ABSTRACT
Although debates over the relationship between the secular and the sacred have a long history, the topic has gained widespread saliency in recent years, not least owing to the worldwide growth of fundamentalism, especially in the Islamic world. It is obvious that Islam plays an important political role in many Islamic countries. In some, such as Iran, Afghanistan and Sudan, Islamic radicals control the state, in others such as Egypt they represent important opposition elements; in Algeria, they are engaged in a violent struggle for power; in almost every other state with large Muslim populations, Islam has been resurgent as evidenced by debates over the role and interpretation of law and the position of women in the social order.
