The false secularism

The motivation that moved Buber to publish this book is that there is a "new secularism" that has begun to emerge and expand in European societies, led by the right-wing currents, and this type of secularism, according to Buber, is false secularism; because it transferred the secular principle to the public domain, that is, society; which has led it to a kind of tyranny against individuals and groups, where it intervenes to prevent the expression of their selves, beliefs, and rituals. While secularism in its essence is merely the neutrality of the political authority, and from the requirements of this neutrality is that cultural and religious expressions are not prevented from manifesting in public life. Buber's thesis is based on a fundamental distinction between the secularization of the state and the secularization of society, where secularization at the first level is accepted; that is, in its meaning as the state's neutrality regarding religious belief issues, but he rejects the secularization of society; because it would lead to political authority intervening in individuals' choices and freedoms. This stance is what made Buber reject all forms of restriction that affect Muslims in France.