.kz">{{cite web |url=http://www.akorda.kz/en/category/konstituciya |title=Kazakhstan's Constitution of 1995 with Amendments through 2017 |access-date=24 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924011326/http://www.akorda.kz/en/category/konstituciya |archive-date=24 September 2014 }}, Article 1: "The Republic of Kazakhstan proclaims itself democratic, secular, legal and social state ..."</ref>
* {{flag|Kazakhstan}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/kazakhstan/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kazakhstan|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/kazakhstan/|title=2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kazakhstan|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>
* {{flag|Northern Cyprus}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ombudsman.gov.ct.tr/Portals/20/Constitution%20of%20TRNC.pdf|title=Northern Cyprus Constitution|access-date=29 January 2022}}</ref> {{smallsup|1}}
* {{flag|Russia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/russia/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Russia|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>
* {{flag|Russia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-02.htm|title=The Constitution of Russian Federation - Chapter 1. The Fundamentals of the Constitutional System|access-date=9 August 2020}}</ref>  
* {{Flag|Turkey|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/turkey/|title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Turkey|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref>{{efn|"[[Secularism in Turkey]]" is disputed by some scholars.<ref>Orhan, Özgüç. "[https://archive.org/download/the-paradox-of-turkish-secularism/The_Paradox_of_Turkish_Secularism.pdf The Paradox of Turkish Secularism]." Turkish Journal of Politics 4.1 (2013)</ref><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10767-011-9114-z | doi=10.1007/s10767-011-9114-z | title=Everybody Wants Secularism—But Which One? Contesting Definitions of Secularism in Contemporary Turkey | date=2012 | last1=Topal | first1=Semiha | journal=International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society | volume=25 | issue=1–3 | pages=1–14 | url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>Davison, Andrew. "[https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/4/article/43708/summary Turkey, a "secular" state?: The challenge of description]." The South Atlantic Quarterly 102.2 (2003): 333-350.</ref><ref>Kaymakcan, Recep, and İbrahim Aşlamacı. "[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-33998-1_9 Understanding of Turkish secularism in terms of freedom of religion: Example of compulsory religious education in schools]." Human Rights and the Separation of State and Religion: International Case Studies. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023. 179-198.
* {{Flag|Turkey|size=23px}}<ref name=Turkey>Article 2 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Turkey_2017.pdf?lang=en Turkey's Constitution of 1982 with Amendments through 2017], constituteproject.org, "The Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state ..."</ref>
</ref>}}
{{colend}}
{{colend}}
<sup>1</sup> [[List of states with limited recognition|State with limited recognition]].


==Former secular states==
 
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg|size=23px}} [[Confederate States of America]] (1861–1865)<ref>[https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_csapro.asp Confederate States of America - Constitution for the Provisional Government  ]</ref><ref>[https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_csa.asp Constitution of the Confederate States; March 11, 1861 ]</ref>
==Formerly secular states==
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Afghanistan (1978–1980).svg|size=23px}} [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]] (1980–1987)
* {{flag|Bangladesh|1972|size=23px}} (1972–1977)
**Afghanistan became a secular state after the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion]] but [[Islam]] became the official religion again in 1987.
** Bangladesh was founded as a secular state by [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] following the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Liberation War]]. In 1977, secularism was removed from the constitution by a [[martial law]] directive during the [[Ziaur Rahman]] government. In 1988, the [[Parliament of Bangladesh]] declared [[Islam]] as the [[state religion]] during the presidency of [[Hussain Muhammad Ershad]]. In 2010, the [[Bangladesh Supreme Court]] ruled that the removal of secularism in 1977 was illegal because it was done by an unconstitutional martial law regime. The current [[Constitution of Bangladesh]] declares Islam as the state religion,<ref>[https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_Bangladesh/Part_1 Article 2A]:<br />The state religion of the Republic is Islam, but the State shall ensure equal status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other religions.</ref> but also accepts the secularism as one of the fundamental principles of state policy.<ref>[https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_Bangladesh/Part_2 Article 8]:<br />(1) The principles of nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism, together with the principles derived from those as set out in this Part, shall constitute the fundamental principles of state policy.<br />(2) The principles set out in this Part shall be fundamental to the governance of Bangladesh, shall be applied by the State in the making of laws, shall be a guide to the interpretation of the Constitution and of the other laws of Bangladesh, and shall form the basis of the work of the State and of its citizens, but shall not be judicially enforceable.</ref>
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the People's Republic of Kampuchea.svg|size=23px}} [[People's Republic of Kampuchea]] (1979-1993)
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Afghanistan (1980–1987).svg|size=23px}} [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]] (1978–1987)
**Kampuchea was a secular state from 1979 until the restoration of its monarchy in 1993.
** 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.<ref name="Gurcan 2016 p. 76">{{cite book | last=Gurcan | first=M. | title=What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?: Understanding Counter-insurgency Efforts in Tribalized Rural and Muslim Environments | publisher=Helion Limited | series=Wolverhampton Military Studies | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-911096-84-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S2TyDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA76 | access-date=Sep 15, 2023 | page=76}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon image|State flag of Iran (1964–1980).svg|size=23px}} [[Pahlavi Iran|Imperial State of Iran]] (1925–1979)
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the People's Republic of Kampuchea.svg|size=23px}} [[People's Republic of Kampuchea]] (1979–1993)
**Iran was a secular state until the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic revolution]] of 1979, which overthrew [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] and instituted an [[Islamic republic]].
** Kampuchea was a secular state from 1979 until the restoration of its monarchy in 1993.
* {{flag|Iraq|1963|size=23px}} (1932–1993)
*{{flag|Djibouti}} (1977–2010)
**Iraq became a secular state in 1932 after its independence. However, the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Ba'athist]] [[Ba'athist Iraq|regime]] led by [[Saddam Hussein]] launched the [[Faith campaign|Return to Faith campaign]] in 1993 and placed significant emphasis on [[Islam]] within all sectors of state and public life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=2889|title=Americanchronicle.com|access-date=23 February 2017}}</ref>
** Djibouti became a secular state after gaining independence from [[France]] in 1977. [[Islam]] was installed as the state religion in 2010.
* {{Flagicon image|State flag of Iran 1964-1980.svg|size=23px}} [[Pahlavi Iran|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 [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic Revolution]] in 1979.
* {{flag|Ba'athist Iraq|1963|size=23px|name=Iraq}} (1932–1993)
** Iraq became a secular state in 1958 after overthrowing the monarchy. However, the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Ba'athist]] [[Ba'athist Iraq|Government]] led by [[Saddam Hussein]] launched the [[Faith Campaign]] in 1993 and placed significant emphasis on [[Islam in Iraq|Islam]] within all sectors of state and public life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=2889|title=Americanchronicle.com|access-date=23 February 2017|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141154/http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=2889|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg|size=23px}} [[Burma]] (currently [[Myanmar]]) (1885–1961; 1962–2008)
** Myanmar was a secular state during the [[British Burma|colonial period]] and [[Post-independence Burma (1948–1962)|post-independence]] period until 1961 and again under the [[Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma|socialist regime]], and the [[State Peace and Development Council|military regime]] until 2008.
* {{Flag|Samoa|size=23px}} (1962–2017)
* {{Flag|Samoa|size=23px}} (1962–2017)
**In 2017, the Samoan legislative assembly approved a constitutional amendment that instituted [[Christianity]] as the state religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2017/06/samoa-officially-becomes-a-christian-state/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616153746/https://thediplomat.com/2017/06/samoa-officially-becomes-a-christian-state/|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 June 2017|title=Samoa Officially Becomes a Christian State - The Diplomat|date=16 June 2017}}</ref>
** The Samoan legislative assembly approved a constitutional amendment in 2017 that instituted [[Christianity]] as the state religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2017/06/samoa-officially-becomes-a-christian-state/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616153746/https://thediplomat.com/2017/06/samoa-officially-becomes-a-christian-state/|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 June 2017|title=Samoa Officially Becomes a Christian State - The Diplomat|date=16 June 2017}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Papua New Guinea|size=23px}} (1975–2025)
** Parliament voted to amend the [[Constitution of Papua New Guinea]] to include in its [[preamble]] the words "[We] acknowledge and declare God, the Father; Jesus Christ, the Son; and Holy Spirit, as our Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and the source of our powers and authorities, delegated to the people and all persons within the geographical jurisdiction of Papua New Guinea."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-11 |title=PARLIAMENT PASSES AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION TO DECLARE PNG'S CHRISTIAN IDENTITY; SECTION 45 PROTECTING FREEDOM TO PRACTISE OTHER FAITHS REMAINS INTACT |url=https://pmnec.gov.pg/parliament-passes-amendment-to-the-constitution-to-declare-pngs-christian-identity-section-45-protecting-freedom-to-practise-other-faiths-remains-intact/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-13 |title=PNG parliament passes bill declaring god as 'creator and sustainer of the entire universe' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/png-puka-temu/105050958 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=ABC Pacific |language=en-AU}}</ref>


==Ambiguous states==
==Ambiguous countries==
* {{flag|Argentina|size=23px}}
*{{flag|Bangladesh}}
**According to Section 2 of the [[Constitution of Argentina]], "The Federal Government supports the Roman Catholic Apostolic religion" but it does not stipulate an official state religion, nor a separation of church and state. In practice, however, the country is mostly secular, and there is no kind of persecution of people of other religions; they are completely accepted and even encouraged in their activities.
** 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.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 July 2010 |title=Bangladesh's court restores 'secularism' in Constitution |url=https://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/bangladeshs-court-restores-secularism-in-constitution_644258.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016024057/https://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/bangladeshs-court-restores-secularism-in-constitution_644258.html |archive-date=16 October 2023 |access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref> Political leaders and experts have expressed uncertainty if Bangladesh is a secular state or an Islamic state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/bangladeshs-ambiguity-on-religion-has-been-expensive-for-the-country/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309064856/https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/bangladeshs-ambiguity-on-religion-has-been-expensive-for-the-country/|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 March 2023|title=Bangladesh's Ambiguity on Religion Has Been Expensive for the Country|date=7 October 2023|access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref> Bangladesh regime changes often advocate for different type of religious freedom as in secularism or pluralism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2025/02/ali-riaz-on-recommendations-of-bangladeshs-constitutional-reform-commission/|title=Ali Riaz on Recommendations of Bangladesh's Constitutional Reform Commission|date=3 February 2025|access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref>
* {{flag|Armenia|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Israel}}
**The constitution formally separates the church from the state; however, it recognizes the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] as the national church.<ref>{{cite web|title=Constitution of Armenia|url=http://www.president.am/en/constitution-2005/|website=president.am|date=27 November 2005}}</ref>
** Since the [[Israeli Declaration of Independence|Proclamation of Israeli independence in 1948]], Israel is defined in several of its laws as a "[[Jewish and democratic state]]" ({{langx|he|מדינה יהודית ודמוקרטית|medina yehudit ve-demokratit}}). However, the term "[[Jew]]ish" is a [[Polysemy|polyseme]] that can describe the Jewish people [[Who is a Jew?|as either an ethnic or a religious group]]. The debate about the meaning of the term "Jewish" and its legal and social applications is one of the most profound issues with which Israeli society deals. The problem of the status of religion in Israel, even though it is relevant to all religions, usually refers to the status of [[Judaism]] in Israeli society. Thus, even though from a constitutional point of view Judaism is not the state religion in Israel, its status nevertheless determines relations between religion and state and the extent to which religion influences the political center.<ref>''Trouble in Utopia: The Overburdened Polity of Israel'', by Dan Horowitz and Moshe Lissak, pp. 51–52</ref>
* {{flag|Bangladesh|size=23px}}
**There is a constitutional ambiguity that makes Bangladesh both secular and Islamic. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by its constitution in which it gives equal rights to all citizens irrespective of religion. In 2010, the High Court held up the secular principles of the 1972 constitution<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/sections_detail.php?id=367&sections_id=24560%7CSection|title=12.}}</ref>
* {{flag|Brazil|size=23px}}
**According to the Preamble of the [[Constitution of Brazil]], "...promulgate, under the protection of God, this Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil" but it does not stipulate any official state religion. The Article 19th of the same Constitution forbids in any degree of the State to "establish religious cults or churches, subsidize them, hamper their operation or maintain with them or their representative's relations of dependency or alliance, with the exception of cooperation for the public interest, as set forth in the law".<ref>https://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/br00000_.html#A019_ Brazil > Constitution - Article 19</ref>
**Despite being mostly secular, it is normal to see religious symbols (such as crucifixes) in State facilities (hospitals, schools, courts, police stations).<ref>https://journals.openedition.org/assr/21242 Brazilian secularity and minorities in the biggest Catholic nation in the world</ref>
**According to Article 208 of the Brazilian Penal Code "mock someone publicly, by reason of belief or religious function; prevent or disrupt ceremony or practice of religious worship; publicly vilify act or object of religious worship" incurs in a penalty of "detention of one month to one year or a fine".<ref>https://end-blasphemy-laws.org/countries/americas/brazil/ End Blasphemy Laws - Brazil</ref><ref>https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/national-laws-on-blasphemy-brazil National Laws on Blasphemy: Brazil</ref>
* {{flag|Canada|size=23px}}
**The "[[Section Two of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|Fundamental Freedoms]]" section of the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]'' states: "2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and (d) freedom of association." Canadians are therefore free to have their own beliefs and opinions, are free to practice religion or refrain, and are free to establish media organizations with or without religious content, and these freedoms are constitutionally protected. However, according to the [[Preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|Charter's preamble]], "Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God."<ref name=corpreamble>Quoted from the [[Preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]</ref> This portion of the preamble has not been accorded legal effect in ''Charter'' jurisprudence.<ref>[http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/ca/99/04/c99-0416.html ''R. v. Sharpe''], 1999 BCCA 416 at 79.</ref><ref>[[R. v. Sharpe]] SCC 2001</ref> The constitutional recognition of God has been criticized as conflicting in principle with the fundamental freedom of conscience and religion guaranteed in section 2, as it would disadvantage those who hold [[nontheism|nontheistic]] or [[polytheism|polytheistic]] beliefs, including [[atheism]] and [[Buddhism]].<ref name="Hogg, Peter W. 1982"/><ref name="Paul Russell"/> The Province of Quebec has legislation declaring it to be a lay state.<ref>[https://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/pdf/cs/L‑0.3.pdf An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State], C.Q.L.R., c. L-0.3, §1.</ref>
* {{Flag|El Salvador|size=23px}}
**Although Article 3 of the [[Constitution of El Salvador|El Salvadoran constitution]] states, "no restrictions shall be established that are based on differences of nationality, race, sex or religion", Article 26 states that the state recognizes the [[Catholic Church]] and gives it legal preference.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.constitution.org%2Fcons%2Felsalvad.htm&edit-text=&act=url|title=Google Translate|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Republic of El Salvador, 1983 (as Amended to 2003) |url=http://confinder.richmond.edu/admin/docs/ElSalvador1983English.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103200933/http://confinder.richmond.edu/admin/docs/ElSalvador1983English.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 January 2015|date=3 January 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Finland|size=23px}}
**Claims to be secular, but the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland]] and the [[Finnish Orthodox Church]] have the right to collect church tax from their members in conjunction with government income tax. In addition to membership tax, businesses also used to contribute financially to the church through tax, but as of 2016, that is no longer the case.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-07-06|title=Seurakuntien yhteisövero-osuus poistui - jatkossa rahoitus suoraan valtiolta|url=https://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/art-2000002909611.html|access-date=2020-11-19|website=Helsingin Sanomat|language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Georgia|size=23px}}
**Georgia gives distinct recognition to the [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] in Article 9 of the [[Constitution of Georgia (country)|Constitution of Georgia]]<ref name="Geor">{{cite web |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Georgia_2013.pdf?lang=en|title=Georgia's Constitution of 1995 with Amendments through 2013}}</ref> and through the [[Concordat of 2002]].<ref>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90176.htm Georgia: International Religious Freedom Report 2007]. [[U.S. Department of State]]. Accessed on 11 February 2008.</ref> However, the Constitution also guarantees "absolute freedom of belief and religion".<ref name="Geor" /> Georgian constitution also refers to God in preamble: "We, the citizens of Georgia – whose firm will... proclaim this Constitution before God and the nation."<ref>https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/download/30346/35/en/pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>
*{{Flag|Indonesia}}
**Indonesia follows the principle of [[Pancasila (politics)|Pancasila]], where the first principle states "Belief in the Almighty God", while itself is a semi secular state. There is no official state religion in Indonesia, but the state acknowledges [[Buddhism]], [[Confucianism]], [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]], [[Protestantism]], and the [[Roman Catholic Church]] as the recognized religions in the country as well as [[Aliran Kepercayaan|traditional folk religions]]. Because of this, despite being a semi secular state, Indonesia does not acknowledge [[atheism]] as a religion and recommend each citizen to state their religion on their [[Indonesian identity card|identity cards]], though currently this is optional. This led to [[Discrimination against atheists#Indonesia|discrimination]] towards citizens who refuse to identify with any of the recognized religions acknowledged by the government and often lead to [[Blasphemy law in Indonesia|blasphemy charges]] for condoning [[Irreligion in Indonesia|irreligion]].
*{{Flag|India}}
** The [[Constitution of India]], declares India to be a secular state with no state religion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitution of India{{!}}Legislative Department {{!}} Ministry of Law and Justice {{!}} GoI |url=https://legislative.gov.in/constitution-of-india |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=legislative.gov.in}}</ref> However, at the same time, "the [[India|Republic of India]] privileges [[Hinduism]] as state sponsored religion" through constitutionally, legislatively and culturally.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/why-india-is-not-a-secular-state/239584 | title=Why India is Not a Secular State | date=3 February 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Siddiqi |first=Huzaifa Omair |title=Is there a Hindu bias in India's secular Constitution? A 2005 academic paper suggests as much |url=https://scroll.in/article/951661/is-there-a-hindu-bias-in-indias-secular-constitution-a-2005-academic-paper-suggests-as-much |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref> The original copy of Indian constitution have the illustration of [[Hindu deities]] [[Rama]], [[Sita]], and [[Lakshmana]] in Part III on Fundamental Rights and [[Rama]] has been considered as true guardian of people's rights.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-26 |title=Why painting of Ram in India's Constitution matters |url=https://theprint.in/opinion/why-painting-of-ram-in-indian-constitution-matters/592160/ |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> Also Article 48 of Indian constitution, [[Cattle slaughter in India|prohibits the slaughter of cows or calf]], ([[Cattle in religion and mythology|a sacred animal in Hinduism]]) and is illegal criminal offense in most of the states of India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deol |first=Komal |title=Cow protection was a sensitive subject in India even when the Constitution was being framed |url=https://scroll.in/article/998735/cow-protection-was-a-sensitive-subject-in-india-even-when-the-constitution-was-being-framed |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1452355/ {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2022}}</ref>
* {{flag|Ireland|size=23px}}
**There are a few sections of the [[Constitution of Ireland]] that refer to God.<ref>http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html Constitution of Ireland</ref>
***In the Preamble it is mentioned, "In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom is all authority and to Whom, as our final end, all actions both of men and States must be referred, We, the people of Éire, Humbly acknowledging all our obligations to our Divine Lord, Jesus Christ, Who sustained our fathers through centuries of trial...".
***In Article 6 it is mentioned, "1 All powers of government, legislative, executive and judicial, derive, under God, from the people...".
***Article 12, item 8 instructs the President to make the following declaration: "In the presence of Almighty God I do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will maintain the Constitution of Ireland and uphold its laws, that I will fulfill my duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and that I will dedicate my abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland. May God direct and sustain me".
***Article 31, item 4 establishes that every member of the Council of State supports the following declaration: "In the presence of Almighty God I do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as a member of the Council of State".
***Article 34, item 6 establishes that every person appointed a judge under this Constitution shall make and subscribe the following declaration: "In the presence of Almighty God I do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will duly and faithfully and to the best of my knowledge and power execute the office of Chief Justice (or as the case may be) without fear or favour, affection or ill-will towards any man, and that I will uphold the Constitution and the laws. May God direct and sustain me".
***In Article 44, item 1 it is mentioned, "The State acknowledges that the homage of public worship is due to Almighty God. It shall hold His Name in reverence, and shall respect and honour religion".
**However, in the same Constitution, in Article 44, item 2, it is mentioned:
***"1° Freedom of conscience and the free profession and practice of religion are, subject to public order and morality, guaranteed to every citizen".
***"2° The State guarantees not to endow any religion".
***"3° The State shall not impose any disabilities or make any discrimination on the ground of religious profession, belief or status".
***"4° Legislation providing State aid for schools shall not discriminate between schools under the management of different religious denominations, nor be such as to affect prejudicially the right of any child to attend a school receiving public money without attending religious instruction at that school".
***"5° Every religious denomination shall have the right to manage its own affairs, own, acquire and administer property, movable and immovable, and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes".
***"6° The property of any religious denomination or any educational institution shall not be diverted save for necessary works of public utility and on payment of compensation".
**On July 4, 2019, the on-duty [[Taoiseach]] [[Leo Varadkar]] said "Ten months ago we welcomed Pope Francis to Ireland. Speaking in this room, I suggested that I believed the time had come to build a new relationship between Religion and the State in Ireland - a new covenant for the 21st Century. One in which religion is no longer at the centre of our State but continues to have a real and meaningful role to play on our society".<ref>https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/9374bc-church-state-dialogue-plenary-meeting-with-churches-faith-communitie/ Church State Dialogue - Plenary Meeting with Churches, Faith Communities and Non-Confessional Organisations</ref>
**Most of the public schools in Ireland are confessional and there are some reports of abuse by some institutions.<ref>https://atheist.ie/2020/08/the-state-religion-course-disrespects-atheists-and-humanists/ The State religion course disrespects atheists and humanists</ref>
* {{Flag|Israel|size=23px}}
**When the idea of [[Types of Zionism|modern political Zionism]] was introduced by [[Theodor Herzl]], his idea was that Israel would be a secular state which would not be influenced at all by religion. When [[David Ben-Gurion]] founded the state of Israel, he put religious parties in government next to secular Jews in the same governing coalition. Many secular Israelis feel constrained by the religious sanctions imposed on them. Many businesses close on [[Shabbat]], including many forms of public transportation, restaurants, and Israeli airline [[El Al]]. In order for a Jewish couple to be formally married in Israel, a couple has to be married by a [[rabbi]]. Jewish married couples can only be divorced by a rabbinical council. Many secular Israelis may go abroad to be married, often in Cyprus. Marriages officiated abroad are recognized as official marriages in Israel. Also, all food at army bases and in cafeterias of government buildings has to be [[kosher]]. Many religious symbols have found their way into Israeli national symbols. For example, the flag of the country is similar to a [[tallit]], or prayer shawl, with its blue stripes. The national coat of arms also displays the [[menorah (Temple)|menorah]]. However, some viewpoints argue that these symbols can be interpreted as ethnic/cultural symbols too, and point out that many secular European nations (Sweden, Norway and Georgia) have religious symbols on their flags. Reports have considered Israel to be a secular state, and its definition as a "Jewish state" refers to the [[Jewish people]], who include people with varying relations to the [[Judaism|Jewish religion]] including non-believers, rather than to the [[Judaism|Jewish religion]] itself.<ref>[https://www.iclrs.org/content/blurb/files/Israel.pdf Religion and the Secular State in Israel]. Page 421-422: " Not every Jew, in Israel or elsewhere, is a religious individual. It is in collective terms that religion has been an essential ingredient in the self-definition and behavior of the Jews, believers or not, observant or not. For that reason, it was aptly stated that Judaism conceived of itself not as a denomination but as the religious dimension of the life of a people. Hence peoplehood is a religious fact in the Jewish universe of discourse. In its traditional self-understanding, Israel is related not to other denominations but to the 'nations of the world' ... Israel's ... body is the body politic of a nation. A denomination but as the religious dimension of the life of a people. Hence peoplehood is a religious fact in the Jewish universe of discourse. In its traditional self-understanding, Israel is related not to other denominations but to the 'nations of the world' ... Israel's ... body is the body politic of a nation". Page 423: "It seems reasonable to accept that the reference to Israel as a 'Jewish State' is equivalent to stating that in historical, political, and legal terms, it is the state of the Jewish people". Page 424: "all refer to a Jewish state, and Jewish means, in all of them, pertaining to Jews, namely the individuals seeing themselves as composing the Jewish people, or nation, or community. It clearly does not mean the body of religious precepts, commands or convictions regulated by the Halakha, the Jewish religious law developed over centuries.".</ref>
* {{flag|Kiribati|size=23px}}
**Under the terms of its preamble, the Constitution of Kiribati is proclaimed by "the people of Kiribati, acknowledging God as the Almighty Father in whom we put trust". However, there is no established church or state religion, and article 11 of the Constitution protects each person's "freedom of thought and of religion, freedom to change his religion or belief", and freedom of public or private religious practice and education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.gov.ki/content/constitution-kiribati|title=Constitution of Kiribati|access-date=18 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921142232/http://www.parliament.gov.ki/content/constitution-kiribati|archive-date=21 September 2015}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Laos|size=23px}}
**According to the Lao Constitution, Buddhism is given special privileges in the country. The state respects and protects all the lawful activities of Buddhism.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lao People's Democratic Republic's Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2003|url=https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Laos_2003.pdf?lang=en|website=constituteproject.org|access-date=29 October 2017|quote=Article 9: The State respects and protects all lawful activities of Buddhists and of followers of other religions, [and] mobilizes and encourages Buddhist monks and novices as well as the priests of other religions to participate in activities that are beneficial to the country and people.}}</ref>
* {{flag|Malaysia|size=23px}}
**In Article 3 of the [[Constitution of Malaysia]], Islam is stated as the official religion of the country: "Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation." In 1956, the [[Alliance Party (Malaysia)|Alliance party]] submitted a memorandum to the [[Reid Commission]], which was responsible for drafting the Malayan constitution. The memorandum quoted: "The religion of Malaya shall be Islam. The observance of this principle shall not impose any disability on non-Muslim nationals professing and practicing their own religion and shall not imply that the state is not a secular state."<ref>Tan Sri Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UntPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YpADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5502,5419129&dq=shall-not-imply-that-the-state-is-not-a-secular-state&hl=en Our Constitution and Islamic Faith], p. 8, 25 August 1987, [[New Straits Times]]</ref> The full text of the Memorandum was inserted into paragraph 169 of the Commission Report.<ref>[http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/letters_others/islams_status_in_our_secular_charter.html Islam's status in our secular charter], Richard Y.W. Yeoh, Director, Institute of Research for Social Advancement, 20 July 2006, The Sun, Letters (Used by permission)</ref> This suggestion was later carried forward in the Federation of Malaya Constitutional Proposals 1957 ([[White Paper]]), specifically quoting 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...."<ref>[http://www.cpps.org.my/upload/FedMalaya_Constitutional_Proposals_201957.pdf Federation of Malaya Constitutional Proposals Kuala Lumpur: Government Printer 1957–Articles 53-61] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204426/http://www.cpps.org.my/upload/FedMalaya_Constitutional_Proposals_201957.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }} (PDF document) hosted by Centre for Public Policy Studies Malaysia, retrieved 8 February 2013</ref> 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."<ref>The birth of Malaysia: A reprint of the Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962 (Cobbold report) and the Report of the Inter-governmental Committee, (1962–I.G.C. report), p. 58</ref> In December 1987, the [[Lord President of the Supreme Court]], [[Salleh Abas]] described Malaysia as governed by "secular law" in a court ruling.<ref>Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090318061141/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2009%2F3%2F17%2Ffocus%2F3487299&sec=focus Historical legal perspective], 17 March 2009, [[The Star (Malaysia)]]</ref> In the early 1980s, then-prime minister [[Mahathir Mohamad]] implemented an official programme of Islamization,<ref>Zainon Ahmad [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G69UAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x48DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5903,1918117&dq=mahathir+islamisation&hl=en PAS remains formidable foe despite defeat], p. 2, 10 September 1983, New Straits Times</ref> in which Islamic values and principles were introduced into [[public sector ethics]],<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1G9PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XpADAAAAIBAJ&pg=2629,5454193&dq=mahathir+islamic-values&hl=en Moderate policy will ensure UMNO leads, says Mahathir], p. 1, 25 April 1987, New Straits Times</ref> substantial financial support to the development of [[Madrasa|Islamic religious education]], places of worship and the development of [[Islamic banking]]. The Malaysian government also made efforts to expand the powers of Islamic-based state statutory bodies such as the [[Tabung Haji]], JAKIM ([[Department of Islamic Development Malaysia]]), and the [[National Fatwa Council]]. There has been much continued public debate on whether Malaysia is an Islamic or secular state.<ref>Zurari AR, [http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/history-contradicts-ministers-arguments-that-malaysia-is-not-secular History contradicts minister’s arguments that Malaysia is not secular] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225215012/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/history-contradicts-ministers-arguments-that-malaysia-is-not-secular/ |date=25 February 2013 }}, 22 October 2012, The Malaysian Insider</ref>
* {{flag|Myanmar|size=23px}}
**Article 19 of the [[Constitution of Burma|2008 Myanmar constitution]] states, "The State recognizes the special position of Buddhism as the faith professed by the great majority of the citizens of the State." while Article 20 mentions "The State also recognizes Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Animism as the religions existing in the Union on the date on which the State Constitution comes into force."<ref>Temperman (2010), p. 77</ref> The government pursues a policy of [[religious pluralism]] and tolerance in the country, as stipulated in Article 21 of its constitution, "The State shall render assistance and protect as it possibly can the religions it recognizes." In 1956, the Burmese ambassador in Indonesia U Mya Sein quoted, "The Constitution of the Union of Burma provides for a Secular State although it endorses that Buddhism is professed by the majority (90 per cent) of the nation."<ref>Burma. Dept. of Information and Broadcasting, Burma. Director of Information, Union of Burma, 1956 ''Burma, Volume 6, Issue 4'', p. 84</ref> While Buddhism is not a state religion in Myanmar, the government provides funding to state Universities to Buddhist monks, mandated the compulsory recital of Buddhist prayers in public schools and patronizes the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Buddhist clergy]] from time to time to rally popular support and political legitimization.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.4324/9780203967485-13 |chapter=Buddhism, Violence, and the State in Burma (Myanmar) and Sri Lanka |title=Religion and Conflict in South and Southeast Asia |year=2006 |pages=61–79 |isbn=978-0-203-96748-5 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Nauru|size=23px}}
**The [[Constitution of Nauru]] opens by stating, "the people of Nauru acknowledge God as the almighty and everlasting Lord and the giver of all good things". However, there is no state religion or established church, and article 11 of the Constitution protects each person's "right to freedom of conscience, thought and religion, including freedom to change his religion or beliefs and freedom", and right to practice his or her religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ronlaw.gov.nr/nauru_lpms/Links/constitution.html|title=THE CONSTITUTION OF NAURU*|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Nepal|size=23px}}
**The [[Constitution of Nepal]] provides freedom of religion and denies the right to convert another person. The previous constitution of 1990, which was in effect until 2007, described the country as a "Hindu Kingdom". With the new Constitution, the Interim Parliament officially declared the country a secular state in January 2007, but no laws specifically affecting [[Freedom of religion in Nepal|freedom of religion]] were changed. Adherents of the country's many [[Religion in Nepal|religious groups]] generally coexisted peacefully and respected places of worship, although there were reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious belief or practice. Those who converted to another religious group at times faced violence and occasionally were ostracized socially but generally did not fear to admit their affiliations in public.<ref>Article 4 of the [https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Nepal_2016.pdf?lang=en Nepal's Constitution of 2015 with Amendments through 2016], constituteproject.org, Article 4: "Nepal is an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular, inclusive democratic, socialism-oriented federal democratic republican state."
[https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2013/06/10/nepal.pdf] {{PD notice}}</ref>
* {{flag|Norway|size=23px}}
**Norway changed the wording of the constitution on 21 May 2012, to remove references to the state church. Until 2017, the [[Church of Norway]] was not a separate legal entity from the government. In 2017, it was disestablished and became a [[national church]], a legally distinct entity from the state with special constitutional status. The King of Norway is required by the Constitution to be a member of the Church of Norway, and the church is regulated by special canon law, unlike other religions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iheu.org/state-and-church-move-towards-greater-separation-norway|title=International Humanist and Ethical Union - State and Church move towards greater separation in Norway|access-date=18 March 2015|date=26 June 2012}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania|size=23px}}
**The Romanian constitution declares freedom of religion, but all recognized religious denominations remain to some extent state-funded. Since 1992, these denominations have also maintained a monopoly on the sale of religious merchandise, which includes all candles except decorative candles and candles for marriage and baptism. It is currently illegal in Romania to sell cult candles without the approval of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] or of another religious denomination which employs candles (law 103/1992, appended O.U.G. nr.92/2000 to specify penalties).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://legeaz.net/text-integral/legea-103-1992-dreptul-exclusiv-al-cultelor-religioase-producerea-obiectelor-de-cult|title=Legea 103/1992 dreptul exclusiv al cultelor religioase pentru producerea obiectelor de cult - Textul integral al legilor}}</ref> Romania recognizes 18 denominations/religions: various sects of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the [[Catholic Church]], [[Protestantism]] and [[Neoprotestantism|Neo-Protestantism]] (including [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]), [[Judaism]] and [[Sunni Islam]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://culte.gov.ro/?page_id=57|title=Culte Religioase – Secretariatul de Stat pentru Culte|website=culte.gov.ro}}</ref> Unrecognized cults or denominations are not prohibited, however.
* {{flag|Seychelles|size=23px}}
**The preamble of the [[Constitution of Seychelles]] begins the second line with "GRATEFUL to Almighty God".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles {{!}} SeyLII|url=https://greybook.seylii.org/w/se/CAP42#!fragment/zoupio-_Toc409448236/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoAvbRABwEtsBaAfX2zgBYAGATg44AcAJgDMANgCUAGmTZShCAEVEhXAE9oAck1SIhMLgTLVG7bv2GQAZTykAQhoBKAUQAyzgGoBBAHIBhZylSMAAjaFJ2CQkgA|access-date=2021-08-18|website=greybook.seylii.org}}</ref>
* {{flag|Sri Lanka|size=23px}}
**The Sri Lankan constitution<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.priu.gov.lk/Cons/1978Constitution/Introduction.htm|title=.The Constitution of Sri Lanka: An Introduction .|access-date=18 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202231205/http://www.priu.gov.lk/Cons/1978Constitution/Introduction.htm|archive-date=2 February 2016}}</ref> does not cite a state religion. However, Article 9 of Chapter 2, which states "The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place, and accordingly, it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana" makes Sri Lanka an ambiguous state with respect to secularism. In 2004, [[Jathika Hela Urumaya]] proposed a constitutional amendment that would make a clear reference to Buddhism as the state religion, which was rejected by the [[Supreme Court of Sri Lanka]].<ref name="SecularvsBuddhism">Temperman (2010), [https://books.google.com/books?id=Khag6tbsIn4C&pg=PA66&dq=%22patronise+and+protect+Buddhism%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1kcjUe24H4P9rAe-0oDQDg&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22patronise%20and%20protect%20Buddhism%22&f=false p. 66]</ref>
* {{flag|Switzerland|size=23px}}
**The Swiss Confederation remains secular at the federal level. However, the constitution begins with the words "In the name of Almighty God!"
**24 of the 26 [[Canton (country subdivision)|cantons]] support either the Catholic Church or the [[Swiss Reformed Church]].
* {{flag|Syria|size=23px}}
**Semi secular state with Islamic jurisprudence being used for personal statues laws.
* {{flag|Thailand|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Thailand|size=23px}}
**Section 9 of the [[2007 constitution of Thailand|2007 Thai constitution]] states, "The King is a Buddhist and Upholder of religions", and section 79 makes another related reference: "The State shall patronise and protect Buddhism as the religion observed by most Thais for a long period of time and other religions, promote good understanding and harmony among followers of all religions as well as encourage the application of religious principles to create virtue and develop the quality of life."<ref>[http://library2.parliament.go.th/giventake/content_cons50/cons2550e-kd.pdf Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2550 (2007) (Unofficial translation), FOREIGN LAW BUREAU, OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE]</ref> The [[United States Department of State]] characterized that these provisions provide Buddhism as the ''de facto'' official religion of Thailand. There have been calls by Buddhists to make an explicit reference to Buddhism as the country's state religion, but the government has turned down these requests.<ref name="SecularvsBuddhism" /> Academics and legal experts have argued that Thailand is a secular state as provisions in its penal code are generally irreligious by nature.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harding |first1=Andrew |title=Buddhism, Human Rights and Constitutional Reform in Thailand |journal=Asian Journal of Comparative Law |date=2007 |volume=2 |pages=1–25 |doi=10.1017/S2194607800000016 |s2cid=221171121 }}</ref>
** Article 67 of the [[Constitution of Thailand]] states: The State should support and protect Buddhism [...] In supporting and protecting Buddhism, [...] the State should promote and support education and dissemination of dharmic principles of Theravada Buddhism [...], and shall have measures and mechanisms to prevent Buddhism from being undermined in any form. The State should also encourage Buddhists to participate in implementing such measures or mechanisms.<ref>{{cite web|title=Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand|url=http://www.constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/2017-05/CONSTITUTION%2BOF%2BTHE%2BKINGDOM%2BOF%2BTHAILAND%2B%28B.E.%2B2560%2B%282017%29%29.pdf|website=ConstitutionNet|access-date=29 October 2017 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Tonga|size=23px}}
* {{flag|Malaysia|size=23px}}  
**The [[Constitution of Tonga]] opens by referring to "the will of God that man should be free". Article 6 provides, "the [[Sabbath]] Day shall be kept holy", and prohibits any "commercial undertaking" on that day. Article 5 provides: "All men are free to practice their religion and to worship God as they may deem fit in accordance with the dictates of their own worship consciences and to assemble for religious service in such places as they may appoint". There is no established church or state religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=200829|title=Tonga|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref> Any preaching on public radio or television is required to be done "within the limits of the mainstream Christian tradition", though no specific religious denomination is favoured.<ref name=":0">[http://www.refworld.org/docid/4cf2d05e78.html "2010 Report on International Religious Freedom - Tonga"], [[United States Department of State]], 2011</ref>
**There is confusion whether Malaysia is secular or Islamic. Pas president declared that Malaysia is a secular state. Many authors have argued whether Malaysia is Islamic or secular.<nowiki>https://m.malaysiakini.com/columns/683744</nowiki> . Constitution of Malaysia guarantees freedom of religion in article 11 .https://www.studocu.com/my/document/multimedia-university/human-rights-law/article-11/29869828 The addition of state religion in article 3 of Malaysia constitution makes it hard to define whether Malaysia is Islamic or secular. Therefore, Malaysia is not necessarily a Islamic or secular country as article 11 and article 3 of Malaysia indicates ambiguity about whether Malaysia is a fully Islamic country or secular state due to confusion
* {{flag|Turkey|size=23px}}
** The Republic of Turkey is officially a [[Secularism in Turkey|secular country]]. Although the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|current governing party]] has a close affinity with [[Sunni Islam]], the latest [[Constitution of Turkey|Constitution of 1982]] neither recognizes an [[official religion]] nor promotes any.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.anayasa.gov.tr/en/legislation/turkish-constiution/ |title = Turkish Constitution {{!}} Anayasa Mahkemesi}}</ref> The [[Directorate of Religious Affairs]], an official state institution established by [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] in 1924,<ref>https://www.diyanet.gov.tr/tr-TR/Kurumsal/Detay/1#</ref> expresses opinions on religious matters and is responsible for all administration of the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] institutions.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-30|title=Turkey may have reclaimed the leadership of Sunni Islam from Saudi Arabia|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200730-turkey-may-have-reclaimed-the-leadership-of-sunni-islam-from-saudi-arabia/|access-date=2021-06-02|website=Middle East Monitor|language=en-GB}}</ref>  
* {{flag|United Kingdom|size=23px}}
**The [[Church of England]] is the established state religion of England only.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}It is no longer established in Northern Ireland or Wales and the Anglican Church in these regions ([[Church of Ireland]] and [[Church in Wales]], respectively) became autonomous from the Church of England in 1871 and 1920, respectively.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}} In Scotland, the generally Protestant [[Church of Scotland]] has an ambiguous, special constitutional status as [[national church]]. Furthermore, unlike its Welsh and Irish counterparts, the Anglican Church in Scotland (the [[Scottish Episcopal Church]]) never had established status.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}
***Like the Church of Ireland and Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church is autonomous from the Church of England. All, however, are still in [[Anglican Communion|full communion]].
**Two archbishops and 24 senior [[Diocese|diocesan]] bishops of the Church of England (the [[Lords Spiritual]]) have seats in the [[House of Lords]], where they participate in debates and vote on decisions affecting the entire United Kingdom.
***Parliament is opened with prayers, led by a Lords Spiritual member in the House of Lords and the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker]]'s chaplain in the House of Commons.<ref>[http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g07.pdf Some Traditions and Customs of the House], House of Commons Information Office, August 2010.</ref>
**The full term for the expression of the Crown's sovereignty via legislation is [[Queen-in-Parliament|the Crown-in-Parliament under God]]. At their coronation, the sovereign is anointed with consecrated oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a service at [[Westminster Abbey]] and must swear to maintain the [[Divine law|Laws of God]] and the true profession of the [[Gospel]], maintain [[Protestantism]] in the United Kingdom, specifically the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof as by established law in England.
***Thus, though the [[Church of Ireland]] is no longer established and the [[Church of England]] has been [[Disestablishmentarianism|disestablished]] in Wales as the [[Church in Wales]], the Crown is still bound to protect Protestantism in general in the whole of the United Kingdom by the [[Coronation Oath Act 1688]] and the [[Bill of Rights 1689|Bill of Rights]], and to protect the [[Church of Scotland]] by the [[Acts of Union 1707|Act of Union 1707]].<ref>[https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00435/SN00435.pdf The Coronation Oath], House of Commons Library, 27 August 2008.</ref> All Members of Parliament (MPs) must declare their allegiance to the Queen in order to take their seat. Each individual MP, however, can choose whether or not to affirm a religious oath.
*{{flag|United States|size=23px}}
**According to the [[Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution]], together with the [[Free Exercise Clause]], which forms the constitutional right of [[freedom of religion]], "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-09-05|title=firstamendmentcenter.org: Religious Liberty in Public Life - Establishment clause Index|url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/rel_liberty/establishment/index.aspx|access-date=2021-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905120418/http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/rel_liberty/establishment/index.aspx|archive-date=5 September 2010}}</ref> An act of Congress changed the official [[United States motto]] to "[[In God We Trust|In God we trust]]". Prior to this act of Congress, the official motto of the United States had been "[[E pluribus unum|E pluribus Unum]]" or "out of many, one" since the country's creation. Additionally, the motto of "In God we trust" has been printed on their currency since 1864.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx|title=History of 'In God We Trust'}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 309: Line 240:
* [[State religion]]
* [[State religion]]
* [[Theocracy]]
* [[Theocracy]]
* [[Religious law]]
{{colend}}
{{colend}}


Line 315: Line 247:


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
* {{Cite book|last=Dodd|first=Jan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wImNYmmgcA0C|title=The rough guide to Vietnam|year=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=9781405389730|edition=7th|location=London|oclc=762991000}}
* Temperman, Jeroen, ''State Religion Relationships and Human Rights Law: Towards a Right to Religiously Neutral Governance'', BRILL, 2010, {{ISBN|9004181482}}
* Temperman, Jeroen, ''State Religion Relationships and Human Rights Law: Towards a Right to Religiously Neutral Governance'', BRILL, 2010, {{ISBN|9004181482}}


{{portalbar|politics|religion}}
{{portal bar|politics|religion}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Secular State}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Secular State}}
[[Category:Constitutional law]]
[[Category:Constitutional law]]
[[Category:Secularism]]
[[Category:Politics and secularism]]
[[Category:Religion and politics]]
[[Category:Religion and politics]]
[[Category:Religion and government]]
[[Category:Religion and government]]
[[Category:Religious policy]]
[[Category:Religious policy]]

Latest revision as of 19:37, 28 March 2026


  States with no state religion
  States with state religion
  Ambiguous states or no data

Template:Status of religious freedom

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.

Origin and practice[edit | edit source]

Secularity can be established at a state's creation (e.g., the Soviet Union, the United States) or by it later secularizing (e.g., France or Nepal). Movements for laïcité in France and separation of church and state in the United States have defined modern concepts of secularism, the United States of America being the first explicitly secular government in history. Historically, the process of secularisation typically involves granting religious freedom, disestablishing state religions, stopping public funds being used for religion, freeing the legal system from religious control, freeing up the education system, tolerating citizens who change religion or abstain from religion, and allowing political leaders to come to power regardless of their religious beliefs.[3]

In France, Italy, and Spain, for example, official holidays for the public administration tend to be Christian feast days. Any private school in France that contracts with Éducation nationale means its teachers are salaried by the state—most of the Catholic schools are in this situation and, because of history, they are the majority; however, any other religious or non-religious schools also contract this way.[4] In some European states where secularism confronts monoculturalist philanthropy, some of the main Christian denominations and sects of other religions depend on the state for some of the financial resources for their religious charities.[5] It is common in corporate law and charity law to prohibit organized religion from using those funds to organize religious worship in a separate place of worship or for conversion; the religious body itself must provide the religious content, educated clergy and laypersons to exercise its own functions and may choose to devote part of their time to the separate charities. To that effect, some of those charities establish secular organizations that manage part of or all of the donations from the main religious bodies.

Many states that are nowadays secular in practice may have legal vestiges of an earlier established religion. Secularism also has various guises that may coincide with some degree of official religiosity. In the United Kingdom, the head of state is still required to take the Coronation Oath enacted in 1688, swearing to maintain the Protestant Reformed religion and to preserve the established Church of England.[6] The UK also maintains seats in the House of Lords for 26 senior clergymen of the Church of England, known as the Lords Spiritual.[7] In Canada the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms affords secular freedoms of conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression, including communication, assembly and association yet the Charter's preamble maintains the concept of "the supremacy of God" which would appear to disadvantage those who hold nontheistic or polytheistic beliefs, including Atheism and Buddhism.[8][9] Italy has been a secular state since the enactment of the Constitution in 1948 (stressed by a Constitutional court's decision in 1989),[10] but still recognizes a special status for the Catholic Church. The reverse progression can also occur, however; a state can go from being secular to being a religious state, as in the case of Iran where the secularized Imperial State of Iran was replaced by an Islamic Republic. Nonetheless, the last 250 years has seen a trend towards secularism.[11][12]

List of secular states by continent[edit | edit source]

See also: Constitutional references to God

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

Africa[edit | edit source]

Americas[edit | edit source]

Asia[edit | edit source]

Europe[edit | edit source]

Oceania[edit | edit source]

Transcontinental countries[edit | edit source]


Formerly secular states[edit | edit source]

Ambiguous countries[edit | edit source]

  •  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.[173] Political leaders and experts have expressed uncertainty if Bangladesh is a secular state or an Islamic state.[174] Bangladesh regime changes often advocate for different type of religious freedom as in secularism or pluralism.[175]
  •  Israel
    • Since the Proclamation of Israeli independence in 1948, Israel is defined in several of its laws as a "Jewish and democratic state" (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.). However, the term "Jewish" is a polyseme that can describe the Jewish people as either an ethnic or a religious group. The debate about the meaning of the term "Jewish" and its legal and social applications is one of the most profound issues with which Israeli society deals. The problem of the status of religion in Israel, even though it is relevant to all religions, usually refers to the status of Judaism in Israeli society. Thus, even though from a constitutional point of view Judaism is not the state religion in Israel, its status nevertheless determines relations between religion and state and the extent to which religion influences the political center.[176]
  •  Thailand
    • Article 67 of the Constitution of Thailand states: The State should support and protect Buddhism [...] In supporting and protecting Buddhism, [...] the State should promote and support education and dissemination of dharmic principles of Theravada Buddhism [...], and shall have measures and mechanisms to prevent Buddhism from being undermined in any form. The State should also encourage Buddhists to participate in implementing such measures or mechanisms.[177]
  •  Malaysia
    • There is confusion whether Malaysia is secular or Islamic. Pas president declared that Malaysia is a secular state. Many authors have argued whether Malaysia is Islamic or secular.https://m.malaysiakini.com/columns/683744 . Constitution of Malaysia guarantees freedom of religion in article 11 .https://www.studocu.com/my/document/multimedia-university/human-rights-law/article-11/29869828 The addition of state religion in article 3 of Malaysia constitution makes it hard to define whether Malaysia is Islamic or secular. Therefore, Malaysia is not necessarily a Islamic or secular country as article 11 and article 3 of Malaysia indicates ambiguity about whether Malaysia is a fully Islamic country or secular state due to confusion

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 State with limited recognition.[106]
  2. ↑ Section 116 of the Constitution of Australia provides, "the Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.[145] However, the states retain the power to pass religiously discriminatory laws.[146]
  3. ↑ "Secularism in Turkey" is disputed by some scholars.[162][163][164][165]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Madeley, John T. S.; Enyedi, Zsolt (2003). Church and State in Contemporary Europe: The Chimera of Neutrality. Psychology Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-7146-5394-5.
  2. ↑ "What is Secularism?". www.secularism.org.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  3. ↑ Jean Baubérot The secular principle Archived 22 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Teese, Richard (1986). "Private Schools in France: Evolution of a System". Comparative Education Review. 30 (2): 247–259. doi:10.1086/446591. JSTOR 1188531. S2CID 144698211.
  5. ↑ Twinch, Emily. "Religious charities: Faith, funding and the state". Article dated 22 June 2009. Third Sector – a UK Charity Periodical. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "Coronation Oath". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "How members are appointed". UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Hogg, Peter W. Canada Act 1982 Annotated. Toronto, Canada: The Carswell Company Limited, 1982.
  9. ↑ Paul Russell, "The supremacy of God" does not belong in the Constitution": The Globe & Mail, June 11, 1999
  10. ↑ Articles 3, 7, 8, 19, 20 of the Constitution of Italy; Constitutional Court's Decision n. 203/1989
  11. ↑ "Harris Interactive: Resource Not Found". Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "A Portrait of "Generation Next"". Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 9 January 2007. Archived from the original on 24 May 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "ICL - Angola Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015., Article 8: "The Republic of Angola shall be a secular State..."
  14. ↑ "Article 2 of Constitution".: "The Republic of Benin shall be one - indivisible, secular, and democratic."
  15. ↑ Leaders say Botswana is a secular state Archived 10 February 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ "Article 31 of Constitution". Archived from the original on 9 October 2006.: "Burkina Faso is a democratic, unitary and secular state."
  17. ↑ Article 4 of Constitution Archived 7 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine: "Le Burundi est une République unitaire, indépendante et souveraine, laïque et démocratique."
  18. ↑ "Preamble of Constitution" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2007.: "... the State shall be secular."
  19. ↑ Article 24 of the Central African Republic's Constitution of 2016, constituteproject.org: "The Central African Republic is a State of law, unitary, sovereign, indivisible, secular and democratic."
  20. ↑ "Article 1 of Constitution". Archived from the original on 9 October 2006.: "Chad is a sovereign, independent, secular, social, and indivisible ..."
  21. ↑ "Comoros 2018 Constitution - Constitute".
  22. ↑ "Côte d'Ivoire's Constitution of 2000" (PDF)., Article 30: "The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is one and indivisible, secular, democratic and social."
  23. ↑ "Constitution de la République démocratique du Congo". Retrieved 18 March 2015., article 1er: "République Démocratique du Congo est, dans ses frontières du 30 juin 1960, un État de droit, indépendant, souverain, uni et indivisible, social, démocratique et laïc."
  24. ↑ "ICL - Congo-Brazzaville - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015., Article 1: "The Republic of the Congo is a sovereign and independent State, decentralized, indivisible, secular, democratic, and social."
  25. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Equatorial Guinea". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Eritrea". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  27. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Eswatini". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  28. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Ethiopia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  29. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Gabon". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  30. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Gambia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  31. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Ghana". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  32. ↑ Article 1 of Constitution Archived 13 September 2004 at the Wayback Machine: "La Guinée est une République unitaire, indivisible, laïque, démocratique et sociale."
  33. ↑ Article 1 of Constitution Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine: "Guinea-Bissau is a sovereign, democratic, secular and unitary republic."
  34. ↑ "The Constitution of Kenya" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  35. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Lesotho". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  36. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Liberia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  37. ↑ "Madagascar's Constitution of 2010" (PDF)., Article 1: "The Malagasy People constitute a nation organized as a sovereign, unitary, republican and secular State."
  38. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Malawi". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  39. ↑ Constitution Archived 12 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Article 25: "Mali is an independent, sovereign, indivisible, democratic, secular, social Republic."
  40. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mozambique". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  41. ↑ "ICL - Namibia - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015., Article 1: "The Republic of Namibia is hereby established as a sovereign, secular, democratic and unitary State ..."
  42. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Niger". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  43. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nigeria". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  44. ↑ Article 4 of the Rwanda's Constitution of 2003 with Amendments through 2015, constituteproject.org, Article 4: "The Rwandan State is an independent, sovereign, democratic, social and secular Republic."
  45. ↑ Article 154 of the Sao Tome and Principe's Constitution of 1975 with Amendments through 2003, constituteproject.org, "The following may not be the subject of a revision to the Constitution: [...] b. The secular status of the State;"
  46. ↑ Article 1 of the Senegal's Constitution of 2001 with Amendments through 2016, constituteproject.org, "The Republic of Senegal is secular, democratic, and social."
  47. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Sierra Leone". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  48. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: South Africa". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  49. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: South Sudan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  50. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Sudan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  51. ↑ Article 3 of the Tanzania (United Republic of)'s Constitution of 1977 with Amendments through 2005, constituteproject.org, "The United Republic is a democratic, secular and socialist state which adheres to multi-party democracy"
  52. ↑ Article 1 of the Togo's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2007, constituteproject.org, "The Togolese Republic is a State of law, secular, democratic and social."
  53. ↑ "Why Tunisia abandoning Islam as a state religion?". GR.
  54. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uganda". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  55. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Zimbabwe". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  56. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Antigua and Barbuda". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  57. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Argentina". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  58. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bahamas". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  59. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Barbados". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  60. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Belize". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  61. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bolivia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  62. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Brazil". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  63. ↑ Template:Multiref2
  64. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Chile". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  65. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Colombia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  66. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Cuba". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  67. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Dominica". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  68. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Dominican Republic". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  69. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Ecuador". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  70. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: El Salvador". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  71. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Grenada". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  72. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Guatemala". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  73. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Guyana". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  74. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Haiti". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  75. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Honduras". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  76. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Jamaica". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  77. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mexico". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  78. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nicaragua". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  79. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Paraguay". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  80. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Panama". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  81. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Peru". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  82. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Kitts and Nevis". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  83. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Lucia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  84. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  85. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Suriname". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  86. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Trinidad and Tobago". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  87. ↑ "Religion and the US Constitution: The First Amendment". Cornell Law School. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  88. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uruguay". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  89. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Venezuela". United States Department of State. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  90. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: China". United States Department of State. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  91. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Cyprus". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  92. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Indonesia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  93. ↑ "The Constitution (Amendment)". Archived from the original on 28 March 2015., "We, The People of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its..."
  94. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Japan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  95. ↑ Article 1 of Constitution Archived 4 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Article 1: "The Kyrghyz Republic (Kyrghyzstan) shall be a sovereign unitary democratic republic created on the basis of a legal secular state."
  96. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Laos". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  97. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Mongolia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  98. ↑ Dodd 2003, p. 571, The rough guide to Nepal: "After 2005, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Nepal declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."
  99. ↑ "Northern Cyprus Constitution" (PDF). Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  100. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: North Korea". United States Department of State. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  101. ↑ "Article II Section 6 of the Constitution of the Philippines". Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2021., "The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable."
  102. ↑ See Declaration of Religious Harmony, which explicitly states the secular nature of society
  103. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: South Korea". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  104. ↑ "Constitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic". Syrian Arab News Agency. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  105. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Taiwan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  106. ↑ "Introduction: Secular State and Pious Muslims", Secular State and Religious Society, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, doi:10.1057/9781137010643.0003 ( (inactive $1) 1 July 2025), ISBN 9781137010643, retrieved 11 April 2022{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link) CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  107. ↑ "Tajikistan's Constitution of 1994 with Amendments through 2003" (PDF)., Article 1: "The Republic of Tajikistan is a sovereign, democratic, law-governed, secular, and unitary State."
  108. ↑ Preamble to the Constitution, "The elaboration and adoption of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor is the culmination of the secular resistance of the Timorese People ..."
  109. ↑ "Constitution of Turkmenistan". Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015., Article 1: "Turkmenistan is a democratic secular state ..."
  110. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Uzbekistan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  111. ↑ Dodd 2003, p. 571, The rough guide to Vietnam: "After 1975, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Vietnam declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."
  112. ↑ "ICL - Albania - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  113. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom:Andorra". United States Department of State. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  114. ↑ "ICL - Austria Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  115. ↑ Nielsen, Jørgen; Akgönül, Samim; Alibašić, Ahmet; Racius, Egdunas (19 September 2013). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe. BRILL. ISBN 9789004255869 – via Google Books.
  116. ↑ In Belgium, Article 20 of the Constitution provides: No one can be obliged to contribute in any way whatsoever to the acts and ceremonies of religion, nor to observe the days of rest. "ICL - Belgium - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  117. ↑ "United States Department of State". United States Department of State. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  118. ↑ "National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria - Constitution". Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  119. ↑ "The consolidated text of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia as of 15 January 2014" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  120. ↑ Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms Archived 30 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  121. ↑ "ICL - Estonia - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  122. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Finland". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  123. ↑ "ICL - France Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  124. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Germany". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  125. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Hungary". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  126. ↑ Fifth Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1972.
  127. ↑ Articles 3, 7, 8, 19, 20 of Constitution; Constitutional Court's Decision n. 203/1989
  128. ↑ Naamat, Talia; Porat, Dina; Osin, Nina (19 July 2012). Legislating for Equality: A Multinational Collection of Non-Discrimination Norms. Volume I: Europe. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-9004226128 – via Google Books.
  129. ↑ "ICL - Latvia - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  130. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Lithuania". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  131. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Moldova". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  132. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Netherlands". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  133. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Norway". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  134. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Poland". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  135. ↑ "Constitution". Diário da República Eletrónico. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  136. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Romania". United States Department of State. United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  137. ↑ Article 11 of the Constitution Archived 16 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  138. ↑ "Article 1 of Constitution" (PDF).
  139. ↑ "Constitution". Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  140. ↑ "Article 16 of Constitution" (PDF). Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  141. ↑ The Swedish head of state must according to the Swedish Act of Succession adhere to the Augsburg Confession
  142. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Switzerland". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  143. ↑ "Constitution" (PDF). constituteproject.org. Retrieved 4 October 2020., article 35: "The Church and religious organisations in Ukraine are separated from the State, and the school - from the Church."
  144. ↑ Barker, Renae (9 October 2024). "Is Australia a secular country? It depends what you mean". The Conversation. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  145. ↑ "ICL - Australia Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  146. ↑ Puls, Joshua (1998). "The Wall of Separation: Section 116, the First Amendment and Constitutional Religious Guarantees" (PDF). Federal Law Review: 160.
  147. ↑ Article 4 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji explicitly provides that Fiji is a secular state. It guarantees religious liberty, while stating, "religious belief is personal", and, "religion and the State are separate." Constitution of the Republic of Fiji Archived 6 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 2013
  148. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kiribati". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  149. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Marshall Islands". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  150. ↑ Section 2 of Article IV of the Micronesian constitution provides, "no law may be passed respecting an establishment of religion or impairing the free exercise of religion, except that assistance may be provided to parochial schools for non-religious purposes." "Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia".
  151. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nauru". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  152. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: New Zealand". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  153. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Palau". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  154. ↑ "2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Vanuatu". United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  155. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Armenia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  156. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Azerbaijan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  157. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Georgia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  158. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kazakhstan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  159. ↑ "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kazakhstan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  160. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Russia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  161. ↑ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Turkey". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  162. ↑ Orhan, Özgüç. "The Paradox of Turkish Secularism." Turkish Journal of Politics 4.1 (2013)
  163. ↑ Topal, Semiha (2012). "Everybody Wants Secularism—But Which One? Contesting Definitions of Secularism in Contemporary Turkey". International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society. 25 (1–3): 1–14. doi:10.1007/s10767-011-9114-z.
  164. ↑ Davison, Andrew. "Turkey, a "secular" state?: The challenge of description." The South Atlantic Quarterly 102.2 (2003): 333-350.
  165. ↑ Kaymakcan, Recep, and İbrahim Aşlamacı. "Understanding of Turkish secularism in terms of freedom of religion: Example of compulsory religious education in schools." Human Rights and the Separation of State and Religion: International Case Studies. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023. 179-198.
  166. ↑ Article 2A:
    The state religion of the Republic is Islam, but the State shall ensure equal status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other religions.
  167. ↑ Article 8:
    (1) The principles of nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism, together with the principles derived from those as set out in this Part, shall constitute the fundamental principles of state policy.
    (2) The principles set out in this Part shall be fundamental to the governance of Bangladesh, shall be applied by the State in the making of laws, shall be a guide to the interpretation of the Constitution and of the other laws of Bangladesh, and shall form the basis of the work of the State and of its citizens, but shall not be judicially enforceable.
  168. ↑ Gurcan, M. (2016). What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?: Understanding Counter-insurgency Efforts in Tribalized Rural and Muslim Environments. Wolverhampton Military Studies. Helion Limited. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-911096-84-9. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  169. ↑ "Americanchronicle.com". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  170. ↑ "Samoa Officially Becomes a Christian State - The Diplomat". 16 June 2017. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017.
  171. ↑ "PARLIAMENT PASSES AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION TO DECLARE PNG'S CHRISTIAN IDENTITY; SECTION 45 PROTECTING FREEDOM TO PRACTISE OTHER FAITHS REMAINS INTACT". Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  172. ↑ "PNG parliament passes bill declaring god as 'creator and sustainer of the entire universe'". ABC Pacific. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  173. ↑ "Bangladesh's court restores 'secularism' in Constitution". 29 July 2010. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  174. ↑ "Bangladesh's Ambiguity on Religion Has Been Expensive for the Country". 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  175. ↑ "Ali Riaz on Recommendations of Bangladesh's Constitutional Reform Commission". 3 February 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  176. ↑ Trouble in Utopia: The Overburdened Polity of Israel, by Dan Horowitz and Moshe Lissak, pp. 51–52
  177. ↑ "Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand" (PDF). ConstitutionNet. Retrieved 29 October 2017.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Secular_state&oldid=468368"
Discover more