Following the customary setup of the Thinking the Mediterranean series of conferences sponsored by the Ramses2 network, a conference with two speakers on Secularism in the Mediterranean was held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s conference center on 20 April 2008. The speakers were Egyptian Magdy Abdulhafez Abdallah Saleh, currently visiting professor at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France, and the Lebanese novelist, critic, and researcher, Nazik Saba Yarid.

The seminar tackled a number of issues related to secularism in the region, including the history of the concept and its application in Mediterranean Arab countries, the opposing trends that have appeared in the area, the philosophical background of both secularism and fundamentalism, and the effects the concept has had on literature and society particularly in reference to women’s issues, education, and law. The conference was followed by a lively discussion between the speakers and members of the public.