The examination of the separation between religion and state in both Western democracies and the Middle East utilizes five criteria from the Religion and State dataset: the official relationship between religion and government, the comparative handling of different faiths, discrimination against religious minorities, regulation of the dominant religion, and religious laws are key issues. The findings indicate that although these factors are more common in the Middle East, they are also present in some Western democracies. Furthermore, all Western democracies, except the U.S., exhibit at least some of these five forms of government entanglement with religion. This suggests that the U.S. is an exception among liberal democracies in terms of separating religion and state, and that religious democracy, including Islamic democracy, is feasible. The Middle East is the birthplace of the three major monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—as well as several minor ones. The region's politics, from the Arab-Israeli conflict to the Iranian revolution and the rise of extremist groups like Al-Qaida, is often perceived by both insiders and outsiders as driven by religious conflict. Nonetheless, Middle Eastern politics has never been exclusively about religion, even when religious language and symbols are used. At its core, politics is about power, and political actors bring their own perspectives on the causes of injustice and the appropriate methods for political change. In the Middle East, many of these perspectives are explicitly religious; however, Western countries have also experienced a resurgence of political debate concerning religion, from its role in national politics to the increasing number of religious revivalist movements. In this sense, Middle Eastern politics is not necessarily more focused on religion than politics in Western countries. Additionally, the role of religion extends beyond the use of religious symbolism in political conflicts or the ways regimes and their challengers claim legitimacy through religious authority. Religion is also a fundamental part of daily life in every Middle Eastern country, shaping how most ordinary citizens perceive politics and their own place in the world.