Islamic modernism refers to a movement which attempts to syncretize the Islamic faith with values typically associated with western modernity, including but not lmited to democracy, civil rights, and equality. It is described by scholar Mustafa Akyol as an effort to re-read Islam's fundamental sources--the Qur'an and the Sunna--by placing them in their historical context, and then reasssessing them in the light of the modern context. It is contrasted with Islamic secularism, which argues that Islamic influences on political and legal systems should be removed in favor of a separation of religion and state.