By Liberal Secular Democracy, it is meant a democratic system in which the state remains religiously neutral, all citizens have equal legal status, individual and minority rights are protected, freedom of conscience and expression are respected, and laws remain open to criticism, reform, and peaceful democratic change.
First Example:
In Islamic Democracies, they go for an Islamic System instead of a Liberal Secular System, which turns these Islamic democracies into the "Dictatorship of Majority". And the minorities become 2nd or 3rd class citizens in such Islamic democracies, losing many of their basic and EQUAL human rights.
Moreover, in Islamic democracies, governments are always very weak and never have the power to go against Islamic law. They have to appease their voter bank instead of doing the right thing.
Nevertheless, dictators like Muhammad bin Salman (Saudi Arabia) indeed went against Islamic laws, and he was able to abolish a few draconian Sharia laws.
Second Example: Democracy Can Be Undermined Even Without Religion
A democratic majority can elect politicians who subsequently try to weaken judicial independence, minority rights, freedom of expression, institutional checks and balances, or other democratic safeguards.
That is why Liberal Secular Democracy is not simply about holding elections.
It is about combining democratic government with individual rights, equal citizenship, freedom of conscience, rule of law, and institutional safeguards against the abuse of majority power.
Politicians such as Trump, Erdoğan, or others may attempt to weaken these safeguards.
Sometimes they may succeed to some degree.
But the fact that a system can be abused does not mean that the system has no value.
No political system can provide 100% protection against bad politicians.
The relevant question is:
Which system gives ordinary people the best opportunity to recognise, resist, and peacefully reverse political oppression?
That is why I consider Liberal Secular Democracy the least-bad political system we have found so far.
Lessons:
Lesson 1: It is perhaps a mistake when the Western world put a lot of importance on democracy in the Islamic countries, but didn't put so much importance on the Liberal Secular System. They in fact accepted and recognised the so-called combination of "Democracy" + "Islamic System", which is a fatal mistake.
Lesson 2: Even Liberal Secular Democracies also face danger from bad (fanatic) politicians, who may weaken them. This description of democracy is what Fareed Zakaria called "The illiberal Democracy" some twenty years ago, and he predicted it would replace the "liberal" democracy (i.e. one built on preserving rights rather than on majority rule) globally. Unfortunately, he's been almost entirely proven correct.
Hassan Radwan