Democracy is entirely Islamic. According to the Quran, believers are those who conduct their affairs by mutual consultation. (42:38) According to a hadith: As you (society) are, so would your rulers be. (Shuab al-Iman, Hadith No. 7006) These are the premises of democracy. Democracy is the people’s government, for the people and by the people. Unlike dictatorship or monarchy, in a democracy, society dictates the events. Islam and secularism are fully compatible. As per the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, secularism is a policy of non-interference in religious matters. In a secular government, every religious community has the right to follow its faith. It was demonstrated even by the Prophet Muhammad when he drafted the Madinah Charter, according to which different religious groups were allowed to have their law. The Quran (5:43 and 5:44) and the life of the Prophet Muhammad make it clear that secularism and the teachings of Islam are alike. Groups that claim otherwise are entirely mistaken in promoting un-Islamic ideas of religious superiority. The Quran says, ‘Lakum deenukum waliyadeen’, which means, ‘to each, his religion’. It is the fundamental principle of secularism in our nation.