A process of secularization is taking place in the Muslim world. People hope for human rights, political and economic participation, and social fairness. At the same time, many of these same people refuse to become, or to define themselves as, secular. The reasons for this refusal are numerous: misunderstanding, mistranslations into atheistic terms, fear of loss of religion and identity, but also the cruel memory of tyrannical secular governments and elites taking advantage of the benefits of economic modernization for themselves.Moroccan philosopher and former director of Aga Khan University, Abdou Filali-Ansary, talks to ResetDoC at the Istanbul Seminars.