Islam pleads for the secular type of set-up

http://www.alislam.org/books/shariah/

Islam pleads for the secular type of government more than any religion and more than any political system.

Now, this is surprising for some. But I can quote from the Holy Qur’an and prove the point. The very essence of secularism is that absolute justice must be practised regardless of the differences of faith and religion and colour and creed and group.

This, in essence, is the true definition of secularism. And this is exactly what the Holy Qur’an admonishes us to do in matters of state, how things should be done and how the state should be run. The Holy Qur’an says:

Innal laaha ya moro bil adley (Al-Nahl:16: 91)

Allah orders you to always practise justice. And then it develops the theme by saying:

Wa laa yajremannakoum shanaanou kaumin ala allah taadelou. Ei delou howa akraboulit taqwa (Al-Ma’idah: 5:9).

No amount of enmity between you and any other people, should permit you to deviate from absolute justice. Be always just that is nearer to righteousness,

When you dispense your responsibility as a government, you must dispense those responsibilities with absolute justice in mind. Now, when absolute justice is established as the central theme of a government, how could Islamic law be imposed upon non Muslim? Because it would be against justice. And so many contradictions would arise.

Unquote

An excerpt from a speech delivered by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Khalifatul Masih IV

at the Inter‑religious Consults, Suriname, on 3rd June 1991.

http://www.alislam.org/books/shariah/