Modood criticises what he sees as an “intolerant secularist hegemony” developing in

Europe which is dismissive of if not hostile to religion.

Aggressive models of secularism in which religious influence is treated as a

dangerous force which should be minimised, he argues, are based upon an outdated
mentality from a time several centuries ago when Europe was dominated by
authoritarian churches which sought to control every aspect of public and private life.

Modood argues that this view does not reflect the reality of religion in Modern Europe
where the power of the Christian churches has been significantly curtailed by the
growth of secular governments which have filled many of the roles it once filled and
where, due to multiculturalism and the growing number of people who choose not to
identify with organised religion, a much greater diversity of religious viewpoints
exists.

According to Modood this form of secularism has created a society which is resistant
to the integration of new ethnic minorities because it fails to accommodate their
religious needs.

Modood instead argues for a more moderate form of secularism which acknowledges
and respects the importance of religious faith in a multicultural society and seeks to
reasonably accommodate and even make use of it.

According to Modood better recognition and accommodation of people of religious

minorities would assist in their integration into the wider secular society.

He equates such a strategy with departmental policies that exist within the British
Civil Service, which aim to address the problem of gender inequality through policies
which encourage greater female workplace participation.

He also points to examples of cooperation between government and religious groups

which have benefited society as a whole, most notably the government led
negotiations between Irish Catholics and Protestants which produced the Good Friday
agreement and brought an end to sectarian conflict in Belfast.