democracy

What Does Secularism Mean?

This article analyses what secularism could mean for the modern democratic society. It claims that secularism should pursuit three main goals: freedom (no one must be forced in the domain of religion, or basic belief ); equality (there must be equality between people of different faiths or basic belief ); fraternity (all spiritual families must be heard and included in the ongoing process of determining what the society is about).

Minority Legal Orders: Accommodating Religious Law in Western Democracies

The paper argues that Western democracy, such as the UK, has a responsibility to consider the rights and needs of those from minority groups who want to make legal decisions in tune with their culture and beliefs; it also has a responsibility to protect those "minorities within minorities" who are vulnerable to pressure to comply with the norms of their social group.