Europe’s long history of religious warfare and the Age of Enlightenment that followed led to the establishment, in most Western countries, of a firm divide between church and state. From this divide emerged the concept that religious morality should be separate from secular law. Coming from a historical and cultural tradition defined by the separation of church and state, many Westerners assume that secularization is a necessary precondition for the emergence of modern, democratic forms of government that respect universal human rights. This belief underpins Western policymakers’ promotion of secularization as the path to political, social, and economic reform in the Muslim world. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, U.S. and other Western policymakers have, on the whole, intensified their efforts to cultivate secular democracy in the Muslim world in order to promote reform