Centuries before the Enlightenment in the Christian world (1685 – 1815), secularity was present in the Persian cultural area. As a postdoc, Arash Ghajarjazi, associated with the Beyond Sharia project of Utrecht University, does research on medieval non-conformist ideas and the emergence of secularity in the Persian cultural area. He examines the work of various Persian intellectuals who criticised Islam, including Omar Khayyam. His thinking can sometimes be called downright atheistic and his quatrains are still world-famous. Ghajarjazi discusses his findings in an interview.