A few days ago, I wrote a short Facebook post: "Thank God science remained beyond the reach of the religious class, otherwise they would have done to it what they did to religion." I knew the statement would provoke reactions and it did. Hundreds of comments followed - some supportive, some thoughtful, many emotional, and a few outright hostile. But beneath the noise, the discussion revealed something far more important than the post itself: our society's deep confusion between religion and religious authority.

Many people immediately assumed I was attacking Islam. I was not. My criticism was directed at a particular religious culture that has gradually transformed faith into identity politics, sectarian loyalty, inherited dogma and emotional mobilisation. There is a profound difference between questioning religion and questioning those who claim monopoly over its interpretation.

One commenter argued that if the religious class did not exist, society would become morally bankrupt. Another insisted that scholars are "the inheritors of the prophets". I........

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