Editing Secular state (section)

{{short description|State or country without a state religion}}
{{update|date=March 2025}}

[[File:Map of secular states.svg|thumb|400x400px|{{legend|#0093AF|States with state secularism}}{{legend|#EB151C|States with [[state religion]]}}{{legend|#dedede|Ambiguous states or no data}}]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Status of religious freedom|expanded=concept}}

{{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 [[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]].