In order to be a Muslim by conviction and free choice, which is the only way one can be a Muslim, I need a secular state.
(Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im)
The growth of republican spirit and the gradual formation of legislative assemblies in Muslim lands constitute a great step in advance. The transfer of the power of Ijtihad from individual representatives of schools to a Muslim legislative assembly which, in view of the growth of opposing sects, is the only possible form Ijma can take in modern times, will secure contributions to legal discussion from laymen who happen to possess a keen insight into affairs..........The only effective remedy for the possibilities of erroneous interpretations is to reform the present system of legal education in [Islamic] countries, to extend its sphere, and to combine it with an intelligent study of modern jurisprudence.
(Allama Iqbal)
Hence, it can be concluded that
secularism is inevitable in Islamic countries because only a secular state offers a workable future for the place of Shari'a in Muslim societies
