Since 2001 many observers of education in the Muslim world have expressed concerns about the radicalizing influence of madrasahs. These critiques often assume that the ichotomization of sacred and secular common to civic society in the West is a necessary ingredient of any educational reforms designed to prevent the spread of religious extremism in the Muslim world. This essay critically examines this secularization thesis through an analysis of current educational reforms in the southern Philippines, where local officials have initiated efforts to Islamize education in the context of a decades-long secessionist movement.