![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE95MbpRd0yGmRdOpaBnZNUlxamogh65XW1EP94NMqAJyXfJ4bNT5ww7mbDRChvZkIhent3HwGlRLTb7wa3dwEvvbMQMXwUXival6OPJWUd6CYIFywGV-w_DuIhanA_oBObNn76vJ5sE/s400/Secular_world_map.gif)
A map of secular states. Green indicates a secular state.
Secularism is neutral. It is neither a dogma nor a doctrine. If anything, it's an abstention. Secularism abstains from favouring one religion over another, or favouring atheism over religious belief. It is a political principle that aims at guaranteeing the largest possible coexistence of various freedoms.